Unlocking Za'Darius Smith's versatility has been key for Packers' defense

[Cheesehead]

Both plays started with the offensive line having to account for where Za'Darius was, and were critical in the Packers' defense settling in and enabling its offense to begin pulling away.


"That's a big swing when you get turnovers right like that," safety Adrian Amos said. "You feel like it's one of those 14-point swing type of things when you can steal a possession like that and go in, and score. I think on both ends, when you can get turnovers when they're backed up and when you can get turnovers in your own red zone, to me, those are huge plays."


Moving around is nothing new for Za'Darius. As he outlined in a recent film breakdown with NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, he often lined up as a three-technique inside rusher due to his penchant for winning one-on-one against interior offensive linemen.


By moving him off the line of scrimmage, it makes it more difficult for the offense to get a bead on where he's rushing from while also allowing the Pro Bowl pass rusher more freedom to play off his instincts and shoot gaps.


That has the twin benefit of causing havoc against the run (he had 40 "stops" last year) and creating one-on-one situations for the rest of the defensive front in the pass rush.


"For the defense, it's creating a lot of different looks up front," Preston said. "With the different packages we have and the mix-ups we have, they don't know … which is kind of frustrating in a lot of ways because they have to prepare for three different guys lining up across from them."


The Packers had a very specific plan last year when they drafted Gary one month after signing the Smiths. As Gary takes on more responsibility on defense, it will only heighten the unpredictability of how the Packers use the Smith Bros.