Return of Green Bay Packers Safety Morgan Burnett Key to Solidifying Defense

The Green Bay Packers have led the league in injuries so far in the 2015-16 season, per NFL Nation (h/t Yahoo Sports), and the loss of starting strong safety Morgan Burnett has reverberated throughout multiple areas of the team. 

Defensive back Micah Hyde has filled in for Burnett in the five games he has not started this year as he works his way back from a calf injury, and while Hyde has done a fine job, Burnett's presence in both the pass and run defense has been missed. 

Burnett has been a solid defender in his six seasons with Green Bay, having become a full-time starting strong safety in 2011.

His 27 passes defended, seven interceptions and 335 total tackles have been a boon for the secondary, but it's his contributions on the run defense that have been most missed in his absence this season.  

There are other factors at play in this comparison, for sure, but consider this: Burnett's contributions as a run defender near the line of scrimmage were missed in Week 1—his first game on the sidelines—as the Packers allowed Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte to gain 141 yards. 

When Burnett returned in Week 2—the only game he has started so far this season—Green Bay held Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch to 41 yards. 

At the time, head coach Mike McCarthy certainly noticed a correlation. He said, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky:

"

Morgan means a lot; just look at Week 1 and Week 2. Just the communication, the productivity, so he definitely makes a difference when he's on the field. He's an excellent communicator, number one, a heck of a football player, is involved in your matchup plans, things like that, so he's definitely one of our best players on defense.

"

Though the Packers defense hasn't yet crumbled under the weight of its missing playmakers—in addition to Burnett, nose tackle B.J. Raji, linebacker Nick Perry, safety Sean Richardson, linebacker Sam Barrington and defensive tackle Josh Boyd have all missed time, and those latter three are on injured reserve—Burnett's absence has been noted. 

Burnett specializes in defensive stops on running plays close to the line of scrimmage. Per Pro Football Focus, in 2014, Burnett had a run-stop percentage of 10.8 percent within eight yards of the line of scrimmage, with 32 tackles, 10 assists and only two missed tackles. 

That was good for No. 5 among 54 qualifying safeties. 

Burnett was especially missed in the Packers' Week 5 matchup against the St. Louis Rams.

Low on safeties with Burnett out and Richardson on injured reserve, the Packers weren't able to commit Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or Hyde within eight yards of the line of scrimmage to stop the run. Burnett and Richardson are the two strong safeties who specialize in that style of play. 

The Rams' rookie running back, Todd Gurley, was able to gash the Packers defense for the most yards allowed all season: 159. 

Clinton-Dix and Hyde did play 48 run snaps each and made eight combined tackles. But once Gurley had made it past the first level of the defense, he found a lot of success. 

Of course, one of the big defensive plays of the day came when Hyde tripped up Gurley, who had open field in front of him, to save a touchdown. That game was the definition of bend-but-don't-break defense. 

However, it's not just the run game in which Burnett is a big contributor for the Packers.

His presence was also missed in the Week 6 matchup against the San Diego Chargers.  

In order to take away the Packers' pass rush, San Diego's strategy was to get the ball out as fast as possible, firing quick strikes to Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead. It's difficult for a defender to get into the backfield when a quarterback is getting rid of the ball in two-and-a-half seconds. 

A defense can mitigate this strategy by taking away the hot route, and had Burnett been in the game, Philip Rivers almost certainly would have had less success on those quick outs. 

With the bye week coming at what couldn't be a better time, if the Packers defense can get Burnett back for Week 8, it could launch a stout campaign through the second half of the season against the pass and the run.