It might have been hard to envision after Week 1’s disaster, but the Green Bay Packers are 3-1 after the first four games of the 2021 season. After a 35-point loss in the opener, Matt LaFleur’s steadied the ship and rattle off three straight wins despite not having several important players, including David Bakhtiari, Za’Darius Smith and Elgton Jenkins.
Here are some stats to know about the Packers after four games:
Rashan Gary is off to a strong start
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Gary, now a full-time player in his third season, has a team-high 16 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s produced at least three pressures in all four games, and he’s one of only seven edge rushers with at least 15 total pressures and six quarterback hits.
Defense needs to be better situationally
(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
The Packers defense is slowly improving, but the group is a mess in a few important situations. On third down, the Packers defense is allowing conversions on 48.8 percent of opportunities, ranking 29th among 32 teams. It’s even worse in the red zone. Opponents have scored touchdowns on all 11 trips into the red zone against Green Bay. The Packers and Carolina Panthers are the only teams in football without a red-zone stop this season.
Packers offensive line
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The Packers lost All-Pro Corey Linsley in free agency, and they’ve been without All-Pro David Bakhtiari for all four games and without Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins for three of the first four games. Yet the offensive line has still only been credited with giving up six sacks, and the line’s pass-blocking efficiency ranks 15th in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Middle of the pack at this point is just fine considering what the Packers have been without for much of this season. At ESPN, the Packers rank sixth in pass-block win rate and 10th in run-block win rate.
Testing Stokes
Photo by Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
It took a game for rookie Eric Stokes to get on the field, but he’s now a full-time player for the Packers defense, and quarterbacks are targeting him at a high rate. The Packers’ first-round pick has been targeted 25 times, but he’s allowing only 8.4 yards per catch with a team-high six pass breakups (including an interception). Quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 60.3 when targeting Stokes so far in 2021.
On time
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12).
When Aaron Rodgers throws the ball in 2.5 seconds or less, his passer rating is 118.9 this season, per Pro Football Focus. It drops to 76.9 when he holds the ball for more than 2.5 seconds. He’s almost unstoppable when playing on time.
Davante’s domination
(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Davante Adams hasn’t been quite as dominant as last season. He’s averaging slightly fewer catches and slightly fewer receiving yards per game this season, and he has just one touchdown catch in four games. He’s still on pace to catch 131 passes for 1,585 yards over a 17-game schedule in 2021. Adams has 31 catches in four games, and no other Packers receiver has more than nine catches to start this season.
Campbell’s impact
Samantha Madar/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
While 17 passes have been completed into De’Vondre Campbell’s coverage area, the veteran linebacker has made sure the catches have created little to no impact. Overall, those completions – on 26 targets – have netted only 86 yards. Campbell also has two pass breakups and an interception in coverage, and his eight “stops,” or tackles creating an offensive failure, rank second among all linebackers, per Pro Football Focus.
Kenny Clark’s disruption
Green Bay Packers’ Kenny Clark celebrates after recovering a funmble during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
The Packers aren’t getting enough from other members of the defensive line, but Clark has been a wrecking ball through four games. He has 15 pressures and 11 stops, ranking second on the team in both categories. Overall, Clark is the NFL’s only interior defensive lineman with at least 15 pressures and 10 stops, per Pro Football Focus.
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