Ravens Defense To Put The Brakes On Aaron Rodgers This Sunday
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens did away with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. It wasn't an easy task by any means. And it won't get any easier with the Green Bay Packers coming into Baltimore to battle the defending champions. If the Ravens want to pull off the upset, they'll have to play a complete game of football.
Packers Offense
Anyone who knows anything about the NFL knows that stopping the Green Bay Packers means stopping Aaron Rodgers. And that task is easier said than done. Rodgers does a great job of reading defenses and throwing the ball where it has to be. He rarely makes mistakes which makes it extremely difficult for teams to slow down the Packers offense. Green Bay has a great receiving corps that will make things even more challenging for Baltimore. Jordy Nelson and James Jones make up one of the best tandems in the NFL. The Ravens will need to do a good job locking those receivers down if they want any chance of keeping this team away from the end-zone.
The Packers aren't playing any average defense. The Ravens defense has been quite phenomenal so far this year. You'll most likely see Rodgers in a lot of three step drops in order to counter the Ravens strong passing attack. It'll be more imperative for corners such as Jimmy Smith to stay on their man in order to make every pass difficult for the Packers quarterback.
One thing that the Ravens shouldn't have any problems with is the Packers running game. Though Eddie Lacy had a fine game against the Lions last Sunday, this is a passing team. They become one dimensional out of habit and that is just fine for a Ravens defense looking to get after the quarterback.
Packers Defense
Green Bay is known for their offense but their defense can be just as dangerous. But the Packers suffered a huge loss when Clay Matthews suffered a broken thumb during last week's Lions game.
The defense will definitely feel the loss of their best player but may not be worried too much about their upcoming game. The Ravens offense has been anything but explosive and their offensive line has been poor to say the least. Baltimore will most likely start Eugene Monroe for the first time, which may change things. But until that is shown on film, the Packers gameplan on defense boils down to one word: ATTACK! Teams have had success crashing players at the line of scrimmage and disrupting plays at the point of attack. Unless Baltimore can mix things up with misdirection plays and screens, it may be a long day for the Ravens offense once again.
Packers Coaching
Mike McCarthy is the head coach for the Green Bay Packers and has been so since 2006. McCarthy was previously employed by the Packers as a quarterback coach back in 1999. The Packers are 3-1 all-time against the Baltimore Ravens.
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Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
