When Aaron Rodgers told the media that the way the Green Bay Packers were winning games wasn’t sustainable, he wasn’t kidding.
As we saw last Sunday, the Packers played inconsistently and lost to the New York Giants. It was an embarrassing defeat to a team that has generally been bad the past few seasons in front of a sold-out international audience. Unsurprisingly, it rubbed Packers fans the wrong way.
Green Bay certainly has its flaws, and the underdog Giants exploited them. Green Bay has some serious cleaning up to do to remain playoff relevant. But fear not, dear reader. The sky isn’t falling — yet. Blind optimism helps no one, but there are tangible reasons to believe that the Packers’ offense can right itself.
After controlling the game for the first half against the Giants, the Packers got impatient and went away from the quick-passing game in favor of Rodgers’ deep shots. They neglected Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. It was ugly to watch, and the Packers’ offense did nothing in the second half.
But upon further review, we can at least see the intent with the context Matt LaFleur provided. LaFleur and Rodgers weren’t thoughtlessly attempting to push the ball downfield. They were utilizing plays that had been their bread-and-butter options earlier this season, and the defensive scheme looked perfect. In particular, the third attempt in their second-half three-pass three-and-out drive was a play that got them huge yardage in overtime against New England.
The problem was in the execution. So many pass plays were so close to connecting. If they had, it would be a different game. Not easy to swallow in hindsight as, y’know, they already lost, but the good news is that the scheme isn’t broken.
LaFleur’s time with the media on Monday provided detailed accounts of his thought process and decision-making. He stressed the reality that you’ll be judged for the result over the intent.
“We felt like we had a premier play, and, unfortunately, it didn’t work out,” LaFleur said. “Now you’re sitting in third-and-10. And I understand that, going into it, you’re going to have to stand up here today and answer for that. I’m perfectly fine with that as long as our process and our thought process is in the right spot. Unfortunately, from a results standpoint, it didn’t work out.”
Even if you disagree with the coach’s thoughts, he clearly detailed his thought process. LaFleur is still a man with a well-designed offense and a plan for every situation. Not every plan comes together.
Execution is the biggest issue for the offense, and it’s not that surprising. The excuses can only go so far, but this team is missing its best wide receiver, offensive coordinator, and passing-game coordinator from last year. The offensive line is still coming together as premier players come back from major injuries, and the team tries to find their best five. It’s a mini-reboot, and the offense is still learning a new way to win games.
It’s easy to see the path where the Packers’ offense could have continued rolling against the Giants. A few mental errors, a few missed calls, and a few miscommunications led to a disappointing second half. But the clear ingredients of a good offense are visible. This isn’t a rudderless team. Don’t forget that the Packers were second in explosive plays heading into Sunday’s game. They’ve just got to right the ship.
As easy as it is to blame LaFleur, Rodgers needs to play much better. Andy Herman, who grades every Packers snap, had Rodgers with the lowest-graded five-game stretch in the past six seasons. Fortunately, the physical ability is still there. Rodgers is making uncharacteristic mistakes, but we know he can fix them. Once he gets back into the rhythm of the offense, which we’ve seen in spurts this season, it’ll elevate the rest of the group.
Losing isn’t, like, good. But it might be a good wake-up call for the offense to recognize what’s working and what isn’t. I still believe that the Packers need to run the ball more, but, regardless, they need to find ways to get Jones more involved. He’s their best offensive player by far.
Don’t forget that LaFleur has yet to lose back-to-back regular-season games since he’s taken over. He has consistently been good at bouncing back after a loss. His lowest-scoring game following a loss was last season’s 17-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. In all but three of those games following a loss, his team scored at least 30 points.
The Packers are a 3-2 team still in line for a playoff berth. Regardless of what you think about the Vikings and Giants, Green Bay’s two losses are against teams with 4-1 records. It’s too early to count the Packers out yet.
Saying execution needs to be better is easy. It’s harder to do, and the Packers absolutely need to be more consistent. But the ingredients for a great offense are still there. This isn’t like watching the Carolina Panthers or anyone as desperate. LaFleur is still clearly a man with the plan, and he’s historically adjusted well after losses. Rodgers might not be playing his best football, but we know what he can do. He’ll adjust. If the offense can’t get in together in a few weeks, it’s a different conversation. And the defense looks to be a much larger issue. But the sky isn’t falling yet.
Plus, the beautiful, crisp throwback uniforms come back this week. The Packers’ offense should be ripe for a big game.
