The Green Bay Packers fell 27-22 to the New York Giants in London.
Much like last week, everyone expected the Packers to come out and steamroll an inferior opponent. And that’s what happened in the first half. They went into intermission with a commanding 20-10 lead. Despite a late Giants touchdown, everything seemed to be under control.
But the offense came out flat in the second half, while the Giants’ offense controlled the clock and methodically moved the ball downfield.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense had a chance to tie the game with a minute left deep in New York territory, but the defense batted down his third and fourth passes, and Green Bay turned it over on downs. After New York took an intentional safety to wind down the clock, the Packers got the ball back with seven seconds left.
Alas, there was no miracle this time. The Giants sacked Aaron Rodgers on the last play to seal Green Bay’s defeat.
Here are five numbers that tell the story of the Packers’ loss in London.
0/6
Rodgers couldn’t push the ball downfield, going 0/6 on his attempted deep passes. It looked like he was much more reliant on his quick-passing game in the first half, getting rid of the ball in just 2.09 seconds on average. Through the first half, Rodgers averaged just 4.2 yards per attempt through the air, his lowest number since 2016.
Given the success that followed these plays, you could see why they were attempting these quick-hitting passes. Though they worked when the team was playing with the lead, Rodgers struggled when the Giants’ defensive backs started to take these plays away.
He looked off on almost all his throws, seemingly sailing his passes just a little. On one particular play, he missed Romeo Doubs on a deep crossing route, throwing the ball a bit ahead of him. Rodgers’ deep-passing game is what makes him such a threat. If the Packers want to get back in the division race, they need him to get big completions.
8
On Green Bay’s second-to-last drive, the Giants sent eight pass rushers on a crucial fourth-and-two deep in Giants territory. With Wink Martindale as New York’s defensive coordinator, you would expect that, more often than not, the Giants would bring extra men on the rush.
In what was perhaps the most crucial play of the game, Martindale decided to play a cover 0. The defense overloaded the right-hand side and sent most of the rushers from that angle.
This forced Rodgers to make a quick decision and get rid of the ball as soon as possible. Rodgers rushed into a throw with all the extra pressure sent his way. However, instead of finding his intended man, Allen Lazard, in the end zone, his pass was deflected by one of the free rushers hurtling toward him.
42
Saquon Barkley kept going even after getting hit, recording 42 yards after contact. Coming into the game, with all the Giants’ injuries at pass-catching positions, you expected they would lean more on the run game and Barkley to move the ball.
The Packers’ defense was good early on when it came to limiting Barkley’s involvement. They stifled his attempts to move the ball down the field and work his way into the game. He wasn’t a major factor until a play in the mid-second quarter when he took a snap from the wildcat and broke free for a long gain.
After that, whenever No. 26 had the ball, it felt like there was a chance that he could break the game open. Barkley also added 36 yards in the passing game, gashing the Packers whenever he had the opportunity.
1
The offensive line was one of the few bright spots this game, allowing just one sack. I mentioned earlier that Martindale loves to bring pressure. The Packers’ offensive line held up well for most of the game against the pass rush.
This was partially due to the quick-passing game in the first half. The quick passes forced the rushers to almost instantly redirect their attention. And the offensive line was also very good when Rodgers dropped back and held onto the ball for an extra second or two.
While most people are just going to remember the fourth-down play, it is important to note that the offensive line had the impossible task of trying to stop eight pass rushers.
97
Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon totaled 97 rushing yards between the two. They didn’t see as much work as they usually do, only toting the rock 19 times this game. Despite their limited carries, they averaged 5.1 yards every time they got the chance to run with the ball.
Jones again saw the lion’s share of the action, getting 63 yards on 13 carries. Dillon only got six attempts, which he turned into 34 yards. The Packers’ offense seemed to go away from the run a bit early despite having sustained success with it.
In some ways, though, they were using the quick-passing game as an extension of the run game. But would they have been more effective if they had given Dillon and Jones more chances instead of deciding to throw the ball almost 40 times? This rings especially true for the play calls on third-and-two and fourth-and-two.
