Three Keys to Packers Beating Ravens, Including Stopping This Game-Wrecker

The Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) will face the Baltimore Ravens (7-8) in their final home game of the regular season. Here are three keys to victory for the Packers as well as a look at this week’s Ravens game-wrecker.

Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton can't come up with an interception against the Browns. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

After clinching a playoff berth due to the Lions’ Christmas Day blunder, the Green Bay Packers will go toe-to-toe with the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. The Packers will try to regain some momentum in their last two games before the playoffs begin while the Ravens’ playoff hopes hang in the balance. 

Here are three keys for the Packers bouncing back against the Ravens, as well as a look at one Ravens “unicorn” who can make a huge play anywhere on the field. 

Packers-Ravens: Three Keys to Victory for Packers

1. Throw All 11 Defenders at No. 22 

Even with their 7-8 record, the Ravens have one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL, and that starts with running back Derrick Henry, who is one of the strongest runners in the league and arguably the toughest player to bring down in open space. 

“Sh**, he’s a big dude,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “He’s one of those guys you’ve got to make sure that all 11 are running to the ball at all times and you’ve got to wrap up because he can break through arm tackles. Obviously, we’ve all seen that he’s got the crazy stiff-arms, so he’s just one of them guys where everybody’s got to populate to the ball and got to be more of a gang tackle than a solo one-on-one tackle.” 

Henry is in the midst of another great season and what would have been his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season if his 2021 year didn’t end after only eight games. He is fourth in the NFL with 1,253 rushing yards. He’s in the top 10 in yards per carry (10th with 4.99), rushing touchdowns (tied for fourth with 12) and 20-yard runs (tied for first with 13).

Henry hits like a freight train and is nearly impossible for one defender to bring down in the open field, making him one of the most dangerous and explosive running backs in the league despite not having the same breakaway speed as other players at his position. 

Henry is eighth in the NFL in yards after contact per rushing attempt at 3.48, adding up to 873 of his 1,253 rushing yards being after contact, according to PFF. 

With a guy like Henry running the ball, the key will be every Packers defender with a pulse getting to him to bring him down. 

“I think when you’re going against – really, it’s every team – you have a tackling plan and, certainly, some guys with as dynamic as he is with that stiff-arm, you better have a plan in how you’re going to take this guy down,” said Packers Matt LaFleur.

“For the most part, for most teams that are playing against these guys, it comes down to having population at the ball. You’ve got to have a lot of hats at the ball because once he gets going, he’s really tough to take down.” 

After three straight weeks with less than 100 total yards, Henry is back to his old self over the last two weeks, rushing for 100 yards two weeks ago and 128 yards and two touchdowns against the Patriots last week. 

If the Packers want to keep Henry from making too big of an impact on the game, they will have to get everybody to the football and try to force a turnover, something he has struggled with this season. 

2. Second-Level Blocking 

For the Ravens, some of their top defenders and tacklers are their inside linebackers and their safeties, making it a key for the Packers’ offensive front to get downfield to clear rushing lanes for ball-carriers. 

The Ravens have one of the most talented inside linebackers in the NFL in Pro Bowler Roquan Smith. He leads the Ravens in tackles with 124, which ranks 13th in the NFL. He is averaging 9.5 total tackles per game, and that number has jumped to nearly 12 per game over his last three games. 

On top of having Smith as the leader of their defense, the Ravens have a strong and physical secondary, especially at the safety position. Kyle Hamilton is one of the biggest safeties in the NFL, and it shows with his 92 total tackles and seven tackles for losses. 

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) reacts with cornerback Chidobe Awuzie after a play against the Vikings. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

With the Ravens having such a strong defense, especially on the back half, it will be a key for Green Bay’s best blockers to get further downfield to break open plays that could be stopped early by their best tacklers. 

The Packers’ receiving room has been praised as one of the more selfless and physical groups at their position in the NFL. They will be relied on to stop players like Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey from blowing up plays on the ground before they are able to develop. 

3. Spread the Love, Without Love 

Even with the Ravens coming into Saturday’s game with the sixth-worst defense in the NFL, it will take a little bit of magic from everyone on the Packers offense to leave Lambeau Field with a win for the last time this season. 

One thing that quarterback Jordan Love has always been praised for is his spread-the-love mentality and his ability to get the ball to every receiver, tight end and running back on the field. With Love unable to clear concussion protocol, it will be Malik Willis who needs to adopt Love’s mentality. 

The Packers have eight players averaging double-digit receiving yards per game and three players, including Willis, averaging double-digit rushing yards per game, which is one of the strengths of their offense. 

While Josh Jacobs could return to being the centerpiece of the offense like he was last season after being slowed for several weeks with a knee injury, Willis should spread the ball all over the field through the air if the Packers want to take some momentum into their final game of the season. 

Packers Must Stop This Game-Wrecker

At 6 feet 4 inches tall and 218 pounds, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton has above average size and strength for a safety. Paired with 4.59 speed, Hamilton has the ability to play all over the field. He can cover tight ends and receivers effectively, make plays in the run game, and rush the passer, making him a unicorn on Baltimore’s defense. 

Hamilton is near the top of the Ravens’ defense in most statistical categories. He is second in solo tackles (51), third in total tackles (92), first in tackles for losses (seven), third in passes defensed (eight) and first in forced fumbles (two). He has also added a sack, showing his versatility for his position. 

“Safety, nickel, dime, blitzes, getting in the A gaps. He’s all over the place. He’s an animal,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I just know when we practiced against him last year, I was really impressed.

“It was the first real exposure I’ve had to him. Just you can tell he’s super-aware, a really smart player, and then he’s so big and moves so darn well that he’s a real problem. He is a problem. He is a big reason their defense is, I know it didn’t start off that great, but it’s been pretty solid the last half of the season, and he’s a big part of that.” 

Hamilton has the size to cover the Packers’ tight ends, but they won’t be able to outrun him like they would a linebacker. He has the speed to cover any of the Packers’ receivers, but they won’t be able to outmuscle him or go up for a 50-50 ball like they would against a smaller corner. 

For a player of Hamilton’s caliber, stopping him starts at the line of scrimmage with knowing where he is and figuring out where he could be going. If he looks like he is going to rush the passer or trying to get into the backfield, putting an extra body on him is a key to stopping him. 

If the Packers can stop Hamilton from making plays in all aspects of the game, they will have a lot better chance at ending the Ravens’ playoff hopes, even without their starting quarterback leading the way. 

A first-round pick in 2022, Hamilton this week was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl, a feat he called “surreal.” He’s looking forward to his first game at Lambeau Field.

"I know it's one of the last few cathedrals of NFL football,” he told reporters this week. “I don't think it's going to be crazy cold up there, which is a blessing. But, yes, it would be cool to kind of check that off the list.” 

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