On Seattle’s third offensive play from scrimmage in the second quarter last Sunday, Packers safety Morgan Burnett executed perfect coverage on tight end Jimmy Graham’s dig route by jumping in front of Russell Wilson’s ill-advised throw. At first glance it appeared that the 7-year pro was a beneficiary of Graham falling, but after replay it was clear that Burnett would have intercepted the pass either way.

This play proved early that Burnett’s impact at inside linebacker could be monumental for the struggling unit.

The Packers have consistently failed to stop opposing teams’ tight ends as they have given up 73 receptions to the position, tied for fifth most in the NFL. Tight ends have racked up 878 receiving yards against the Green Bay defense, the fourth most among teams. Graham, the 7-year veteran, is fifth in the league in receptions and third in yards among tight ends.  On Sunday, Burnett’s efforts neutralized Graham to the tune of 1 catch for 16 yards. Even more impressive, Burnett held Graham without a catch until the fourth quarter when the game was already out of hand.

Moving a safety to play linebacker is a trend in the NFL and the Packers seem to be a perfect fit for utilizing this defense full time, as indicated by the past two games. Long struggling to find athleticism and pass coverage at middle linebacker, it appears Green Bay found its’ solution. Burnett’s presence on the inside has increased Micah Hyde’s role at safety and reduced Jake Ryan’s snaps at linebacker. While Hyde has had some lapses in play, the changes provide the defense with an extra defensive back that makes the team look and play faster.

This was shown with Joe Thomas as a “spy” on Russell Wilson throughout the game. This helped reduce his effectiveness running out of the pocket as he was held to only 19 yards on four runs. His first scramble was primarily because Mike Daniels had too much pressure and got into the backfield deep and left a running lane in his spot wide open. It was also evident that Thomas backed up too far and didn’t stay honest with Wilson. None of the four Wilson runs were game changers and Thomas did a good job keeping him under control all afternoon.

The athleticism at linebacker leaked into the secondary as they had a season high five interceptions in the game. While it was evident that Wilson’s accuracy was off on Sunday, the Packers still took advantage of all opportunities. Damarious Randall showed tremendous range on his first interception, right before halftime. Wilson stepped up in the pocket towards the left and thought he had Doug Baldwin for the touchdown, but Randall appeared out of nowhere in the zone defense and snagged the ball for a beautiful interception. This play, among many others, kept the Packers’ foot firmly on the throat of the Seahawks.

The effectiveness was apparent up front as well as they dominated the line of scrimmage routinely during the game. Mike Daniels man-handled the opposition and was consistently putting pressure on Wilson and the passing game. Rookie Dean Lowry also made an impact as he had three plays in which he put pressure on Wilson, and he also recorded a sack. He is continuing to look less like a rookie and more like a contributor. Rushing linebackers Jayrone Elliott and Datone Jones were also effective in the pass rush game recording a sack each. Elliott always seems to have flashes of explosiveness, and it always seems to be against the Seahawks. It would be a boost if Elliott could carry over his performance into the remainder of the season. Jones made some splash plays as well, but had a penalty that took away from his performance a bit.

This defense is far from perfect. They were gashed in the running game, and Wilson missed on a couple of homerun passes in addition to being off-target all night. However, the Packers played with the attitude and athleticism on defense that is needed for them to be competitive the rest of the year.