Green Bay’s Offense Should Pretend the Entire Game Is the Second Half

The Green Bay Packers’ offense has lit off plenty of fireworks this season. The Packers rank fifth in the NFL at 27.6 points per game, and they've been scorching hot in the second half. They are first in the NFL in second-half points per game at 17.1.

Maybe it's time Green Bay's offense treats the entire game like it's the second half.

Dating back to the Dallas Cowboys game in Week 4, Green Bay’s offense has had 21 possessions in the second half of games. Of those 21 drives, 16 have resulted in points. Of the other five, three were victory formation kneel downs against the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The other two were punts, both in the Cardinals game.

That's not a misprint.

Excluding kneel-downs at the end of wins to melt time off the clock, the Packers have punted a grand total of twice in the second half, dating back to Week 4. In the second half on Sunday in Pittsburgh, the drives went as follows: touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, field goal, as they pulled away from Aaron Rodgers and Co. in an emphatic road win.

However, their offense in the first two quarters of recent games has left a lot to be desired.

Green Bay trailed 16-7 at halftime against the Steelers, but Brandon McManus's two missed field goal attempts contributed to the low total.

The week prior in Arizona, Green Bay was down 13-6 at halftime before rallying for a late win. In their last home game three weeks ago against Cincinnati, the Packers did lead at the break, 10-0, but it was the defense carrying the burden through the first 30 minutes.

Quarterback Jordan Love and Co. are aware of Green Bay’s recent habit of starting slow and needing to kick things into overdrive to pull out wins. As

The Packers changed whatever needed changing, and the offense clicked for 28 points in the final 30 minutes.

But is this model of suddenly awakening from an early slumber on offense to rack up points in the second half sustainable? Probably not.

The Carolina Panthers come to town this weekend. While the Packers opened as a near two-touchdown favorite, the Panthers will present one great test for Green Bay. Carolina is No. 20 in points allowed per game at 24 a pop. However, opponents have done most of the damage early, which is where the Packers have struggled.

Carolina is fifth-best in second-half points allowed at 8.5 per game. The issue has been in the first half, where the Panthers are fifth-worst, allowing 15.5 points per game on average in the first two quarters. Last Sunday, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills racked up 19 points in the first half against Carolina's defense.

For one reason or another, the Green Bay offense’s kryptonite has been starting slow. That wasn’t the case in the first two weeks against the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, but lately it's been a bugaboo that the Packers haven't been able to shed. The Panthers present the perfect opponent to try and crack that code, having allowed 17 or more points in the first 30 minutes in four of their last five contests.

For as good as Love was on Sunday night, he and the offense were noticeably better and in more of a rhythm in the second half. Christian Watson credited Love for taking command in the final 30 minutes.

They'll need that same poise and command early on. It's not that it's been missing specifically from Love, but something's been off in the first half of games. The last thing the Packers want is for this to rear its ugly head in a postseason affair and be unable to climb out of that hole.

There's plenty of time to turn it around. This Sunday is a perfect opportunity for the Packers to start fast and flip the recent script.