The Green Bay Packers are 4-1 through the first five weeks of the season in large part because of the defense. More specifically, Green Bay's secondary has been phenomenal to begin the season—including Darnell Savage.
After taking down the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, the rookie safety was seen in a walking boot on Tuesday. It remains to be seen how severe the injury is. But if he misses a significant amount of time, the Packers defense could be in some slight trouble.
The Packers' first-round pick out of Maryland has more than done his part for the defense this season. While the team sits atop the NFC North, Savage has racked up 18 tackles, three deflections, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Along with Savage, the entire secondary of the Packers has become a tight-knit group to begin the season. Currently, Green Bay has the 14th ranked pass defense in the NFL and have allowed just 18.6 points per game (eighth-lowest in the NFL).
The only reason that the Packers have the 22nd ranked defense is because of their susceptible run defense. Along with the defensive ranks, Green Bay presently is tied with the New England Patriots in turnovers differential (+7).
If Savage were to miss time, Will Redmond would likely take his place at the free safety position. Redmond is a third-year defensive back that has is playing on his third team in his young career.
Over the past few weeks, Redmond has seen his role in the defense increase. In his limited opportunities, Redmond has had positives and negatives on the field. The Mississipi State product has flashed some potential in Mike Pettine's defense. At the same time, the young safety has made some mistakes while he's been on the field.
In the first five games, Redmond has played in 120 defensive snaps and has only been targeted four times. On all four of those targets, the third-year safety has allowed the player he was covering to come down with the ball.
As for Savage, the starting free safety has been targeted seven times and has only allowed three receptions. Again, Redmond hasn't had much experience in the defense but that's exactly why he isn't able to formidably replace Savage.
The injury to Savage comes at an unfortunate time as the Packers will host the 2-1-1 Detroit Lions in Week 6. This game is an important one as both teams attempt to take control of the NFC North. With that being said, Savage would be missed in the defense if he were to be sidelined for an extended period of time.
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