World’s Best Preview: Facing Fangio

For the 12th time, it will be Aaron Rodgers against Vic Fangio.

Last week, it was Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer. This week, it’s first-year Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio.

In four years as defensive coordinator in Chicago and four years as defensive coordinator in San Francisco, Fangio and Rodgers squared off 11 times. Rodgers went 0-4 against San Francisco in two seasons (including two playoff games) but 5-2 against Chicago.

Not surprisingly, Fangio’s defense looks a lot like his Bears defenses from a schematic standpoint, according to coach Matt LaFleur.

“They’re working through what they like and figuring out what things they’re going to show,” Rodgers said on Wednesday. “The biggest thing is the personnel. They mix a lot of their personnel. They won’t match every time. Like, a lot of teams will match a nickel to sub and base against base personnel. But they’ll do some mix-matches. They’ll do base against nickel, or base against sub. They’ll go nickel against 12 personnel. They’ll run five or six defensive linemen, rush-type guys, on the field, which we saw last year when he was in Chicago. So he’s a fantastic coach. I’m happy for him getting the opportunity after so many years being a great assistant in the league. I haven’t spent a lot of time with him, but I have a ton of respect for the way he’s gone about his business during his career.”

The respect card goes both ways, much as it does between Zimmer and Rodgers. While Rodgers hasn’t been his prolific self since suffering a broken collarbone at Minnesota in 2017, it’s not hard for Fangio to see Rodgers at his best. During the first quarter against the Vikings, for instance, Rodgers tore to shreds one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Video: Aaron Rodgers on dummy vs. live calls

“That’s hard to decide the No. 1 on the priority list because he’s so good in many different ways,” Fangio said in a conference call. “We just have to try and make him be a normal human and not the Superman he can be many times.”

Fangio has years’ worth of experience against Rodgers, but he didn’t see any great advantage. And perhaps there’s truth to that. Check out the numbers below, which show Rodgers vs. Chicago (and Rodgers vs. the rest of the league) from 2015 through 2018 and Rodgers vs. San Francisco (and Rodgers vs. the rest of the league) in 2012 and 2013.

While Fangio was the coordinator in San Francisco, the 49ers won all four matchups. They held Rodgers to a passer rating of 10.0 points less than Rodgers’ mark against the entire NFL during that span. Contrast that to Fangio’s time in Chicago. The Packers won five of seven matchups, and Rodgers’ passer rating was just a bit higher vs. the Bears than the rest of the league.

“He’s one of the best of all-time, so there’s not a lot that’s giving him a lot of trouble,” Fangio told Broncos beat reporters on Wednesday. “One of the definitions of a great quarterback is there’s really no one way to play them so you just have to mix it up on them. He’s a great passer, quick release, great arm strength, mobile, scrambler, creator. He’s a great player.”

Of course, to some extent, a coach is only as good as his players. For the 2012 49ers team that reached the Super Bowl, Fangio had six Pro Bowl defenders with inside linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, outside linebacker Aldon Smith, defensive lineman Justin Smith and safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner. For the 2018 Bears team that won the NFC North, Fangio had four Pro Bowlers with defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, outside linebacker Khalil Mack, safety Kyle Fuller and safety Eddie Jackson. Those were tremendous defenses that routinely made life miserable for quarterbacks.

Fangio’s inaugural Denver defense is talented – though not as talented as those menacing units – with outside linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and cornerback Chris Harris. Still, that group should be the latest challenge to a Packers offense that has been among the worst in the league through two weeks. Green Bay enters this week’s games ranked 26th in scoring. In terms of yards per play, the Packers (4.35) are better than only the Jets (3.88), who are on their third quarterback, and the rebuilding Dolphins (3.56), who might be the worst team in NFL history.

“I’m sure it’ll look a little different but it will be similar, for sure,” receiver Davante Adams said in comparing Denver’s defense to Chicago’s. “You’ve got different personnel, so different guys. You’ve got the Bears’ front seven vs. another team’s front seven. Not saying that Denver doesn’t have a great front seven, because they definitely do. Just switching teams, I’m sure they’ll throw a few different wrinkles at us. We got a chance to see a bunch of different film from back in the day to last year, this year and everything. We’ll do what we can with that.”

Rodgers vs. Chicago: 2015-2018 (vs. NFL in parentheses)

Record: 5-2 (33-26-1).

Completion percentage: 64.1 (62.9).

Yards: 244.0 per game (264.0).

Touchdowns: 14 (125).

Interceptions: 2 (26).

Rating: 99.2 (98.0).

Rodgers vs. San Francisco: 2012-2013 (vs. NFL in parentheses)

Record: 0-4 (18-10).

Completion percentage: 64.4 (67.0).

Yards: 267.5 (269.3).

Touchdowns: 8 (60).

Interceptions: 3 (15).

Rating: 96.0 (106.0).