Aaron Rodgers diced up the New York Jets’ defense to the tune of four touchdowns in a 34-32 Week One win. Mina Kimes doesn’t think plays will come that easy against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday. Previewing Week Two’s game on SportsCenter, Kimes like the Seahawks’ chances to bring Rodgers’ play back down to Earth.
“The Seahawks defense presents more of a challenge,” she said.
Kimes’ comments echo her take yesterday, picking Pittsburgh to lose.
Seattle’s defense held San Francisco 49ers’ QB Brock Purdy in check in Week One, picking him off twice and sacking him once. Though the Seahawks allowed two touchdowns in a loss, Purdy nearly threw a goal line interception that his tight end snagged out of mid-air. Individually, Seattle boasts a strong front seven with a deep rotation along the defensive line. The secondary is hurting with injuries, but head coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme and background as an NFL defensive coordinator could present Rodgers with new challenges.
“[Rodgers] wasn’t under a lot of pressure because the ball was coming out quick. When it did come out quick, his receivers were getting yards after the catch. That’s fine. Except for, I would argue, Seattle’s defense is much better at taking that away through creative pressures. They use a lot of simulated pressures.”
Macdonald’s defense is one of many to popularize “simulated” pressures, the appearance of blitzing and chaos by aligning potential rushers at the line of scrimmage. The idea is to make it unclear who is rushing and who is dropping into coverage. Life is harder on the offensive line with who to block, the backs on how to pick up, the quarterback of how much time he’ll have, and the receivers of what the post-snap defensive picture will look like.
Blitzing Aaron Rodgers was effective last season. The Minnesota Vikings wreaked havoc by doing the same as Seattle will. Pressure looks to confuse Rodgers and bait him into mistakes, including a pick-six. Rodgers will have to show he can combat that beyond just getting the ball out of his hand quickly, which is the conventional way to beat the blitz.
The good news is that a veteran quarterback like Rodgers has seen it all before. No defensive look is new to him. Still, he’ll have to be able to execute and keep Pittsburgh’s offense rolling. A stronger running game to keep things on schedule will play a key role, too.
