GREEN BAY – As the sacks pile up, Dom Capers' confidence in his players grows.
"Normally you see more of them if they're working," the Packers defensive coordinator said when asked to explain his blitz-heavy game plan for Sunday's game against the Rams. "If something's working, you go to it more. Your confidence is based on what you see happen on the field. It tied together with our coverage."
Capers emptied his blitz bag on Rams quarterback Nick Foles, resulting in 12 hits on Foles in his 30 pass attempts. The Packers' three sacks don't begin to explain the pressure Foles was under.
Blitz Bay?
Get an additional look at Sunday's Packers-Rams Week 5 tilt. Photos by Jim Biever, Packers.com
"The hits on the quarterback had a major effect on him," Capers said.
Foles completed only 11 of his 30 passes, was intercepted four times and posted a 23.8 passer rating. Sixty-eight of his 141 yards passing came on one play late in the game, when the outcome had all but been decided.
"Three and out to start the game, I think that sets the tone for the game. I like the way we played the run to start the game, and I think we were able to get extra pressure on the quarterback," Capers said in ticking off the positives from his defense's performance.
"Probably the best thing was we had five adversity situations in the game, where they were able to get the ball in very good field position, and in those five adversity situations we gave up three points," he added.
All of that has the Packers defense high in the league rankings in several categories. The defense is No. 7 overall and No. 4 against the pass. Its 20 sacks are No. 2 in the league and the Packers are No. 3 in points allowed per game.
"We had another good day on third down and for the second game in a row we played well in the red zone," Capers said.
The Packers are a lowly 29th against the run, and allowed rookie running back Todd Gurley to rush for 159 yards on Sunday. It's the only negative for a defense whose arrow is pointing up in all other major categories, including development of young depth.
"Through five games, our depth has been tested pretty well," Capers said.
