The Green Bay Packers and New York Jets will face off on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Green Bay is coming off of a disappointing loss to the New York Giants in London. The Jets, on the other hand, are coming off of one of their best offensive performances in years as they defeated the Miami Dolphins 40-17. As the Packers prepare for the matchup against the Jets, one stat sticks out: Zach Wilson, their quarterback, is awful under pressure. If the Packers are two get back into the win column on Sunday, they will need to get to the quarterback.
How Bad Is Jets QB Zach Wilson Under Pressure?
To answer this question, please take a look at this fun stat provided on Twitter by Jacob Morely of Packer Report:
Zach Wilson has a completion % of 18.8 when under pressure.
Lowest of any starting QB in the NFL by a mile.
Please, @packers. Be aggressive on Sunday.
— Jacob Morley (@JacobMorley) October 13, 2022
Now, if we as fans know this to be true, so does the Green Bay Packers defense. Hopefully we see plenty of pressures like this against the Jets on Sunday:
He used a grown man like a blocking dummy good god pic.twitter.com/eHnQoRm19q
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) October 10, 2022
Will the Packers Bring the Pressure?
If the Packers defense does what Joe Barry has said they will do, fans should see a much more aggressive defense on Sunday than the one seen in the second half in London. After all, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, and Preston Smith are all among the league leaders in pressures. Additionally, the Jets’ offensive line has been brutal in pass protection:
This #Jets OL has been average-to-below average in pass protection this year.
They're 16th in adjusted sack rate
19th in Pass Block Win Rate
28th in Pas Block PFF GradeWill the #Packers heat up the young QB?
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) October 13, 2022
One big name to watch for on the Packers defense will be Gary, who has five sacks already this season. Per PFF, he has the third highest pressure percentage in the NFL this season:
Highest pressure % this season 💪 pic.twitter.com/1e8qhtw118
— PFF (@PFF) October 13, 2022
The Packers Cannot Forget about the Jets Run Game
If Zach Wilson is so bad under pressure, how were the Jets able to hang 40 points on the Miami Dolphins? The answer to that is their run game. The Jets scored five touchdowns against the Dolphins last week, and all of them were rushing touchdowns. New York ran the ball 33 times for 135 yards, good for an average of 4.1 yards per carry.
Last week, the Packers gave up 125 rushing yards on 31 carries (4.0 yards per carry) and three rushing touchdowns. Those touchdowns were the difference in the game, obviously. As important as it will be to negate the passing game by pressuring Wilson, Green Bay also must stop the run. They cannot afford to be dashed by ground attacks anymore.
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