Matt LaFleur often talks about the “illusion of complexity” to describe his offense. The Green Bay Packers use a combination of pre-snap motion and fakes to generate explosive plays.
The San Francisco 49ers had no answer during the Packers’ 38-10 win in Week 12, particularly against the run game.
On the Packers’ second play of the game, LaFleur lined Josh Jacobs and Jayden Reed up in the backfield and sent Tucker Kraft in motion. As the ball was snapped, Kraft turned and ran back the way he came to block while Jordan Love faked a handoff to Reed before giving the ball to Jacobs for an inside run.
The fake to Reed dragged Niners defenders out of position, and with Kraft’s block, Green Bay opened up a huge rushing lane for Jacobs, who picked up an 18-yard gain.
LaFleur’s creativity and “illusion of complexity” creates nightmares for defensive coordinators.
However, when the Miami Dolphins come to town on Thanksgiving Day, the Packers can expect to see a lot of the same from Mike McDaniel’s offense.
Dolphins’ pre-snap motion could create problems for Packers’ defense
It’s not surprising. McDaniel and LaFleur worked together as assistants in Shanahan’s offense with the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons. McDaniel later became Shanahan’s offensive coordinator in San Francisco.
His Dolphins offense presents a variety of challenges, from its game-changing speed, deep backfield, and arguably the league’s best receiving corps.
Jeff Hafley’s defense can expect to see motion a lot. According to Next Gen Stats, the Dolphins used motion on a season-high 93.7 percent of their snaps in their 34-15 win over the New England Patriots. Tua Tagovailoa completed 27 of 37 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns on those plays.
To make life even more challenging for Hafley, he could be without Jaire Alexander, Edgerrin Cooper, and Isaiah McDuffie. It could give rookie Ty’Ron Hopper extended snaps for the first time.
Priority number one for the Packers is to stop the run, which is easier said than done against a talented trio of De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, and Jaylen Wright. And, like in LaFleur’s offense, McDaniel uses his running backs in the passing game.
Packers running backs vs. Dolphins running backs in receiving yards
|
Player |
Team |
Rec. Yards |
|---|---|---|
|
De’Von Achane |
Dolphins |
373 |
|
Josh Jacobs |
Packers |
186 |
|
Raheem Mostert |
Dolphins |
102 |
|
Chris Brooks |
Packers |
57 |
|
Emanuel Wilson |
Packers |
46 |
With Raheem Mostert seeing a reduction in snaps, Miami’s offense goes through De’Von Achane, who has 935 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns this season.
The Packers must have an answer for the Dolphins’ running backs, which, again, is easier said than done. You can’t stack the box against Miami, as it has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the outside, while tight end Jonnu Smith is dominating in the middle of the field with 457 yards and four touchdowns over the past seven games.
Add in Miami’s pre-snap motion and the confusion it causes for defenses, and Hafley’s unit could have problems on Thursday night.
The Packers did an excellent job of shutting down the Niners’ offense last week, but they were without their starting quarterback, Pro Bowl left tackle, and one of their star pass-catchers.
The Dolphins are close to full strength, while Tagovailoa is playing some of the best football of his career, completing 76.5 percent of his passes for 1,277 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception since returning from a concussion in Week 8.
Green Bay’s biggest friend might be the weather.
