Julius Peppers

Throughout the 2014 regular season, former NFL defensive back Matt Bowen will bring you an X's-and-O's look at the pro game. Here are his five key plays from the Week 11 Sunday NFL schedule.

 

Jamaal Charles Gashes the Seahawks Defense

Charles ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs used a variety of schemes and formations to create running lanes versus the Seattle Seahawks defense during KC’s 24-20 win at Arrowhead.

Here’s a look at Charles’ 47-yard run (one-back power) off the packaged play that allowed the running back to get to the second level before showcasing his open-field ability and speed.

Personnel: Posse/11 (3WR-1TE-1RB)

Formation: Doubles Gun Far

Offensive Concept: One-Back Power (Packaged Play)

Defensive Scheme: Cover 1 "Sam" Pressure

In this packaged play, Alex Smith has a run/pass option based on the coverage look and the number of defenders in the box. The Chiefs quarterback can work the slant/flat (bubble action) to the open side of the formation or hand off to Charles on the one-back power with the left guard pulling up through the hole.

Here, Smith hands off to Charles with "Sam" linebacker Bruce Irvin rushing off the closed-side edge. That allows tight end Travis Kelce to wash the linebacker up the field with the Chiefs blocking down and the guard pulling to the second level.

As you can see, the open-side guard fits up on linebacker Malcolm Smith with Irvin removed from the edge. That allows Charles to push this ball through the second level of the defense.

In this situation, free safety Earl Thomas has to run the inside alley and attack downhill to make an open-field tackle versus Charles once the run breaks.

Thomas has an opportunity to make this play, but the smooth cut from Charles in the open field forces the free safety to leave his feet and lunge. That prevents Thomas from getting his head across on the tackle.

And in the NFL, that’s not going to get it done versus a back with the skill set of Charles.

Even with the missed tackle from Thomas, the Seahawks still have a shot to limit this play. However, Charles once again forces a defender to miss in the open field when he shakes cornerback Byron Maxwell.

This creates an opportunity for Charles to get up the sideline (and set up the eventual game-winning score) with the help of De’Anthony Thomas blocking down the field.

Sweet run from Charles as it helped the Chiefs improve to 7-3 on the season.

Rams Utilize Pressure to Create a Turnover vs. Peyton Manning

The St. Louis Rams and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams used a nice mix of coverage and pressure to throw multiple looks at Peyton Manning while limiting the Denver Broncos offense to just seven points Sunday.

Let’s break down how the Rams used a five-man pressure scheme to take away the four-verticals concept, while putting linebacker Alec Ogletree in a position to make a play versus the Broncos' inside-seam route.

 

Personnel: Posse/11 (3WR-1TE-1RB)

Formation: Doubles Gun Far

Offensive Concept: Four Verticals

Defensive Scheme: “Gold” Zone Pressure

Four verticals is one of the Broncos' top concepts from a 2x2 formation with Manning showing quick play action to create inside throwing windows. That allows the Broncos quarterback to target the seam routes as the receivers stem to the top of the numbers.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams are rushing five out of their sub-package. Nickelback E.J. Gaines walks down to an open-side blitz alignment and both linebackers drop as “inside vertical hook defenders” (match to No. 2 or the inside-seam routes).

Outside, the cornerbacks are playing a “gold” (or trap) technique. That puts them in a position to sink with the release of No. 1 and read inside to No. 2 (slot receiver or tight end). If No. 2 breaks on an outside cut, the cornerback will drop No. 1 to the deep-half safety and drive on the throw.

However, our focus here is on the technique of Ogletree, as the linebacker plays to the inside hip of tight end Jacob Tamme (No. 2 to the closed side) and the Rams generate a rush lane for Gaines in the blitz front.

With the defensive end taking an outside path at the snap, the Broncos' right tackle widens to account for the edge rush. That creates a rush lane—and a free run at the quarterback—for Gaines to attack the open-side B-gap.

This forces Manning to identify his target (Tamme) and get the ball out with Ogletree playing the proper technique of the call (inside hip of the receiver) as he follows the seam route up the field.

Manning tries to go back-shoulder on this throw (avoid the safety over the top), but because of the inside leverage and technique from Ogletree, the Rams linebacker gets his head around to make the play.

This is a perfect example of how coverage works in a pressure scheme. The Rams got a hit on Manning and took away one of his top concepts to produce a turnover in the 22-7 upset win.

Jonas Gray, Patriots Physically Dominate Colts Up Front

The New England Patriots used the power-run game to feed Gray the ball on Sunday night, as the running back showcased his strength at the point of attack to produce 199 yards and four touchdowns in New England’s 42-20 win on the road in Indianapolis.

Here’s a look at Gray’s first touchdown in the one-back power scheme that highlights his ability to play with low pad level while moving the pile.

Personnel: Ace/12 (2WR-2TE-1RB)

Formation: Unit Slot

Offensive Concept: One-Back Power

Defensive Scheme: Cover 1

This isn’t a complex scheme with the Patriots bringing an extra offensive lineman into the game to the open side of the formation (replaces a tight end in Ace/12 personnel).

At the snap, the Patriots kick out the edge support, block down versus D’Qwell Jackson scraping to the ball and pull the closed-side guard to account for Jerrell Freeman filling downhill.

This is one of those power-run schemes where there is nowhere to hide in the deep red zone, and the contact in the hole feels like a car accident.

The Indianapolis Colts stuff up the run with Freeman filling the hole and Jackson scraping to the ball. This allows the defense to reduce (or squeeze) the running lane at the point of attack while forcing the back to cut inside.

However, look at Gray in this shot as the running back gets in behind the offensive line, drives his legs and pushes the pile forward. That’s hard running and what you should expect from an NFL back in this situation.

Gray reaches the ball over the goal line for six points and followed this touchdown up with three more scores in a game I thought the Patriots physically dominated with power running on the offensive side of the ball.

Drew Stanton Produces vs. Lions in the Red Zone

The 9-1 Arizona Cardinals continued to roll on Sunday with Stanton under center. The backup quarterback threw two touchdowns in the 14-6 win over the Detroit Lions.

Let’s break down Stanton’s second touchdown pass of the day, focusing on the pre-snap defensive look and the quarterback’s ability to deliver the ball with pressure in his face.

 

Personnel: Jet/10 (4WR-1RB)

Formation: Empty (Bunch)

Offensive Concept: "Out" Route

Defensive Scheme: Cover 0

Based on the pre-snap alignment, I see "zero" pressure here from Detroit with six defenders showing blitz at the line of scrimmage. The nickelback is pressing the point versus the bunch and two defensive backs are playing off with inside leverage (blitz-man technique).

That forces the Cardinals to slide the protection to the open side of the formation while receiver Michael Floyd runs the deep out cut versus cornerback Darius Slay. That’s a good matchup for the Cardinals given the field position and the initial leverage position of Slay.

However, with the Lions dropping three defenders underneath, there will be a free runner off the closed-side edge versus Stanton as the Cardinals slide the protection. This puts some stress on Stanton to identify the matchup he wants while delivering the ball before the rush gets home.

With the right tackle stepping down inside at the snap, Lions defensive end George Johnson has a clear path to put a hit on Stanton.

However, Floyd takes a hard, vertical stem up the field that forces Slay to open his hips (instead of staying square), and Stanton throws the ball (with pressure in his face) before the receiver even comes out of his break.

Look at this finish from Floyd after he creates some separation at the top of the route on the out cut. The Cardinals' wide receiver climbs the ladder to secure the catch and finish in the end zone.

Julius Peppers, Packers Defense Close Out Mark Sanchez, Eagles

Last Monday night in a blowout win over Carolina, Sanchez played good football for the Philadelphia Eagles as he managed the pocket and showcased his ability to execute in Chip Kelly’s scheme. However, Sanchez took a step back on Sunday during the 53-20 loss to the Packers. He was unable to protect the ball and he struggled with accuracy/reads in the game plan.

Let’s break down Peppers’ pick-six that essentially closed out the Eagles after Sanchez made a really poor read on the tare concept that gave the linebacker an opportunity to break on the ball.

 

Personnel: Posse/11 (3WR-1TE-1RB)

Formation: Doubles Slot Gun Far

Offensive Concept: "Tare" Route (Packaged Play)

Defensive Scheme: Cover 3

In this packaged play, the Eagles are running a front-side “tare” concept (clear-out fade, stick-out, flat combo) with a backside slip screen to Darren Sproles.

Given that the Packers are only rushing three and playing a zone shell in the secondary, Sanchez can work the quick two-level read on the “tare” or come back to Sproles as the Eagles release both guards and the center on the screen.

As an inside “hook” defender, Peppers gains depth in his drop and gets his eyes back to the quarterback. Read inside and break on the throw. Those are the basics of an underneath defender in a zone coverage.

As the curl-flat defender widens to account for No. 2 on the "flat" route, Sanchez reads inside to the tight end on the stick-out.

However, instead of allowing the tight end to clear Peppers (target the hole in the zone), Sanchez locks onto the route and throws the ball with Peppers in a position to make a play.

This is a poor read from Sanchez given the athletic ability of Peppers and the defensive look underneath—the linebacker was still sitting in the throwing window.

Peppers breaks on the throw, secures the catch and rumbles the other way to remind us that he can still run at this stage of his career.

Wide receiver Jordan Matthews has an opportunity to make a tackle after the interception, but the rookie goes for a ride as Peppers runs through the contact to find the end zone.

It was a really rough day for Mark Sanchez in a game where the Eagles needed offensive production to keep pace with Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson.

Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.

Follow @MattBowen41

In 2009, which was the first year in which Dom Capers became the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, the defense finished fifth in passing defense, fourth in lowest passer rating by quarterbacks (68.8), tied for 11th in sacks with 37 and first in the NFL with 30 interceptions.

The next year, in which the Packers eventually won Super Bowl XLV, the defense was fifth in passing defense, first in lowest passer rating by quarterbacks (67.2), tied for second in sacks with 47 and was second in the NFL with 24 picks.

Capers talked to reporters about the essence of his defense so far in 2014. "I think we've been able to disrupt the opposing quarterback," Capers said, "and that's our game."

That certainly was the game of his defenses in 2009 and 2010 when they were most successful in Green Bay.

Capers likes the impact that Julius Peppers has made on the defense so far:

I think what you've seen out of Julius in almost every game, and certainly these last three games, you've seen him make an impact play that you can say would influence the game.

He's been an impact player and I think as he gets more comfortable, he's obviously doing some things that he hasn't had to do a whole lot of. You saw him drop and make the interception and return it for a touchdown. I think we know he can rush the passer.

He's a good matchup, he's a good guy to have on the other side of Clay to complement him, and I like the rotation with Mike Neal and Nick Perry.

The results are starting to come to fruition, if you compare this year's defensive stats to 2009 and 2010, when the defenses of Capers were at their best.

Currently the Packers are ranked sixth in passing defense, second in lowest passer rating (70.5), tied for sixth in sacks with 12 and are tied for second with seven interceptions.

Yes, there are still issues with the defense, especially in run defense, where the team is ranked dead last in the NFL.

That aspect of the defense has to improve. But the secondary has greatly improved since last year with the addition of rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Micah Hyde moving over to safety from cornerback and a healthy Casey Hayward able to play slot-cornerback again.

In addition to that, safety Morgan Burnett is having a fine season as well and may have played his best game ever against the Vikings last Thursday night.

The solid play of Clinton-Dix and/or Hyde as a partner at safety this season has to be one of the big reasons why we have seen the improved pefermance of No. 42.

Plus, Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and Davon House are all playing solidly at cornerback.

With the addition of Peppers, the pass rush has been tenacious at times. As Capers said, the Packers have Peppers, Matthews, Perry and Neal, and they can also utilize the pass-rushing skills of Mike Daniels and Datone Jones.

That pass pressure has led to the low passer rating so far this season by opposing quarterbacks as well as the amount of picks the Packers have made now. The Packers had just 11 interceptions in all of 2013; the team already has seven after five games this year.

Bottom line, this year's defense has the look of those Capers had under him his first two years in Green Bay. There is obviously a lot of room for improvement in stopping the run, but the other aspects of the defense are looking very solid.

Upon recording his 10th career interception during Thursday's 42-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Julius Peppers of the Green Bay Packers became the first player in NFL history with 100 or more sacks and 10 or more interceptions in his career, per Bryce Gustafson of NFL Network.

Peppers started the 100-10 club in the best way possible, returning his 10th career pick for a 49-yard touchdown, which gave the Packers a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

While the pick itself fell right into Peppers' hands, the return was rather impressive, with the 34-year-old outside linebacker outracing a number of Vikings to the end zone. If Peppers has lost a step it didn't show, as he looked as fast as humanly possible for a 13-year veteran listed at 287 pounds.

Thursday's pick-six, the third of his career, accounted for Peppers' fifth overall defensive touchdown. Per pro-football-reference, he's one of just 40 active players with three or more interception returns for touchdowns in his career.

Of course, the other 39 names on the list are mostly defensive backs, with a few stand-up linebackers sprinkled in. Only Peppers, who rarely drops into coverage even now in the Packers' 3-4 defense, has spent a good portion of his career playing defensive line.

Peppers ranks 17th on the all-time list with 120.5 career sacks, and while he's had some down seasons from that perspective, he still figures to land in the top 10, assuming he plays out at least two seasons of the three-year contract he signed with Green Bay in March.

With a strong finish to his career, Peppers could put together a strong Hall of Fame argument, though a Super Bowl would also help his cause.

All stats courtesy of pro-football-reference.com unless specifically noted otherwise.

Here's a surprise for you: The latest installment of Thursday Night Football turned out to be another sloppy blowout for the NFL. This time, the Green Bay Packers moved to 3-2, beating the Minnesota Vikings 42-10.

It was a rainy night filled with big plays and a Packers defense that bullied Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder. The further we got into the game, the more it felt like each player on that side of the ball thrived. But there was one guy who stood above the rest: edge-rusher Julius Peppers.

Peppers was huge for this defense. He assisted on a sack, had three total tackles and sparked the poncho- wearing Lambeau faithful when he turned a Ponder interception into a spectacular touchdown return.

The man sporting a Natrone Means-like visor, who's spent over a decade in the league, has become a driving force behind Dom Capers' redesigned Packers' defensive attack.

Peppers' 13-year career has been prolific. The 120 sacks he's racked up are good enough to rank him 17th on the NFL's all-time leaderboard. Alongside John Abraham, Jared Allen and DeMarcus Ware, Peppers has been a dominant modern-day presence attacking quarterbacks off the edge.

The Packers' front office made adding a pass-rusher one of their priorities this offseason. Scouring the market for talent, they finally landed on Peppers.

General manager Ted Thompson handed him a three-year deal worth $30 million, with $7.5 million of that salary guaranteed. Based on all of the Twitter feedback that surfaced at the time, a lot of Packers fans didn't believe that signing a 34-year-old was the best way to spend $30 million.

Could he replicate any of that past production? Was he worth that kind of money? Those were all valid questions, but just a few weeks into the 2014 seasonm he's proven to be a tremendous asset.

He looks fresh when he's coming after the quarterback. Already an athletic guy, at this stage of his career, putting Peppers in a standing position has worked out beautifully. Without having to muscle past offensive linemen from a three-point stance, he's able to force his way into the backfield and fluster signal-callers.

The data Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has compiled is further proof of what we've seen on film. Going by their set of eyes, during the first four weeks of action, Peppers has registered nine hurries and four hits on QBs. When these numbers are mixed in with his pass-rushing grade, he's the site's seventh-best 3-4 outside linebacker.

After they are able to tally all of the positive things he did against the Vikings, those marks will reach even greater heights.

Like Hugh Hefner, Peppers has defied logic and somehow managed to become an ageless wonder. Forget the fact that he's played in 190 regular-season games and his body has repeatedly worked its way through the trenches. He's turned into a banner signing for Thompson's administration—an administration known for "growing" talent instead of paying for it.

Green Bay's defense was sharp Thursday night, and Peppers was a huge reason why. Nevertheless, to look at their overall performance and crown them as an elite unit would be foolish. The combination of a short week and the mere fact that Ponder was forced into action thanks to Teddy Bridgewater's bum ankle was a George Clooney-like perfect storm of goodness for this program.

Even with the dark shadows of Thursday Night Football looming over the Packers' performance, this still should be a turning point for them. Momentum is certainly on their side, and that will matter as they prep for an inconsistent Miami Dolphins team next week.

Throw all of that free-agent hyperbole out of the window for a second. Kids, sometimes the sugarcoated moves in free agency do pay off in a big way. Spending money on Peppers has not only helped this defense fill a hole, but it's also given this club a fresh coat of leadership in the locker room.

If this whole Peppers trend continues to stay on course, the Packers defense a lot of us were suspicious of early into the season could wind up being a big reason why they make a serious playoff push in the debilitating winter months of 2015.

Unless noted otherwise, all game scores and information come courtesy of ESPN.com.