GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Even against a quarterback like Nick Foles, who rarely turns the ball over, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to see the Green Bay Packers come up with four interceptions on Sunday.
Whatever shortcomings defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ unit has had over the years, intercepting passes has never been of them. Since Capers took over in 2009, the Packers lead the NFL with 140 interceptions -- 15 more than the No. 2 New England Patriots.
They doubled their season interception total on Sunday and now trail only the Arizona Cardinals (who have 11) this season.
The bigger surprise is that it was rookie Quinten Rollins who got two of the Packers’ four interceptions.
Rollins made the most of his limited playing time. He returned his first interception 45 yards for a touchdown, but his second one might have been more important because it came three plays after he gave up a 68-yard completion to Stedman Bailey in the fourth quarter.
“You’ve just got to let it go; that’s going to happen,” Rollins said. “That’s a part of the football game. You’re going to give up plays. Obviously, you don’t want to, but it’s just a part of the game so had to come back from that. Glad I did, and just looking forward to getting into the film room.”
Here’s a breakdown of the defense in Sunday’s 24-10 win over the St. Louis Rams (the offensive breakdown can be found here):
Total defensive plays: 71
Defensive line
Mike Daniels: 45
Letroy Guion: 35
B.J. Raji: 26
Datone Jones: 22
Mike Pennel: 17
Notes: Daniels was a beast with a team-high eight tackles (including seven solos and one tackle for loss). Jones had three QB hits, including one that led to Rollins’ first interception, and he also blocked a field goal. Raji couldn’t finish the game because of a groin injury but he remained on the sideline the rest of the game, which is perhaps an indication that it’s not serious.
Linebackers
Clay Matthews: 71
Nate Palmer: 52
Julius Peppers: 48
Mike Neal: 45
Jayrone Elliott: 24
Joe Thomas: 19
Andy Mulumba: 13
Nick Perry: 12
Notes: Matthews and Peppers combined for 2.5 of the three sacks (Neal had the other half), but even more impressive were the 12 QB hits, including nine by the linebackers (Matthews with four, Peppers with three, Neal and Perry with one each). Thomas’ deflection led to Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s fourth-quarter interception in the end zone. Perry dropped out early with a shoulder injury and did not return. It was not clear if it was related to his offseason shoulder surgery.
Defensive backs
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: 71
Micah Hyde: 71
Sam Shields: 71
Casey Hayward: 59
Chris Banjo: 31
Quinten Rollins: 16
Notes: Shields couldn’t come up with an interception in a third straight game, but he still was credited with a game-high three pass breakups. With Morgan Burnett (calf) and Sean Richardson (neck) out, Hyde started at safety and Banjo played in some sub packages. Hyde and Clinton-Dix each had an interception from the safety spot.