GREEN BAY – Through the first four games of his rookie season, Packers safety Evan Williams had played just 34 snaps on defense, but the coaches kept talking about finding ways to get him on the field.
They decided to go whole hog in Week 5 at Los Angeles, starting Williams at safety (with fellow rookie safety Javon Bullard moving to the slot) and having him play all 78 defensive snaps.
Williams answered the call, not just on the final drive to seal Green Bay's victory, but throughout the game. Here's a sampling from start to finish.
Play No. 1: Third-and-goal from the Green Bay 4, first quarter, 3:32 left
Result: Incomplete pass
These first two plays on the defense's first big stop near the goal line are all about the communication between veteran S Xavier McKinney (29) and Williams. Here, TE Colby Parkinson (86) goes in motion, and McKinney is waving Williams over from that side of the field. It's possible McKinney wanted Williams to come all the way across and take Parkinson in coverage (see next play), but whatever the intent, ultimately McKinney steps up to take Parkinson, and Williams replaces McKinney in the middle, pointing to acknowledge he's on the same page as his partner. After the snap, McKinney sticks with Parkinson and Williams takes away the crossing route by WR Demarcus Robinson (15). QB Matthew Stafford (9) has no good options and throws incomplete.
Play No. 2: Fourth-and-goal from the Green Bay 4, first quarter, 3:28 left
Result: Incomplete pass
On the next snap, it's fourth down, and the Rams run a very similar play. The Packers play it differently but it still works out. How? Communication. Parkinson goes in motion again, and this time McKinney signals Williams over and points to the slot to tell the rookie to take him. The Rams are trying to clear it out for Parkinson, with Robinson running the same crosser through traffic, and this time WR Tutu Atwell (5) stays put from the bunch formation to lessen the congestion. Williams holds his own, fortunately isn't flagged for the minimal contact, and the two safeties celebrate in the back of the end zone.
Play No. 3: First-and-10 from the Green Bay 29, second quarter, 4:25 left
Result: 6-yard loss by RB Kyren Williams
Here the rookie safety shows his anticipation skills. On a simple toss run, he's attacking the line of scrimmage as soon as TE Hunter Long (84) goes in motion, likely a result of film study so he knows what's coming. Williams' early presence in the mix appears to occupy the attention of both blockers headed that direction, Long and LT Alaric Jackson (77), which allows a clear lane for LB Quay Walker (7) to get to the ball carrier and bring him down.
Play No. 4: Second-and-5 from the LA 32, third quarter, 10:31 left
Result: Incomplete pass
Williams was clocked in 4.6 in the 40 at the combine, but he shows more speed than that here. Atwell is running a deep over, and Williams is the single-high safety so he's got to stay on top of it. At the point Atwell begins to break across the field, Williams' hips are turned inside, and that body position probably convinces Stafford he can hit Atwell here. But Williams flips his hips smoothly to break into a sprint, meeting Atwell and the ball as it arrives to break up the potential big play. A tribute to injured CB Jaire Alexander follows.
Play No. 5: Second-and-4 from the LA 34, third quarter, 3:09 left
Result: 3-yard completion to WR Jordan Whittington
So far we've seen Williams' anticipation and speed. Here's those combined with what coaches refer to as eye discipline. Whittington (88) stops his motion on the opposite side of the formation from where Williams is lined up, but he doesn't let the receiver get lost in the wash. Williams also doesn't get drawn in by the play-action fake, sticking with Whittington as he leaks out into the flat, chasing him down shy of the first-down marker. One false step or glance the wrong way by Williams and this is an easy first down, and the play earns him a pat on the back from DL Kingsley Enagbare (55) along the sideline.
Play No. 6: Third-and-10 from the LA 45, fourth quarter, 2:03 left
Result: 9-yard completion to Parkinson
Now it's crunch time, and this play, which the Rams execute effectively, is the precursor to the game-sealing fourth-down stop a few snaps later. Parkinson runs a simple curl from the bunch formation created by Atwell's motion, and Williams does the best he can. He closes his gap with Parkinson to about 11 yards at the snap, and he's roughly 5 yards off him when the tight end makes his break. He also gets picked/rubbed ever so slightly by Whittington's route, so the relatively completion sets up a fourth-and-short conversion that keeps the Rams' drive going. Williams, though, has seen what he needs to see.
Play No. 7: Fourth-and-5 from the Green Bay 38, fourth quarter, 1:05 left
Result: Incomplete pass
Here it is, the moment of truth, and the Rams run the exact same route concept as Play No. 6 above. The only change is Stafford empties the backfield. But the key is Williams makes the adjustments he needs to. Anticipating what's coming, he creeps forward and narrows his gap with Parkinson to about 8 yards at the snap (instead of 11 above), which subsequently gets him in better position to avoid the rub route (by Robinson instead of Whittington) and be tighter at the point of Parkinson's break, squaring himself just 3 yards off (instead of 5). It makes all the difference in the world, as it's a much tougher throw for Stafford and Williams is right with Parkinson when the pass arrives. Ballgame.
Bonus play: Third-and-10 from the Green Bay 48, third quarter, 8:15 left
Result: INT by McKinney
This doesn't fit the Williams theme, but it's worth showing for a tip of the cap to DL Karl Brooks (94), who had 1½ important sacks in the game. But he should be applauded here for what he didn't do to allow McKinney's fifth INT in five games to stand. Brooks runs a stunt with DL Colby Wooden (96), who crashes across to take out C Beaux Limmer (50) and bring LG Logan Bruss (60) far enough with him to create a rush lane for Brooks looping around. Brooks has a clear shot at Stafford, but he wisely raises his arms and backs off on his charge at just the right moment to avoid a potential roughing-the-passer penalty. He makes it clear he's not hitting the QB. Any more contact there, or a forcible blow to Stafford's helmet, would've negated McKinney's history-making and game-changing pick.
This doesn't fit the Williams theme, but it's worth showing for a tip of the cap to DL Karl Brooks (94), who had 1½ important sacks in the game. But he should be applauded here for what he didn't do to allow McKinney's fifth INT in five games to stand. Brooks runs a stunt with DL Colby Wooden (96), who crashes across to take out C Beaux Limmer (50) and bring LG Logan Bruss (60) far enough with him to create a rush lane for Brooks looping around. Brooks has a clear shot at Stafford, but he wisely raises his arms and backs off on his charge at just the right moment to avoid a potential roughing-the-passer penalty. He makes it clear he's not hitting the QB. Any more contact there, or a forcible blow to Stafford's helmet, would've negated McKinney's history-making and game-changing pick.
