The Packers have lost two games in a row. They’ve lost their best offensive weapon in Tucker Kraft. The offensive line has been a massive disappointment. The quarterback is getting jumpy, and the head coach appears lost. This is why the team is under .500 and doesn’t have a shot at the playoffs.
Wait, I’m being told that the team is actually 5-3-1. Those losses have been by a combined 9 points.
So which is it? Keep calm and carry on? Or pull the alarm and fire everybody? I understand feeling like the second option after back to back losses. But the truth is probably closer to the first option.
So what does Green Bay need to do to quiet the doubters moving forward?
Beat the Giants
First and foremost this is a team that just needs a win. They have the perfect opportunity to do just that with a match up against the Giants on the docket. While the Giants have certainly looked frisky this year, they just fired their coach. Their star rookie qb will miss the game. And they’ve elected to play human wild card Jameis Winston in his place.
The Giants have been unable to hold leads, and might be the worst rushing defense in the league. Even if the Packers continue to stick with the offensive game plans that may have contributed to recent losses, this is a matchup that they should come out on top of. Of course I thought that in the games against the Panthers and Brown as well but I have a hard time imagining this roster and staff losing three games in a row.
It should be noted that the defense has been playing as well as fans could’ve hoped. The Packers have allowed more than 20 points in just three of their nine games, and in those games they are 2-0-1. They just held the Eagles, coming off a near 40 point performance against the same team the Packers have next, to ten points.
The Packers should win Sunday. If they do convincingly then the fanbase should settle down, at least for a bit. Lose, and the questions about this coaching groups longevity become real.
The Packers Need to Make A Change on Offense
There’s been a lot of discussion about what has been wrong with the offense these last few weeks. Some blame the QB, others the wide receivers, and some the coaching. What everyone seems to agree on however is that the offensive line has been a real problem. Not good enough at run blocking to get the ground game going, and not stout enough at pass protecting to give the offense time to attack over the top of the two deep safeties that teams have thrown at the Packers all season.
So what’s the answer? First off LaFleur has to be willing to pass the ball more, and earlier. Against the Eagles, and throughout the season, LaFleur has been to quick to call run plays on second and long, leading to the Packers facing some of the longest 3rd down distances in the league. The line has been bad, but at least give the QB a chance to throw it before everybody knows that he has to.
Additionally, the team in recent weeks has seemingly abandoned play action despite Love putting up great numbers when they do it. It’s a myth that the run game needs to be successful for play action to work. If teams think you’ll run it they will bite, even just a little, and that’s evident when you look at the Packers success rate doing it.
To summarize, if you’re going to insist on this run heavy approach, you have to at least be willing to run more play action off of it.
The other option is a more dramatic one. Do the Packers consider making significant changes to their line? With Jenkins out Sean Rhyan moves to center, and at least according to PFF this was a move for the better.
What the Hell Are The Packers Doing at Kicker
“I don’t talk to kickers” Is a line that Matt LaFleur dropped earlier last week. Maybe he needs to start. You could argue that the kicker spot has cost Green Bay in every game that they’ve lost or tied. Brandon McManus said after the game that this was the first week he had begun to feel healthy.
If that’s the case, and you had a backup behind him that kicked a perfect game against the Cardinals why has the team insisted on putting him out there the last two weeks? If McManus has another off game and it costs the Packers another win, there needs to be a serious conversation about what exactly it is that Rich Bisaccia does here (honestly that conversation should probably have happened last season)
