How the Packers Run Game Targeted Micah Parsons and Set Up the Blowout
There are so many aspects of the Packers’ rout of the Cowboys that we could dive into during this breakdown. Jordan Love was outstanding in his playoff debut. Green Bay’s receivers ran circles around Cowboys DBs. Matt LaFleur was in his bag pulling out all the tricks and tendency-breakers to keep Dallas on its heels.
But I want to focus on Green Bay’s rushing attack, which was really the game within the game. Most of what happened on Sunday was set up by what they did on the ground.
A big part of the Packers’ approach was to challenge Dallas to stop the run over and over. They wanted the Cowboys’ safeties and undersized linebackers to have to engage in the physical aspect of the game. They wanted the D-line to prove they could hold up against Green Bay blocking. And they especially wanted to keep Micah Parsons from pinning his ears back and attacking the quarterback on down after down.
So even after their first two runs lost 3 yards, they stuck with it, turning to their ground game 8 times on their 12-play opening drive. Those 8 runs only gained 25 yards, but they turned the Cowboys into a reactive defense instead of an attacking one.
The key part of this game within the game was the Packers’ use of outside-zone runs with split-flow action that frequently targeted Parsons.
You can see how they did it below. Green Bay came out in “12” personnel with a tight end aligned to both sides of the formation. This would be an outside-zone run to the right with tight end Tucker Kraft slicing back to the left on Micah Parsons:
Notice how that block targeted Parsons’ lower body. That was intentional. The Packers didn’t want him feeling comfortable planting his feet in the ground and going 100 miles per hour. They wanted him thinking about the potential for blocks like these all day. They wanted him hesitating.
And they would do this repeatedly throughout the afternoon.
Another thing to notice about that run is Markquese Bell (#14) in the middle of the formation. Bell is listed as a linebacker but is really a safety. He weighs just 205 pounds, which is about as much as left tackle Rasheed Walker’s right arm. And that’s all Walker would need to toss him aside on this play: