National Football League

Detroit-Green Bay: Packers will be playoff force to be reckoned with

Published Dec. 23, 2014 3:39 p.m. ET

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In the NFL, different types of abilities are vital to both individual and team success. Perhaps the most crucial type of ability, however, is sustainability. "It's not how you start but how you finish" and "the games they remember are played in December" are some of the cliche quotes that get tossed around this time of year, and there's truth in them.

Green Bay is a hungry bunch that has gotten stronger as the season has progressed, and the squad mimics the mental and physical toughness quarterback Aaron Rodgers displayed in last week's road victory over Tampa Bay; Rodgers gritted out more than 300 yards and a touchdown while completing over 77 percent of his passes despite battling both the flu and a calf strain.

The Packers have made impressive improvements since their Week 9 bye and have become a force ready to make a postseason push thanks primarily to an improved run game and a defense that is now playoff-ready. In the Pack's first eight games, they averaged 97.5 yards per game on the ground, 24th in the NFL, and ranked 20th in yards per attempt. In seven games since the bye, Green Bay has averaged 140.7 rushing yards per game (sixth in the league) and 4.85 yards per carry (third).

Eddie Lacy, running behind an improved offensive line, has been the difference. Before the bye, he ranked 28th (min. 50 rushes) with 4.08 yards per carry. Lacy has since rushed for a whopping 5.31 yards per attempt, fourth in the NFL during that span.

The improvement of the Packers' defense after the bye, in large part due to defensive coordinator Dom Capers' decision to move Clay Matthews to inside linebacker, has been significant as well. In the eight games before their bye, Green Bay ranked dead-last in the league allowing 153.5 rush yards per game, but since their bye the defense has allowed only 82.9 yards per game on the ground, fifth in the NFL during that span.

Those are the raw numbers. Let's look at some tape to see how the Packers have improved both on the ground and defensively and why they'll likely get revenge on the Detroit Lions this week to become NFC North champs, earn a first-round bye and enter the postseason as a force to be reckoned with.

How Green Bay has unleashed Lacy

Lacy is the first Green Bay back in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. While he should be coveted for his great vision and power, the improved play of the Packers' O-line deserves a ton of credit.

Here's as simple of a play as you'll find at any level of football. It's a one-back stretch play to the open side -- hence the name "one-back open." It consists of man-to-man blocking across the board and depends on the offensive linemen's ability to execute their individual responsibilities and the running back's ability to find a crease.

In the first photo you can see the Patriots brought a safety into the box to stop the run and there was a defender for each of the seven gaps; in theory, there shouldn't be any open hole for Lacy to run through. The battle to watch on this play is for the A-gap between Packers guard T.J. Lang (yellow circle) and Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower (red circle):

As the play develops, you can see each of the Patriots are running to their run gap, including Hightower (red circle). Lacy stretches initially to the sideline, but uses his vision to spot any open lane that may occur as a result of one of his offensive linemen winning a gap and cutting off a defender.

You can see the result of this run play below. It ended up being a 23-yard gain for Lacy when it should have probably resulted in a gain of only two yards at most. Lang won his one-on-one battle, cutting off Hightower from the A-gap, which created a crease for Lacy to run through.

Lacy's great vision and power is evident, but the ability of the Packers' offensive line to win in the trenches is the main reason they've become a force on the ground. The O-line has also been equally as impressive with its improvement in pass protection. After being sacked 21 times in the Packers' first eight games, Rodgers has been sacked only eight times total in the last seven games.

Moving Matthews transformed the defense

Clay Matthews has always been a prolific pass rusher off the edge as an outside linebacker in Green Bay's 3-4 scheme. But Matthews is more than just that, which he's proven while playing inside linebacker during the Packers' last seven games. It was a bold move by Capers, and a selfless one by Matthews, that has paid huge dividends for both the team and Matthews individually.

In the seven games since the bye, Matthews has had 7.5 sacks, 39 tackles and 13 tackles for loss (compared to the 2.5 sacks, 19 tackles and eight TFLs in the first eight games). He's proven to be a multi-dimensional playmaker who can rush the passer off the edge, play the run as an off-the-ball linebacker and play the pass in zone or man-to-man concepts. Since moving Matthews, Green Bay is pressuring the QB more and has gone from 22nd in total yards allowed per game to eighth during the seven games after the bye.

Matthews wreaks havoc on offenses because they must account for him wherever he lines up. Here's a look at how Matthews is a dynamic difference-maker for the Packers while playing from the heart of the defense as an inside linebacker as opposed to playing solely on its periphery.

In the first photo, you can see that Matthews (yellow box) is aligned as an inside linebacker. You can also see how this five-man pressure is drawn up. Take note that there are five offensive linemen who should be able to easily block this pressure.

In the next photo, take note of the center's (red circle) eyes. There are three rushers to the right side of the image, and the center is supposed to stay to that side and block No. 96. Instead, he is influenced by the presence and pressure of Matthews and pushes to the wrong side of the formation, where there already are enough offensive linemen to account for Matthews.

In the last photo you can see the play resulted in a sack for the Packers. Matthews' pre-snap alignment and pressure influenced the integrity of the protection scheme.

Only three quarterbacks have been sacked more than Detroit's Matthew Stafford in 2014. The Lions' protection scheme and Stafford's decision-making have been suspect all season long. With Stafford having been sacked eight times in the Lions' past three games, they will have their hands full with the Packers, who have been racking up the sacks — including seven in their last outing against the Bucs — and currently are tied for eighth in the NFL.

Much of the Packers' effectiveness in the pass rush has been a result of Matthews' new alignment, but they will still align him in his original home at the outside linebacker position and generate pressure off only a four-man rush. Between Matthews, Julius Peppers, Mike Daniels and Mike Neal, the Packers' front is a pass-rushing force that's building even more momentum at the right time.

The last piece: Third-down D

Frequently referred to as the "money down" by defenders in the NFL, third down makes or breaks drives, games and seasons for defenses. The Packers have improved dramatically on third-down situations since their bye, another big reason for the squad's dramatic improvement. They've benefitted by generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks with only a four- or five-man rush, which has helped them in coverage in the secondary.

The Packers' defense has allowed only a 33 percent third-down conversion rate in their past seven games, fifth in the NFL during that span, after allowing a 47.1 percent conversion rate in the first eight games (28th). What makes those stats even more impressive is the Packers' recent schedule has included matchups against three teams ranked in the top 10 in scoring offense.

Will all of this hold true this weekend against Detroit, earning Green Bay an NFC North title and first-round playoff bye?

Detroit has shown resolve and fight — including a Week 3 victory over Green Bay in which Detroit's D was responsible for nine points — and is led by a defense that has held opponents to 17 points or fewer 11 times, more than any other team in 2014. This is the best team the Lions have had in a decade. Now it must go to Lambeau, where temperatures will be in the teens and the Lions haven't won since 1991. Also, the Packers are 7-0 at home this season.

While Detroit's defense justifiably will be the focus of all the pregame talk, it's Green Bay's improved defense that will flex its muscle. Combine that with Rodgers' excellence and the Packers' improved run game, and we will see the formula that will deliver Green Bay a division title and send them into the postseason ready to do damage and make a run.