The Green Bay Packers are broken, bruised, and battered as they head into their bye week during Week 10, coming off an ugly 24-14 loss to the NFC-leading Detroit Lions. After losing to Detroit, the Pack dropped to 6-3 overall and 0-2 in the NFC North.
All of Green Bay’s weaknesses manifested in their performance on Sunday. The drops, the penalties, the inconsistency, the personnel decisions – everything that could have gone wrong for the Packers did. The Lions let the Packers beat themselves.
On Sunday, the Packers had six drops, including two that would have been touchdowns. They also committed 10 penalties for 67 yards and missed an easy field goal. Green Bay has the fourth-most drops in the NFL with 20, the second-most pre-snap penalties in the league with 30, and the second-worst FG% at 75%.
The rain was a factor in this game, but the front office built the roster knowing the Packers would play outdoors in Wisconsin weather. Instead, the Lions, playing their first outdoor game of the season, dominated. Green Bay outgained Detroit but failed to capitalize in crucial moments and lost. They beat themselves.
They know it, too.
Xavier McKinney leads the NFL in interceptions with six and was frustrated in his post-game press conference. "We just gotta stop doing the same, really the same s---, honestly,” Mckinney said. “We gotta figure it out.”
Green Bay is injured. They were down their starting center in Josh Myers, and it showed. The Packers moved starting left guard Elgton Jenkins to center. While his blocking was solid, Jenkins had trouble snapping the ball.
Jenkins had three bad snaps in crucial situations. Two were in the dirt near Jordan Love’s left knee, and another was behind him. They also occurred in or near the red zone, which stifled Green Bay’s offense.
Jaire Alexander is Green Bay’s top corner and crucial to their defense. He was out again, and the Packers’ secondary struggled without him. Amon-Ra St. Brown exposed Keisean Nixon on Detroit’s first drive.
Another injury in the secondary was to standout rookie Evan Williams. He missed the first game of his career. Williams would have been a massive asset in trying to slow down Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who tore up Green Bay’s defense.
The injury bug even hit their star quarterback. Love missed two games earlier this season and was injured against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Love was questionable to play and looked gimpy on the field. His lack of mobility is holding Green Bay’s offense back by limiting his playmaking ability.
Green Bay’s defense is playing well for the most part. They held Detroit’s league-leading offense to 17 points, which is good enough to win. Love and the Packers' offense did not do enough to win this game, thanks in large part to the mistakes that have plagued them all year.
The bye week allows them to reset and figure these things out. Drops are fixable. They can eliminate false start penalties and improve the red zone offense. The injury bug is less fixable, but at least they have some time to heal.
Green Bay also has a chance to add personnel before this week’s trade deadline. Adding a player and giving them an additional week to adjust to the system is a huge plus for someone making a switch mid-season. We’ll know very soon if the Packers will add anybody. If so, they are uniquely positioned to bring someone in with time to adjust instead of playing them immediately.
The Packers are 6-3, and having the bye at this point in the season is a luxury.
All stats and data via ESPN, PFF, Football Reference, and Green Bay Packers unless otherwise noted.
Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.