Spooky season is coming to an end, but it could be just the beginning for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are currently 5-3 after a somewhat nailbiting win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football. These first eight games of the season have been eerily reminiscent of one another – save for the beat down the Falcons delivered to the Packers.
It almost seems like the Packers are in an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Like, where Green Bay is in an inescapable loop of having a great start. So, the offense looks great but either can’t finish a drive or they do finish a drive and it ends with a missed point after try. The defense looks amazing but then the offense eventually cools and can’t sustain drives because of the lack of a run game, which ultimately leaves the defense too tired to sustain their efforts. This, of course, leads to the other team making the game way closer than it should be and in some cases gives them the ability to take the lead.
Packers games have followed the same formula ever since last season. It’s pretty spooky stuff.
So, all of Green Bay’s issues on the football field are correctable and if they are corrected could lead the Packers to a path deep in to the playoffs. But here is the scary thought, what if they don’t fix them?
Here are the top five scary possibilities for the Green Bay Packers:
Packers Number Five Scary Thought
Micah Parsons returns from his injury too late and is ultimately just a shell of his former self. This is an absolutely horrible thought and ultimately will not be the case. Reports came out on Saturday morning that Parsons will return to practice this upcoming week and the ultimate plan is for him to play in the Thanksgiving-eve game against the Rams.
But, there is a nonzero chance that he isn’t ready for that game and may not be ready till December, which could be detrimental considering the competition the Packers face in a very competitive NFC North. And on top of that, what if he isn’t like Micah Parsons of old? It will take some time before he will be back to his normal self. What if that doesn’t happen this season? Or ever?
Number Four
Green Bay currently has eleven players on the IR (injured reserve) with some big time names on that list: Javon Hargrave, Zack Bako-Bewele, Jayden Reed, and Edgerrin Cooper, to name a few. What if that list continues to grow? The Packers injury luck has been absolutely trash. Maybe even worse than the San Fransisco 49ers, and that’s saying something.
A scary proposition would be that the list continues to grow. Football is a violent sport where injuries are going to happen. Any team’s season can be derailed in an instant with certain injuries. Let’s hope the injury bug finally leaves the Packers alone.
Packers Number Three
Jordan Love goes cold. Love has been so good this season. It honestly kinda reminds me of a few Aaron Rodgers seasons where he had to carry the team on his back. Love has been fantastic and on some of his deep throws, he couldn’t have handed the receiver the ball any better. Yet, the receiver doesn’t make the catch…but I digress. Love has been playing at an MVP level.
And there is no reason to expect that to stop, except… Except that interception he threw on Thursday. That was a horrific throw. Probably his worst of the season. It ultimately didn’t affect the outcome of the game. But, the offense was moving the ball really well in that drive, and then the interception. The offense wasn’t able to move the ball well enough again after that. If Love goes cold, then the second half of the season will be a long one.
Number Two
The Packers offense line and ultimately the run game will get worse. So, I’ll be the first to say Kevin Zeitler isn’t the answer. Matt LaFleur would be playing him if he were ready. I truly do believe that. I just don’t think Zeitler is the answer, which is in itself a scary thought. What can be done to help the run game? It’s ultimately not on the running back, which is a whole other issue right now. It’s on the offensive line. The pass blocking is improving but the run blocking has somehow gotten worse.
This is a scary possibility that is already happening before our eyes. Green Bay doesn’t have an in-house solution to fixing the offensive line and will have to try and learn to make do without much of a running attack. Putting away teams in the fourth quarter will continue to be tough and will probably cost the Packers a couple more games.
Packers Number One Scary Thought
Trey Smack and the entire kicking game continues to look bad. Oh, now that’s scary. Green Bay drafted Smack in the sixth round in last year’s draft. Wait – the Packers traded up for a kicker in the sixth round of last year’s draft and he has gone cold? This should have been expected for a rookie kicker.
Mason Crosby didn’t have the best rookie season, by any means. But Smack’s kicks, in particular up close, have been horrific. The Packers don’t seem too keen on finding a replacement for Smack, or even competition in practice for that matter. It does seem like Green Bay is playing the long game here and it’ll cost them in the end.
Somewhere down the line, a missed field goal will cost this team the rest of their season. Now, that’s a scary idea.
But regardless and always,
Go Pack Go!
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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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