Packers' pass rush turns up the heat with seven sacks

Cheesehead

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Mar 19, 2019
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Great call, even better catch: Head Coach Matt LaFleur paid his offense the biggest compliment a play-caller can give when he green-lit a shot play from the Packers' very own 1-yard line near the start of the third quarter.


Rodgers faked the handoff to Jones and threw a deep ball the Packers' fourth-year running back initially thought might be intercepted – until Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams flashed into the line of sight to catch the 42-yard pass.


"I don't know how he came down with that," Jones said. "I was running with … a linebacker. And we're looking at it as the ball's in the air and the guy's like, 'Oh, that's an interception.' And you see 'Tae come down with it and I'm like, 'Oh, no it's not.'"


It not only propelled the Packers to a seven-play, 99-yard scoring drive, but it also was the marquee play in yet another big day for Adams, who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the second time in his career with his 10-catch, 121-yard showing against the Eagles.


Furthermore, Adams' two receiving touchdowns Sunday also tied Don Hutson's franchise record of seven consecutive games with at least one receiving TD. He did it twice during his career, spanning the 1941-42 and 1943-44 seasons.


His 42-yard catch off a gutsy call from LaFleur had a lot to do with it.


"It was a great call by Matt because I don't think they were necessarily anticipating it, especially off the action," Adams said. "It reminded me of my catch against Philly in 2016 in the back of the end zone, just as far as having to go late hands.


"So great ball, great placement and it just so happened it kind of slipped through and just waited on that ball until the last minute and got it."


A new line: With starting center Corey Linsley out for at least three games with a knee injury, many assumed rookie Jon Runyan Jr. would get his first NFL start Sunday against his father's former team.


Instead, the Packers did some mixing and matching on the offensive line with their veterans to compensate for Linsley's absence.


Starting left guard Elgton Jenkins moved to center, right guard Lucas Patrick shifted to the left side, right tackle Billy Turner slid to right guard and Rick Wagner started at right tackle.


There was one breakdown on the second play of the game, a sack of Rodgers for a 6-yard loss, but otherwise Green Bay's durable offensive line again came as advertised against a talented Philadelphia front that features perennial All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.


"We didn't feel like there was necessarily a bad decision we could make there, but we're always going to go with whoever we feel is going to give us the best chance to win," LaFleur said.


"Billy [Turner] had experience going against this front. This is a damn good front, and we know with Fletcher Cox, he's going to line up on our right side, and Billy battled him last year and did a pretty darn good job against an elite player in this league."
 
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