The Packers hope to run 75 plays per game – faster than they’ve ever been under ninth-year coach Mike McCarthy, who said in the offseason that he wanted to make a concerted effort to increase his offense’s tempo.
Green Bay has gradually increased its pace in recent years. In 2010, when the Packers won the Super Bowl, they ran 62.5 plays per game.
That number dipped to 61.8 in 2011. The Packers leaned more on no-huddle plays in the next two years, during which they averaged 65.1 and 67.1 plays per game – 11th in the NFL last year.
More NFL teams are moving faster these days, especially franchises that have elite quarterbacks like Rodgers. In 2012, Tom Brady and the Patriots led the league with 74.4 plays per game. In 2013, they were second, with 71.1, and Denver and Peyton Manning topped the list, with 72.3 plays per game.
Taking into account offensive time of possession, the Patriots last season ran 2.34 plays per minute of possession time. The Packers ran 2.17. The Jets’ defense got experience against this break-neck pace while splitting their meetings with the Patriots in 2013.