Defense has an achilles heel...

[firstdayfan]

So as we saw on Sunday the defense yet again surrendered a huge lead and almost gave away the game.  I mentioned on twitter that we can't continue to claim to have an elite defense when stuff like that happens.  But the more I thought about it the more I realized that we shouldn't be so worried because Eli Manning is a super bowl winning top tier quarterback in this league.  Thats not something we should be ashamed of...right?

Well then I went back and looked at the games and if you overlook the Texans game and the first Saints game (early in the season before the offense found a groove), all of the close games we've had this season have been against these quarterbacks, Russell Wilson (yes he's a top tier QB, get over it), Andrew Luck (same), Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Eli Manning.  All other games have been blow outs and these have been against Jameis Winston, Sam Bradford, Marcus Mariota, Kirk Cousins, Tony Romo, and Matt Ryan.  Not exactly top QBs.

The close games all happened a little differently, Luck, Rodgers, and Manning all brought their teams back from big deficits after starting poorly while Wilson and Brees hung with us the whole game to have Cam win out in the end.

So knowing this there are really two major questions we have to ask ourselves (and I will give my thoughts):

1) Why are these QBs having such success against our defense?

The short answer to this is that we just don't have a consistent pass rush.  Against average QBs we can send a variety of blitzes and use coverage schemes to confuse these QBs which lead to a lot of coverage sacks.  But great QBs will find the hot route and take away the blitz, and they can also buy time in the pocket and find open receivers against zone coverages.

Our front four just can't get to the QB, and great signal callers take advantage of that over and over.  For example, when we get a big lead, as with Green Bay, New York, and Indy, we started playing more deep zone.  This is when the front four is supposed to pin their ears back and go after the QB, but they just can't.  QBs have plenty of time in the pocket to find receivers.  Its no coincidence that many of the victories we've had against these QBs have been with some pressure towards the end, like Luke against Luck or Short against Rodgers.  

Long story short we need to find a pass rush, or at the very least find a way to mask the problem.

2) How will this problem affect the playoffs?

Again, the short answer is that it will make for a lot of close games.  There are so few average QBs in the playoffs.  Chances are that we have to face Rodgers and Wilson to get to the Super Bowl where we will probably face either Brady or Roethlisberger.  Those are the four teams that we don't matchup well against, and that simply depends on how you feel about Carson Palmer, who many people feel is a top level QB.

I mean, I still think we can beat these teams but it only takes one mistake to end a season in the playoffs.  And a defense that can't hold up against top QBs is something to be concerned about.  I firmly believe that we will always have a chance as long as Cam keeps playing at this level, but its just something to keep an eye on.  And I will admit that there aren't many defenses in the league that can always hold up against Top QBs (look at Denver this weekend) but we are going to have to go through some of these guys to get to and win a championship.  The lack of a pass rush could make for a shorter playoff run than many are expecting.

What do you guys think?  

[Dex]

Good post.

[therealmjl]

1 minute ago, Dex said:

Good post.

Thanks

[LA_Panther]

Blitzing Palmer, Rogers or Wilson aint gonna cut it. As a general rule, you do not blitz good passers as they can light you up

Our front 4 passrush better show up, or our offense better continue scoring 35-40 games

[Sweeneyman]

Good post!! I have to agree with a lot of it.

[juliosantos]

we need to activate delaire and use addison more often same with ealy.charles johnson is the worst i have ever seen him , jarred allen is also slow . we need a pass rush fast  and another thing we need to stop is these short quick passes , that kills us 

[Moorgan]

In addition, I'm not sure these next 2 games will show us anything new about our pass rush. I don't think anyone would mistake ATL or TB for one of the elite teams we will face in the playoffs. But what those 2 games could do is provide a spark and a boost in confidence for the unit to perform better. Confidence is a big part of the game and having that belief that you can and will get it done can be the difference.

So while these next 2 games won't necessarily show us anything we don't already know, they could provide our D Line with what they need heading in to the post season. Great post and spot on analysis.

[pepaw]

This highlights a truth that may rear it's ugly head more and more.  If CJ does not get back to form then we may be done.  PFF is not the end all of truth but he must improve and get the rush into 80s at least.  On a side note, throw Jared Allen into the rotation, Kony is easily better. 

 

[t96]

Romo is a top 5 QB.

[Davidson Deac II]

Quote

The close games all happened a little differently, Luck, Rodgers, and Manning all brought their teams back from big deficits after starting poorly while Wilson and Brees hung with us the whole game to have Cam win out in the end.

 

Our front four aren't elite, but they certainly aren't as bad as you are making them out to be.  We are near the top of the league in sacks, and the majority of those sacks are coming from defensive lineman.  But it goes without saying that the best qb's are going to perform better than average qb's. 

Regarding the qb's you mentioned, we shut down Russel Wilson (4th qtr) and Andrew Luck (OT) when we needed to.  Against Brees, Rogers, and Manning, well those guys are good or great qb's, so it unrealistic to expect to shut them down for the whole game.  But offensive turnovers and special teams miscues contributed heavily to both comebacks and to keeping New Orleans in the game. 

I am more concerned about field goal's being blocked and poor run defense at times.  In most of the games you mentioned, we allowed the opponent some big runs.  if you can't stop the run, then that makes it easier to pass. 

[csx]

Our pash rush is on and off considering somehow we are still 4th in the NFL in sacks. 

[TNPanther]

I think a huge part of the breakdown Sunday was due to field position. Two of the scores came when the Gmen were gifted a FG block and a fumble recovery. The defense was gassed because it was on the field for the better part of the 4th, and given that the Giants were constantly starting on the wrong side of the 50, it's not surprising that they came back.

From what I've observed, the pass rush is fine in the first 3 quarters of the game, but gets gassed in the 4th. This could be attributed to conditioning and the age of our vet D-ends. CJ in particular looks fat and out of shape. I feel like Ron needs to have the guys run more gassers. 

[thefuzz]

You can never have enough pass rushers....unless of course you have a bunch who can't get to the QB.

I feel like that's what we have right now.  CJ, Star, and Allen can get to the QB, just not often enough to rattle them....KK is going to get doubled, and will wear down with too many snaps.

We will need to limit turnovers, stop the run, score points, and just deal with the opponents scoring more points that we are accustomed to seeing.....I don't think that we will be shutting down any of our opponents in the playoffs.

[Sean Payton's Vicodin]

Our DEs suck ass. You can shut down the $20 million man with an average OT this season. Allen is way too slow and is pretty much done. Better hope they can at least play contain with Rodgers or Wilson (and to a much lesser extent, Bridgewater) most likely coming to BOA next month.

If CJ was at least 1/4 of what he was in 2013 there wouldn't be much of a problem.