Brazil has lots of sights to offer for tourists, but it’s not the time for the Green Bay Packers to check those out this week. For Packers defensive end Preston Smith, it’s all about business for him and his team, which will be taking on Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles this Friday.
Smith made that clear in a recent statement he made about being in Brazil for a historic NFL game.
“We’re out there for a game. It’s not a vacation,” Smith said, via the Packers’ X (formerly Twitter) account.’I’m really excited to get out there and play football.”
Preston Smith, Green Bay Packers will have their run defense tested against the Philadelphia Eagles
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
After going 9-8 in the 2023 NFL season, the Packers are looking to take a big step forward, as they continue to have Jordan Love as their starter under center. But Green Bay’s defense should not be overlooked. While most eyes are on Love and the Packers’ offense, Green Bay’s defense will be under scrutiny as well after ranking 13th in the NFL last season with 21.4 points allowed per game and 22nd with 345.4 total yards surrendered per contest.
The Packers’ defense against the run will be in for a test this Friday against Philly, which has a new running back in Saquon Barkley and a dual-threat quarterback in Hurts.
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Last season, Green Bay’s ground defense was a weak point, having given up 127.1 rushing yards per game – just 28th in the league overall. Conversely, the Eagles were ninth and sixth in the NFL in 2023 with 124.0 rushing yards and 1.2 rushing touchdowns per game, respectively.
As for Smith, he had an overall Pro Football Focus rating of 73.9 in 2023, while recording eight sacks and 48 combined tackles. While he’s mostly a pass-rush weapon, he’s someone Green Bay relies on a lot against the run. For what it’s worth, Smith had a 74.3 rating on run defense in 2023 from PFF.
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