Against the Rams, the lesson from the Vikings game for the Packers: Don't change anything

It worked.

I know it sounds crazy, but the Packers’ plan against the Vikings offense worked. With their preferred two-high safety looks and light boxes, Green Bay’s front controlled the line of scrimmage, holding the Vikings to 3.1 yards per carry on the ground. They pressured Kirk Cousins on 40.5% of snaps, according to NextGen Stats. Minnesota and the virtuoso talent of Justin Jefferson merely prevailed in situations they’re unlikely to consistently have success. Against the Rams, the Packers can’t press and get out of character, trusting instead their approach will work more often than not.

Quarterbacks get worse under pressure. Duh, right? So, pressure them and live with the results. Performing well under pressure sounds like a trait only the elite quarterbacks possess, but Tom Brady, the consensus GOAT, led his team to a Super Bowl victory despite turtling under pressure last season, producing at one of the lowest rates in the league in those situations.

Pressure creates opportunities for sacks, which creates opportunities for sack-fumbles. Pressure leads to overthrows or underthrows, resulting in tipped balls, drops, or interceptions. If the Packers can stop the run with their front and pressure Matthew Stafford like they did Cousins, they can feel confident he won’t dice them up the way Cousins did. That was flat out unsustainable.

It’s not just that Cousins was incredibly — and therefore unsustainably — good against pressure with the Packers, though that’s true. It’s more than that: Matthew Stafford has been terrible against pressure this season, ranking 4th worst among opening day starters in Pro Football Focus grade against pressure.