Reviewing the Packers offense and defense was something I wanted to do to kind of get an idea of which side of the ball is more at fault for the stumbling start to the 2022 NFL season. The Green Bay Packers offense and defense in all honesty are both at fault, but is one side causing more problems than the other? That’s what I began to wonder. So I did a quick breakdown of the Packers offensive possessions and the Packers defense being on the field.
I looked at the possessions of each game this season and broke them down based on half. So how many possessions did the Packers get in the first half of the Vikings game, and how many times was the Packers defense on the field in the first half of that game? And so on and so forth. I also asked what happened on each of those drives to try and gather some additional data to figure out what might be going on. This is what I learned from each game:
Week 1 @ the Vikings
Offense Grade: 1/5
This game was not very good at all for the Packers offense. The defense seemed to have its moments during the game but let up some big plays to Justin Jefferson through crossing routes. This is a terrible theme that would continue through the next games to follow. Looking at the first half of the game, the Packers offense had five possessions that resulted in:
- three punts
- two turnovers (on turnovers, I am including turnovers on downs).
Not good.
In the second half, the Packers had five more possessions which consisted of:
- one touchdown,
- two turnovers,
- a single punt,
- and the end of the game.
Defense Grade: 3/5
The defense did not do much better in the first half. The defense was on the field six times in the first half and gave up two touchdowns and one field goal. They did get the Vikings to punt three times. The second was much better for the defense in this game, though they were just on the field four times. They gave up only two field goals and forced two punts.
Week 2 vs. the Bears
Offense Grade: 3/5
The first half of the game against the Bears was a beautiful turnaround in comparison to the Vikings game. Just like in week one, the Packers had five possessions. But unlike the first game, they performed well while possessing the football. The Green Bay Packers scored:
- three touchdowns
- one field goal
The Packers had to punt once.
The second half was a letdown in comparison. The Packers:
- made one field goal
- punted once
- had a single turnover
The Packers scored twenty-four points in the first half and were only able to score three points in the second showing how they went too conservative. The fourth and final possession of the game ran out the clock for the win.
Defense Grade: 4/5
The defense let up a touchdown on the first drive, but after that, they played well. In the first half the Bears:
- scored one touchdown
- punted three times
During the second half, the defense kept playing well overall, even though they let up some crossing routes and additional yardage in the run game. The Bears:
- made one field goal
- punted once
- and turned the ball over twice (one of which was a turnover on downs in the red zone.)
Week 3 @ the Buccaneers
Offense Grade: 2/5
This game was interesting in regards to the amount of possessions that took place. In the first half the Packers offense had just four possessions, but they made the most of them. They had:
- two touchdowns
- a turnover after a long, good-looking drive
- one punt
The second half was not so good. They had SEVEN possessions! This would be great, because it means the defense was getting the ball back to the offense, but the Packers had to punt it six times and they turned the ball over once.
Abysmal.
Defense Grade: 5/5
The Packers defense, on the other hand, played amazing in this game. They were on the field just five times in the first half. During that time, the Packers let up one field goal, forced two punts and earned a single turnover.
In the second half they had to play tired and still did well even though they were on the field seven times. They:
- forced four punts
- forced one turnover
- held the Buccaneers to one field goal
Finally, on the Buccaneers last chance to score, they finally let up their one and only touchdown. But the defense was able to prevent the Buccaneers from scoring on the two-point conversion to win the game.
Week 4 vs. the Patriots
Offense Grade: 3/5
Against the Patriots, the Packers had plenty of opportunities in the first half thanks to the defense. The offense had seven possessions but were not able to capitalize as much as they would have liked. The Packers had:
- two turnovers- a fumble and a pick six
- three punts
- one touchdown
- and a possession that ended the half
The second half, which included overtime, also included seven possessions. The Packers did enough to win the game in this half by scoring two touchdowns, punting just one time, and kicking two field goals–one of which won the game in overtime for the Packers.
Defense Grade: 3/5
The defense played great in the first half of this game. They were on the field six times and held the Patriots to just one field goal, four punts, and got a turnover. The second half is where the Patriots were able to find the crossing routes and the run game that has been effective against the Packers. The defense was on the field a total of five times including overtime, and let up two touchdowns and forced three punts.
Week 5 vs. the Giants @ London
Offense Grade: 3/5
The Packers were limited greatly in how many possessions they had in this game. In the first half they just had five possessions, but they made the most of it. They scored two touchdowns and two field goals while only punting one time in the first half. They looked like they were going to roll the Giants. The second half was a different story. The Packers only had the ball four times. The fourth time was an end-of-the-game Hail Mary attempt that resulted in a sack fumble with not much time remaining in the game. The other three possessions were two punts and a turn over on downs.
Sickening.
Defense Grade: 2/5
The defense was on the field four times in first half against the Giants. The Packers defense held the Giants to just one touchdown and field goal in the first half while the other two Giant possessions resulted in punts.
The second half, the Packers defense was on the field just four times just the first half but unlike the first half played much worst. They let up long time-consuming drives that resulted in two touchdowns and one field goal. Needless to say, the Packers lost.
Looking more specifically at this Giants game, the Packers offense was doing fine and scored twenty points in the second half but just lacked opportunity in the second half. They possessed the ball four times in the second half and if you don’t count the Hail Mary attempt drive it was just a measly three. The defense ultimately could not get off the field and the Giants were able to run the clock out on the Packers.
Analysis and Conclusion
Average Offense Grade: 2/5
So on the season, the Packers offense has fifty-one offensive possessions. These resulted in eleven touchdowns, five field goals, twenty punts, ten turnovers, and five end of the half or end of the game drives. The Packers have had almost as many turnovers (if you include turnover on downs) as they have touchdowns on the season. There is obviously some inconsistencies in the Packers offense and usually they have a half that is better than the other.
Average Defense Grade: 3/5
The defense has been on the field a total of fifty times this season and have let up nine touchdowns and nine field goals but they have forced twenty four punts. They have only earned five turnovers though. Not good especially considering one of those turnovers was a turnover on downs.
Football is the ultimate team sport. Obviously, one side of the ball can struggle while the other is performing well. (Check the Buccaneers game.) However, one’s faults can bleed into the other side’s performance. For example, the Packers offense couldn’t sustain a drive facing the Buccaneers which ultimately tired out the well-performing Packers defense. This led to them finally giving up a last-second touchdown to Tom Brady.
Football is a sixty minute game and the Packers have yet to play that this season. The Green Bay Packers need consistency on both sides of the ball. The offense and defense have opportunities to be great and have demonstrated that they can be this season. It just has not happened yet. Maybe this Sunday will be the first time we witness a full sixty minutes of football played well by this Green Bay Packers team.
Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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