Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams played a season-high 78 snaps in Sunday’s victory over the Los Angeles Rams. In fact, it was more snaps than in the first four games combined.
For the first month of the season, Williams was primarily a third backup behind Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard. However, Green Bay elected to shuffle its secondary in Week 5, allowing the fourth-round rookie to take on a broader role on defense.
Williams made the most of the opportunity, leading the team with 10 tackles and breaking up two passes, including one on last fourth down to secure the victory.
“Evan is another very smart guy. He has instincts and a knack for the football,” Matt LaFleur said. “He made some critical plays today on some critical downs, whether it was third down or fourth down, where he was able to defend some passes. I think Evan will continue to get better and better. “
It was a highly anticipated performance by Packers fans who had heard a lot about Williams’ ball skills and playmaking during training camp. He finally got his chance to showcase them against the Rams.
If it’s not already obvious, this week’s film review will cover some of Williams’ highlights from his trip to Los Angeles. Let’s start.
Coming from Oregon, many believed Williams (No. 33) would be best suited as a backup in the NFL. However, he certainly looks comfortable as he provides a deep safety in this Cover 3 look. Williams gains depth with a silky back and opens his hips to the Z receiver who runs vertical. He then turns his hips as the receiver passes over his face. Realizing his man was the target, Williams did a solid job of breaking up the route and causing disruption at the catch point. Overall, he shows some pretty good technique on this rep.
Williams is an extremely aware run defender, which is evident here. Notice how he triggers as soon as the tight end comes into motion on this toss play. Williams attacks downfield quickly, maintaining leverage, and also takes a block to assist with tackling. LaFleur said Williams is bright and instinctive, and his processing skills can certainly be seen here.
Here we get a good look at Williams’ speed and his space fighting skills. Packers run a zone attack and Williams goes under. Shows good awareness when catching a winger running flat, running to the ball and making a good tackle just in front of the attacking line.
The Rams had a decent gain in this game, but it’s still a good example of the type of player Williams is. He’s clearly not afraid to play physical, considering he lowers the boom on the tight end to try to block against a running tackle. As you can see, Williams is tough, competitive and plays to the whistle. He is somewhat of a backup who provides a tough attitude when he is on the pitch and is a good complement to Xavier McKinney’s ball game.
Here’s the play that sealed Green Bay’s victory. Los Angeles got the ball back with less than three minutes left and tried to score a touchdown and take the lead. They moved the ball into Packers territory, but faced a do-or-die situation with just over a minute remaining. The Rams tried to create confusion for Green Bay’s defense by implementing a trail concept outside of the huddle formation. Fortunately, the Packers defenders perform their duties well despite this concept. The blitz forces Matthew Stafford to rush the throw, so he tries to get the ball to tight end Colby Parkinson running the route, except Williams has perfect coverage and forces an incompletion. It was a concerted effort by Williams and the defense to make a stop when they needed it most.
Application
Ultimately, Green Bay must be pleased with Williams’ performance on Sunday, although it’s strenuous to say what that means for his future role. The Packers will continue to apply Bullard, and McKinney isn’t going anywhere as he has used 100 percent of the defensive snaps in his historic streak of five interceptions in five games. They experimented with Bullard at nickel in Week 5, but Keisean Nixon may return to the Keisean Nixon role once Jaire Alexander returns from injury. It’s a good problem to have a second team full of talented players, although not everyone will play as much as they would like. Williams certainly deserves more opportunities, but his snap count will likely be game plan dependent depending on the opponent.
