Usually, the saying “dominant force meets an immovable object” refers to a matchup between two players or position groups that excel at their respective roles. On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will face an immovable object, and no, I am not talking about Myles Garrett.
It is the kind of object that plays right into Jeff Hafley’s defensive strengths: Joe Flacco and his unwillingness to leave the pocket.
According to Sumer Sports, the Cleveland Browns’ offense has just a 2.02% scramble rate, which puts them in the bottom five in the NFL. Through two weeks, he is tied with Bryce Young for the most pass attempts. That makes sense considering Flacco has always been more of a pocket passer than a mobile quarterback.
He’s going to stay in the pocket like an immovable object, scanning the field until someone gets open – or the pass rush reaches him. Considering how Cleveland’s offensive line and Green Bay’s pass rush have performed, that is a battle that should heavily favor the Packers.
Cleveland’s offensive line ranks 24th in pass-blocking efficiency and has allowed 35 pressures and 28 hurries, the most in the league. They are also 22nd in pass-blocking grade and have only a 56% pass-block win rate, ranking 22nd in the league. Dawand Jones has a 37.1 pass-blocking grade in true pass sets, giving up five pressures, four hurries, and one QB hit in just 45 pass-blocking snaps.
Meanwhile, Green Bay’s pass rush is off to a tremendous start this season. They already have 52 pressures, the same number they didn’t reach until Week 4 last year. Lukas Van Ness has matched his pressure production from the first two months of last season in just two games this year. Rashan Gary has nine pressures, a mark he didn’t hit until Week 9 last year. Devonte Wyatt has 11 pressures through two games, compared with 12 through seven games last season.
The Packers are one of just three teams (Houston and Seattle) to have five different players with at least five pressures through two games:
Devonte Wyatt (11)
Micah Parsons (10)
Rashan Gary (9)
Lukas Van Ness (5)
Edgerrin Cooper (5)
— Felipe Reis Aceti (@Aceti_Felipe) September 16, 2025
The Packers are the first team in the Super Bowl era to start a season with back-to-back games of four or more sacks, 60 or fewer rushing yards allowed, and 200 or fewer net passing yards allowed. They achieved this against the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, who had two of the top four offenses in EPA per play last year.
The Packers are the first team in the Super Bowl era to start a season with 4+ sacks, 60 or fewer rushing yards, and 200 or fewer net passing yards allowed in back-to-back games.
They did this against two of last year’s top four offenses in EPA per play.https://t.co/HGfQGlgIzH
— Felipe Reis Aceti (@Aceti_Felipe) September 15, 2025
Flacco isn’t getting much help from his receiving corps, either. The Browns rank 31st in receiving grade, while the Packers are second in coverage grade. If everyone in the secondary does their job, Flacco will stand like a statue in the pocket. As a result, his receivers will struggle to get open, allowing Green Bay’s pass rush to get home.
The Packers have contained quarterbacks who hold the ball too long. In Week 1, Jared Goff had a 45.4 passing grade and two turnover-worthy plays when he held the ball over 2.5 seconds. Jayden Daniels only completed 52.5% of his passes and averaged 5.3 yards per attempt in the same situation. Both of those offenses had far more star power than Cleveland.
When holding the ball for more than 2.5 seconds, Flacco posts a 47.6 passing grade with two touchdowns, two interceptions, no big-time throws, and three turnover-worthy plays. That’s usually on off-schedule plays, which aren’t his strength. When he gets the ball out in 2.5 seconds or less, his grade jumps to 69.3, with no touchdowns or interceptions and only one turnover-worthy play.
Flacco didn’t have a good game against the Baltimore Ravens, which ranks 30th in pass rush win rate. He had the second-lowest passing grade in Week 2 among all quarterbacks when holding the football for 2.5 seconds or more. He struggled against a pass rush that has been virtually nonexistent and now will face Micah Parsons and Co., who will have an extra four days of rest.
Green Bay’s pass rush has a favorable matchup on Sunday. If their strong start to the season continues trending in the right direction, Flacco should have virtually no time to get anything going. That would slow down Cleveland’s passing game and improve the Packers’ chances of moving to 3-0.