Against the Bears, the Packers’ offensive line must master the new “Tez effect.”
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The Green Bay Packers offense will have to deal with Chicago Bears edge rusher Montez Sweat, who was acquired during the midseason trade deadline, unlike in their previous meeting.
Sweat’s arrival coincided with the Bears’ defensive upsurge in the second part of the season. The Chicago Sun Times said that the Bears had improved from being ranked 28th in terms of points allowed per game allowed to 20th since his arrival. They are currently 12th in yards given up after being 23rd, and third in takeaways after ranking 22nd. The Bears are 2-6 without Sweat and 5-3 with him in the lineup.
Matt Eberflus, the head coach of the Bears, has called this the “Tez effect.”
Since coming to Chicago, Sweat has amassed 36 pressures and eight sacks on his own. According to PFF, Sweat is sixth in sacks with sixteen and 17th in pressures at the edge rusher position for the season, including his stint in Washington.
To fully feel the ‘Tez effect,’ though, one must consider more than just Sweat’s own outputโone must also consider the opportunities he opens up for others by drawing attention to himself.
Justin Jones, an inside defender, has 11 pressures, which is the sixth-most among that position group since Sweat joined the club in Week 9. With Sweat on the squad, Gervon Dexter has produced 20 of his 29 pressures this season and is ranked eighth in PFF’s pass rush productivity category. DeMarcus Walker, another edge rusher, is ranked seventh in his position group for run-stop percentage.
According to cornerback Jaylon Johnson, “just a big contributing factor,” the Chicago Sun Times reported. He just entered and brought a new vigor. It’s kind of inexplicable. Until he arrived, we weren’t sure that we needed it, but when he did, we realized that we did.”
If that keeps up, Sweat will be matched up a lot with Zach Tom because most of his snaps are taken on the left side of the defensive line. This season, Tom has established himself as the future right tackle for the Packers, defeating Khalil Mack, Aidan Hutchinson, Maxx Crosby, TJ Watt, and several more elite edge rushers. Tom is ranked 14th in the tackle position for pass-blocking efficiency going into Week 18.
On certain occasions, Tom will have to handle Sweat one-on-one; on other plays, the Packers might help him; it’s in those situations that other players in this Bears defensive front have benefited. The Packers’ interior offensive line, in particular Jon Runyan and Josh Myers, have seen ups and downs throughout the season.
The Bears’ front-line pressure has been the driving force for the defense’s 18 takeaways in the last seven games alone. With only 3.7 yards allowed per rush this seasonโthe fourth-lowest rate in the NFLโtheir defense has also been among the best in football.
The better play up front is the foundation for the Packers’ offensive success in the second half of the season. The run game has produced positive plays frequently, even though it isn’t always dominant. With Aaron Jones back in the lineup these past two weeks, the run game has really taken off, which has helped create opportunities for the passing game.
Love has been under pressure on just 33 percent of his dropbacks, which ranks 13th out of 42 eligible quarterbacks, despite getting blitzed at a rate that hasn’t been this high since Week 11. That’s a compliment to Love’s decision-making and ball-handling skills as much as the offensive line.
But this Bears front will be a “challenge,” as LaFleur stated this week, and Sweat’s presence is what will ignite it. When he’s in the game, you have to worry about everyone around him as well as about him, and that’s what true impact is all about.