Geno Smith, Seahawks WRs Gearing For Ball-Hawking Packers

RENTON, Wash. – Top-flight competitors always want to beat an opponent at their best, and as Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks ramp up preparations for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, they should get their wish with the visitors getting healthier on defense.

After missing the previous three games with a knee injury, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander returned to practice for Green Bay this week. Meanwhile, rookie safety Evan Williams passed through concussion protocol, returning to full participation and ensuring the Packers will have most of their starting secondary available to square off against the Seahawks dynamic trio of receivers in DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett for a strength on strength battle in prime time.

With Alexander back in the fold and veteran safety Xavier McKinney in the midst of a sensational season with an NFL-leading seven interceptions, Smith understands it will be imperative to make smart decisions with the football against an opportunistic Green Bay defense that ranks third in the NFL in turnovers this season and let the big plays come to them.

“They’ve got some ball-hawking guys,” Smith said prior to Thursday’s practice. “One of their safeties I think leads the league or is tied for the lead in the league in interceptions, [Xavier] McKinney. … He’s been a great player throughout his career. I think he’s a really good safety back there. So eyes on him, where he is. Jaire [Alexander] is supposed to be playing, I’m guessing, and he’s been a perennial Pro Bowler, a top corner in this league. So he’s often making plays on the ball. Those guys are really trying to hunt picks, man. They’re trying to find ways to get turnovers for their team.

“For us, it’s always going to be the emphasis taking care of the ball. That’s first and foremost. But we want to be aggressive. We want to stay aggressive, as well, and take our shots.”

Signed in free agency after playing his first four seasons with the Giants, McKinney has been a home run addition for the Packers’ secondary while playing over 250 snaps at both strong and free safety. The former Alabama star has turned 25 targets into seven picks for a remarkable 28 percent interception rate through 13 games and has yet to surrender a touchdown in coverage, yielding an excellent 57.3 passer rating against.

As for Alexander, while injuries have limited him to only seven games this season, the two-time All-Pro selection has remained stingy in coverage when healthy. Opposing quarterbacks have completed under 60 percent of their throws against him and while he has allowed a pair of touchdowns, the veteran cornerback has produced three pass breakups and two interceptions on just 25 targets, including a pick six in a win over the Titans earlier this season.

Paired with those two veteran mainstays, Williams has been a pleasant surprise during his rookie campaign in coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense. The fourth-round pick out of Oregon has only allowed 11 completions on 20 pass attempts while producing an interception, two pass breakups, and a sterling 63.1 passer rating against, and he’s limited explosives giving up just 8.5 yards per reception.

Not surprisingly given those individual numbers across the board, the Packers have allowed only two passing touchdowns of 20 or more yards all season, the second fewest behind only the Jets. They also have yielded the lowest EPA per pass on throws traveling 20 or more air yards (-0.32), consistently taking away downfield throws with McKinney and Williams roaming center field.

But while Green Bay ranks in the top 10 in EPA per pass and pass defense DVOA, Halfey’s unit hasn’t been infallible either, particularly when it comes to defending the middle of the field. Opposing quarterbacks have feasted between the numbers on in-breaking routes, including Detroit’s Jared Goff completing 14 out of 17 such throws for 152 yards and two touchdowns last Thursday night.

With subpar coverage between the hashes playing a central role in the struggles, per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Packers rank in the bottom 10 in the league in passing yards allowed per game (79.5), passing yards per play (10.8), and passing touchdowns (seven) on intermediate throws traveling 10 to 19 yards. They also have been vulnerable on quick passes under 10 yards, yielding six yards per play and 10 touchdowns, ranking in the bottom 10 in both categories.

That could be problematic against the Seahawks, who have one of the best quick passing weapons in the NFL in Smith-Njigba. The second-year wideout currently sits 14th in the league in receptions under 10 air yards (54), turning those opportunities into 482 yards, 8.9 yards per reception, and a plus-26.1 receiving EPA. He also ranks in the top 30 among receivers in yardage on intermediate routes with 10 to 19 air yards.

Smith-Njigba and Lockett have also excelled on in-breaking routes in Ryan Grubb’s offense, as both receivers have averaged north of 16 yards per reception on such routes this season, giving Smith the ideal targets to attack Green Bay’s aforementioned deficiencies and potentially set up a few opportunities to open up the skies later in the game.

“We’ve got guys who can catch and run. It’s all about making the right decisions. No matter what the defense is doing, we’ve got to have answers for it, and I’ve got to make the right decisions and put the ball in the hands of the playmakers,” Smith said.

Listening to Smith and Metcalf this week, Seattle obviously has an immense amount of respect for Green Bay’s defense, specifically citing McKinney and a turnover-creating secondary. They will have to be patient taking check downs and pick and choose their spots carefully to try to push the ball downfield, waiting for the right opportunity to strike against a squad that has rarely allowed opponents to stretch the field against them this year.

As other teams have learned the hard way, if Smith and Grubb try to force the issue rather than taking what the defense gives them, McKinney, Alexander, and the rest of a ball-hounding secondary will be ready to capitalize and make game-changing plays creating turnovers.

But the Seahawks also won’t be entering this game fearing that group or scared to attack either, as Metcalf believes their receiving corps stacks up against any team in the NFL and the Packers will have to account for their talent as well in a spicy prime time matchup pitting the best against the best on Sunday Night Football.

“They’re a great team in this league right now and they’ve won some tough games, but it’s going to be a great game for us. They’re a competitive team and it’s going to be a good test for us, in my opinion, Sunday, to have a team of that caliber come in here and try to beat us. But I’m taking us 10 days out of 10, so it’s going to be a good game in my opinion.” 

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