The Green Bay Packers are right on the edge of making the playoffs. They’re 10-4 after beating the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in perhaps their first big win over a playoff-like team of the season.
Their road to the NFC North crown is blocked by the 12-2 Detroit Lions and 11-2 Minnesota Vikings barring epic collapses. Green Bay is more than likely looking at a playoff push through the NFC Wild Card — which currently has them as the sixth seed with three games remaining in the regular season.
While the Packers haven’t clinched yet, they’re close to getting it done. With three games left, you know that head coach Matt LaFleur is also looking to squeeze everything he can out of this season preparation-wise.
Speaking of, sometimes it’s also about who is getting hottest at the right time with the playoffs approaching. The Packers got a performance from rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper on Sunday Night that would suggest he’s ready to be a major X-factor in this playoff push for Green Bay.
Here are three reasons why that will be the case.
Edgerrin Cooper is great at reading the play in front of him
It’s tough to play linebacker in the NFL, especially as a young player. Offenses are designed to use misdirection and counterattacks to throw linebackers off the initial scent of the play. It may not seem like a lot to the fans watching at home, but even a delay of one second by a linebacker can completely alter whether or not the defense makes the stop or if the offense is able to get a big play.
As such, it normally takes a year or two for young linebackers to settle in. Just look at Cooper’s teammate Quay Walker. He’s in the middle of his third NFL season and things are just now slowing down enough for him to be able to use his natural athleticism to his advantage.
With Cooper, it’s clear to see that he’s playing fast and fearless out there. He’s not overthinking what he sees in front of him, which allows him to make big plays against the run and the pass.
Just look at how he baited Seattle backup Sam Howell into an interception on this play. That’s veteran stuff from the rookie linebacker, and it points to the fact that he can easily diagnose what’s happening around him.
Packers have a complete linebacker in Cooper
It’s hard to be good at a bunch of things as an NFL player. That’s why you often see cornerbacks who excel at playing on the outside of the formation struggle when they’re asked to go into the slot. It’s just a different game depending on where you’re at.
Again, the difficulty of figuring it all out is even tougher for young players in the NFL. The game seems to move just a little bit faster than in college. And instead of being easily the best athlete on the field like you were in high school and college, you’re just one of the many athletic freaks on the gridiron.
That’s why young players usually have one or two skills they lean into primarily, especially on defense. For a linebacker like Cooper that would mean being strong against the run or pass — rarely both.
Against the Seahawks, Cooper proved that he can be a five-tool player as a linebacker. He led the team in tackles with seven (including two tackles for loss), he notched a sack, he defended two passes and he secured the above interception.
That’s a Pro Bowl-type game if Cooper can do it consistently, and that will be his next step over the next few weeks. Proving that this is just who he is.