Packers' defense starting to turn red-zone stats around

[Cheesehead]

The Packers arguably had three red-zone stops last week, halting Houston in the first half just outside the 20 – the Texans had a first down on the 21, went backwards due to a penalty, and ended up a missing a 41-yard field goal.


The overall effort altered a trend that was looking problematic for the Packers.


Prior to last week, Green Bay had allowed touchdowns on 13-of-17 opponent red-zone trips, or 76.5%, which ranked 29th in the NFL. The official statistics had Houston 2-for-4, putting the Packers now at 71.4% and climbing five spots in the league rankings to a tie for 24th.


That may not seem like much, but the margins in the NFL are small. Another 5% improvement on the year would put the Packers in the top 20 league-wide, a far cry from 29th.


Those stops go hand-in-hand with third-down defense, of course, and the previous week at Tampa Bay the Packers had three third-down opportunities over a span of two red-zone possessions and didn't win any of them. The Buccaneers scored TDs on both drives and started to pull away in the game.


It may be difficult for the Packers to get back to where they were last year – tied for 6th at 50% over 16 games – but they need to make the effort in Houston the new standard moving forward.


"You feel good. You're taking points off the board," Amos said. "That's the name of the game, especially when they already have the ball in your territory you want to limit them. You save four points by making them kick a field goal. You save seven when you get a takeaway.


"So those are just big opportunities to step up and show up."