By Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel –
GREEN BAY, Wis. — If the Green Bay Packers had played defense last year the way they’ve played during their five-game winning streak this year, one would have to wonder whether the 2011 season would have ended differently.
This week, they may find out the answer.
It has been 10 months and five days since the Packers bowed out of the playoffs at the hands of the New York Giants in a divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field, laying to waste a 15-1 season and an opportunity to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
The 37-20 loss set off a code red in the Packers’ front office informing general manager Ted Thompson that if he didn’t retool the defense, his team would be headed for another catastrophic letdown. Fail to heed the warning and the Packers might squander the greatest collection of offensive talent they’ve had since the Lombardi era.
Thompson didn’t hesitate, using his top six draft picks on defensive players and then setting forth a plan with coach Mike McCarthy to incorporate them into the defense right away so they would be able to contribute late in the season.
Now 7-3 and on a five-game winning streak, the Packers rank 10th in the NFL in scoring defense, tied for sixth in interceptions and second in sacks. During the streak, they have held opponents to 19 points per game and 24 points total in the fourth quarter.
Sunday night they get to line up against the Giants at the Meadowlands and find out whether those numbers mean something. Coming up big against Detroit throughout a 24-20 victory Sunday gives defensive coordinator Dom Capers hope the Giants will be facing a much different defense.
“I thought a lot of our young guys took a real step in the right direction,” Capers said Monday, noting that at one point he had six rookies on the field. “We felt going on the road we needed to go in and start fast. We started the game with two three-and-out series back to back.”
Contrast that to the two starts the Packers had against the Giants last year.
In a 38-35 victory by the Packers Dec. 4 at the Meadowlands, Giants quarterback Eli Manning completed a 67-yard touchdown pass over safety Charlie Peprah to tight end Travis Beckum on the third play. On the second series of the playoff game, Manning completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to receiver Hakeem Nicks on which Peprah missed a tackle.
Now back to the Lions game.
“One of our biggest concerns was being able to be at our best in the fourth quarter because they’re a team that really had scored a lot of points in the fourth quarter,” Capers said. “And I thought the key in the game was going out there with 1:58 left, having four downs and getting off the field, then being able to close it out with the end of the game series even after that.”
Contrast that to the two finishes the Packers had against the Giants last year.
In December, Manning drove the Giants 69 yards in nine plays for a touchdown and two-point conversion that tied the game, 35-35. In the playoff game, with the Packers holding a sliver of hope with 41/2 minutes left, the defense gave up a 17-yard completion on third-and-11 and then runs of 24 and 14 yards to allow the Giants to close out the game.
“I always judge this: How do you play at crunch time when you really have to be at your best?” Capers said. “That (last season) always bothers me because that’s when we have to be at our best.
“We were yesterday. The team needed us the most, we went out and played our best. We started the game with eight straight (series) wins and we finished the game with seven straight wins. To me, that’s what you want to do.”
There is a danger in letting expectations get too high when you’re dealing with a bunch of rookies and second-year players. With starters Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews and Sam Shields out because of injury, Capers got a ton of help from rookies Casey Hayward, Jerron McMillian, Dezman Moses, Mike Daniels and Jerel Worthy and second-year pros M.D. Jennings and Davon House.
Against the Lions, Hayward and Jennings had interceptions, Jennings’ returned 72 yards for a touchdown. Moses had a sack and a forced fumble. House had a sack and a pass break-up. McMillian had four tackles, two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery. And Daniels had a fumble recovery.
The secondary, in particular, came through over and over again, shaking off the times the Lions were able to ring them up for a big play.
“We were asked the question last week, how would it be going against this group without Woodson, Sam Shields, Clay, and my comment is we had to play really good team defense,” Capers said. “I thought we had a real good team effort.”
The best part for the defense about facing the Giants now is that Manning is coming off a four-game stretch in which he has thrown just one touchdown and six interceptions. The worst part is that he’s had a bye week to regroup for a game that is at least as important for the 6-4 Giants as it is for the 7-3 Packers.
Coach Mike McCarthy would not say if Matthews would be back this week, but there’s a good shot Shields will be after going through his first practices last week since spraining his ankle against Houston Oct. 14. Having yet another option in the secondary would put Capers in a place he never was last year when he had to use Jarrett Bush and Peprah as two of his top five defensive backs.
“I thought Manning played very well against us in both games,” Capers said of last season. “I thought that was the difference in their team two years ago to last year, the way he played. Obviously, as all quarterbacks do, he has a lot to do with their success on offense.
“He’s a sharp quarterback. He’ll call a lot at the line of scrimmage. Every week is going to be a challenge, but hopefully every week we become a little more battle-tested. I think games like (Sunday) helped the confidence of the guys.”
