The Green Bay Packers win in a blowout against a heavily depleted Niners team. Lets break it down, see where the Packers go from here, and see what the Packers need to shore up moving forward.
This was one of the best games that the Green Bay Packers have played this season. It was a near complete performance from all sides of the ball as there were numerous defensive turnovers, a great rushing performance from Josh Jacobs, no Jordan Love interceptions, and a good punting and kicking performance all around.
First, lets talk about this free agency class from Brian Gutekunst. He signed Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney as the two major free agent signings in March. Josh Jacobs ran the ball 26 times for 106 yards, and had 3 rushing touchdowns to cap off another fantastic performance. Xavier McKinney, on the other hand, capped off another strong performance with an interception. This Packers free agent class has been nothing short of a home run.
Secondly, other highlights from the game include a Lukas Van Ness strip sack, a Karl Brooks fumble recovery, and a 51 yard field goal by McManus which was the first field goal attempted by the Packers over 50 yards and they actually made it.
Overall, a good Packers performance. But enough about the past. The Packers need to shore up a couple things if they want to compete for a Super Bowl. The Packers sit at 8-3 with a Thursday Night Football game against the resurgent Miami Dolphins, another Thursday Night football game against the 10-1 NFC leading Detroit Lions, before a Sunday Night football tilt in Seattle against another resurgent team in the Seattle Seahawks.
It is a tough stretch of games, the Packers got incredibly lucky against the Bears last week, and got lucky enough to face a heavily depleted Niners team. But that will not be the case in the next few weeks. They have to show up, avoid mistakes, and get the job done.
What The Packers Need To Improve
Essentially, the next few weeks will not determine whether they make the playoffs, they have a 94% chance to make the playoffs, but the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl will be heavily dependent on how they look over the next few weeks. There are a couple things they need to improve on if they want to be serious Super Bowl contenders.
First up, they need to improve their pass defenses. They make too many mistakes in giving off coverage assignments, which leads to too many open receivers. The Jaire Alexander loss is understandable, but the communication and mistakes can be limited. Getting Jaire Alexander back will definitely be the most important factor in eventually becoming a better pass defense, and here is hoping that happens sooner later than rather.
A Super Bowl contending team needs to be better in defending passes. A good run defense performance by the Packers today, but the pass defense needs to improve down the stretch as the games get tougher and become more high-stakes.
Secondly, the Packers offense needs to be more consistent. They went 5 for 5 in the red zone today, so there was a large improvement there from last week. The Christian Watson drop was unforgivable, the Doubs drop did not help things, and the offense just hit a wall in the second half. They need to be more consistent, and they need to get Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed more involved?
Next up for the Packers is a resurgent Miami Dolphins team. They have three incredibly fast skill position players in Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Devon Achane. The Packers defense will need to be fast, tackle effectively, and pressure Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa has historically been a bad passer once the conditions are not perfect, and/or he feels more pressure.
The pass rush needs to get home, and the Packers need to throw exotic blitzes to get Tua off his rhythm. Just like Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa will cook the defense if he is allowed to sit back and spray the ball around. Pressure, pass deflections, and sure-fire tackling is required for Thanksgiving.
Lets get Jordan Love that turkey leg he did not get last year.
