The Green Bay Packers were able to come out on top in their must-win game versus the Giants on Sunday, but they’re still one of the most confounding teams in the league.

Heading into week twelve, let’s recap the biggest takeaways from the victory.

Fundamental Football

The Green Bay Packers have unfortunately become notorious for getting in their own way, and that was nearly the case again in New York.

Whether it’s penalties, special teams, or a lack of aggression, we’ve seen it all this season, and this weekend’s tilt brought back an old foe of its own: drops.

During the first half, the Packers offense recorded five drops, which matched their highest first half total since ESPN began tracking the statistic in 2006, per Rob Demovsky.

The woes came courtesy of a variety of contributors, including Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave, and John FitzPatrick, and several of them were drive killers.

Despite the overall outcome, it’s becoming more and more difficult to gloss over these basic issues as a fan, especially when a new one crops up every week.

The team had only five drops total in weeks one through nine, and suddenly, after that first half, they’d had eight through their last four quarters.

An offense which was already struggling was somehow struggling even more, and to make matters worse, the dropsies also spread to the defensive side of the ball.

Carrington Valentine dropped two sure interceptions, and Isaiah McDuffie accidentally broke up Javon Bullard’s chance at another.

The Green Bay Packers had every chance to manufacture a blowout win, but instead, another far-lesser team, at least on the basis of record, was allowed to stick around until the final minutes.

There’s plenty of reason to believe that this group could be truly dominant if they were even just a bit more fundamentally sound, and knowing that, the continued self-injury is beyond frustrating.

With those frustrations out of the system, let’s focus on some of the bright spots.

Watson Gains His Wings

The receiver room struggled mightily at MetLife, but one member of the group did continue to impress, and that member was Christian Watson.

Although I haven’t always been the highest on him, his impact has been undeniable for the offense this season, and its been consistent as well.

On Sunday, Watson recorded four catches for forty-six yards, including two critical scores, and since his return, he’s seemed to come up with a big play every single game.

This time, he caught touchdowns from both Jordan Love and Malik Willis, and neither of them were easy.

As the offense continues to redefine itself after the loss of Tucker Kraft, the Packers will need someone else to take charge, especially if the team chooses to be cautious with Josh Jacobs’ knee injury.

The soon-returning Jayden Reed appeared to be carving out a massive role in the quarters before his injury, but relying on him too much too quickly could lead to mixed results.

That means the door is wide-open for Watson, who recently signed a prove-it deal through the end of 2026.

If he can continue to stay healthy, the sky is truly the limit, and I’ll be happy to admit I was wrong.

QB1

The naysayers are always loud when it comes to Jordan Love, but he’s only continued to prove them wrong.

Week after week, Love puts the Packers in positions to win, even at their worst, and this past week was no different.

After a tough first half where almost all of Love’s incompletions came as a result of the aforementioned drops, he was able to pull the team together and rally in the second half, even if the stat-line wasn’t traditionally impressive.

What resulted was a career-best PFF grade of 93.6, surpassing his other stellar performances this season and his standout playoff win over the Cowboys in 2023.

In addition, he also battled through injury, returning to the game in the second quarter after going into the locker room for x-rays on his shoulder.

While the injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term concern, Love’s grit goes without question, and with the win, it’d be nice to see the national media lay off of him for once.

He’s about the furthest thing from the problem, yet so many fans still seem ungrateful.

A World of Opportunity

There is no doubt that the Green Bay Packers have had their ups and downs this season, but heading into a three week-long division slate, a bevy of opportunity is still up for grabs.

The team’s week one win over the Lions carries a lot of weight in terms of the division crown, and if the Packers can straighten themselves out, the path to the top of the North is clear.

All Green Bay has to do is take it one game at a time.