Cooper’s sack and interception were huge plays that underscored the difference he brings to this defense in his rookie season.
Boy, does this Green Bay Packers defense look better with a linebacker who can cover playing in the middle of the field. After missing rookie Edgerrin Cooper for the last three weeks with an injury, Cooper’s return found him in the middle of a bunch of big plays in Sunday night’s 30-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks as he delivered a standout game.
Cooper filled up the box score, but he was equally impressive on film. His coverage instincts and, fundamentally, his athletic ability just jump off the tape. It’s no wonder why the Packers’ pass defense performed better with him on the field than without him in recent weeks, particularly over the middle.
Yes, this team still has injury issues in the secondary and they saw starting linebacker Quay Walker leave with an injury of his own, but Cooper is starting to become the kind of player who can help cover up for absences or limitations at other positions. And if he can stay healthy for the rest of the season, that should be a scary thought for other teams across the NFC.
Let’s look at how the Packers divided up playing time on Sunday night.
CORNERBACKS
- Eric Stokes 59
- Carrington Valentine 58
- Keisean Nixon 56
- Robert Rochell 1
With no Jaire Alexander, no Corey Ballentine, and no Javon Bullard, the Packers’ plan at cornerback was made pretty clear: Nixon in the slot with Stokes and Valentine on the outside. Although Matt LaFleur spent a few days trying to be coy about how they would play it, there wasn’t much question about how it would shake out.
What was interesting is the fact that the Packers were in nickel on every snap until the final three plays of the game. Yes, the Stokes/Valentine/Nixon trio never came off the field before the final seconds.
For Valentine, he finally delivered an interception, the first of his career after breaking up 9 passes as a rookie. That pick came right after a pass breakup, which would more accurately be called a dropped interception, which he thankfully made up for one play later. Stokes, meanwhile, continued to be less than impressive, and a mistake in putting in his mouthguard helped lead to the Seahawks’ only touchdown of the day.
Nixon had one impressive tackle for loss, but also got flagged twice for some soft defensive holding penalties. However, he did deliver a few nice kickoff returns, frequently getting the Packers’ offense out past the 30 to start their drives.
SAFETIES
- Xavier McKinney 56
- Evan Williams 56
- Zayne Anderson 3
- Kitan Oladapo 3
The Packers did not have Bullard to play in the slot, but they did get Evan Williams back after the rookie suffered a concussion early in last week’s game in Detroit. He helped stabilize the back end of the Packers’ defense, and the secondary gave up only 90 total receiving yards to players not named Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The two starters each recorded four total tackles and gave way to backups in the final minutes.
LINEBACKERS
- Eric Wilson 37
- Edgerrin Cooper 34
- Isaiah McDuffie 25
- Quay Walker 22
- Ty’Ron Hopper 3
The linebacker group is where the most interesting playing time numbers showed up. First, Quay Walker left the game with a leg injury in the second quarter, leading to Wilson getting the remainder of the snaps as the Mike linebacker. Since the Packers were in nickel all game until the last three snaps, the team only played two linebackers for 56 of 59 plays, and at the other linebacker spot, it was Cooper and McDuffie splitting time. Cooper had a significant edge, however, and played much more in the second half with the Seahawks having to throw the ball to try to get back in the game.
And boy, did Cooper deliver in his first game back from a three-game absence. Cooper did something no Packers rookie has done in three decades, recording a sack and an interception in the same game while also picking up five tackles on defense to tie for the team lead (plus two more on special teams to boot). It was a fantastic performance from the rookie and one that only further illustrates how important he is to this defense as a fast, rangy, athletic linebacker who is actually able to stick with receivers in coverage.
DEFENSIVE ENDS
- Rashan Gary 29
- Lukas Van Ness 25
- Kingsley Enagbare 22
- Arron Mosby 22
- Brenton Cox 20
The Packers’ pass rush dialed up the pressure on Geno Smith and Sam Howell in this game, getting four sacks from their defensive ends. Enagbare had two on a single series on Howell, fitting a tackle on a short scramble in between, while Gary and Cox each had one as well. Gary is now up to 6.5 sacks on the season to lead the team, two more than Enagbare’s 4.5.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
- Kenny Clark 32
- Karl Brooks 27
- Devonte Wyatt 27
- Colby Wooden 19
- T.J. Slaton 13
It wasn’t just the defensive ends that got into the pass rush on Sunday night, either. Clark did not record a sack, but was all but responsible for the one that Cooper recorded with his pressure up the middle. Brooks also helped out on Gary’s sack, then got one of his own later on as he drove the Seahawks’ left guard directly back into Howell’s face. Wyatt finished out the sack column on the box score with his fourth of the season, coming unblocked after a fantastic spin move to evade rookie right guard Sataoa Laumea.