Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry will – deservedly — get all the love following his defense’s week 10 shutout versus the Seattle Seahawks, but give Jerry Gray his flowers too. The defensive backs/passing game coordinator had the secondary playing at an elite level Sunday afternoon against one of the best receiving tandems in football.
Gray hasn’t been in Green Bay two years and has helped develop an all-pro cornerback in Jaire Alexander, who the team was still without this week.
He also has rookie corner Eric Stokes looking like a budding star on the other end of his unit.
Life has been good in the Packers’ secondary. So good, it hasn’t allowed a quarterback to pass for more than two touchdowns or post a 100+ passer rating since week 1.
Not only are points being rejected, but the secondary is turning the ball over too.
The Packers have already tied its 2020 total of 11 interceptions, through the first 10 games of the season.
Against Seattle, the defense forced Russell Wilson to grind in his return to action, finishing with a 50% completion percentage and a 39.7 QBR.
There’s no denying Gray’s secondary is looking like a premier unit in the NFL and one that can be leaned on as the playoff race heats up.
Adrian Amos came down with one of the two interceptions on Sunday to go with his three passes defensed and four tackles on the day.
He and Darnell Savage have combined to create one of the more formidable safety tandems in the league.
Amos credited the defense’s recent success to the series of injuries and different situations the unit has overcome this season.
“This season, we’ve been battle-tested,” he said in his post-game press conference. “I think that’s going to carry over well to the rest of the season.”
Amos knows the defense, especially the secondary, is playing well right now, but is refusing to get ahead of himself.
“This is a week-by-week thing,” the safety said.
“You can’t say [we’re the best defense] in the middle of the season, you’ve got to be able to say it at the end of the season.”
Matt LaFleur’s “1-0” approach has certainly resonated with his team and they will look to feast on divisional rival Minnesota Vikings in week 11.
Kirk Cousins has been uber-efficient at points this season, but he will need his best effort against one of the hottest units in the NFL.
——————Joshua Frey-Sam is a journalism student and aspiring sportscaster hailing from Winnipeg, Canada. A Packers fan since 2005, Josh has worked to master the financial and scouting aspect of the NFL over the past few years. Josh remains a firm believer that Dez did not, in fact, catch the ball. You can follow him on twitter at @jfreysam.
——————
