So, 2022 hasn’t turned out the way the Green Bay Packers hoped.
Matt LaFleur’s team is in shambles during their five-game losing streak. Even with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, the Green Bay Packers offense is terrible. And Joe Barry’s defense, prematurely crowned as a top-five unit before the season’s start, is also terrible.
But no one actually watches football for offense and defense (you’re lying if you say you do). True NFL connoisseurs know that special teams is the only thing that matters. After all, the Packers would have won the Super Bowl last season if they had a mildly competent unit.
We’re half a season into the Rich Bisaccia era. How are things looking under his remade “we-fense?” Not great, friends. Bisaccia’s unit is undoubtedly better than Maurice Drayton’s but is still struggling. With the entire team in bad shape, how much should we read into this?
Following Sunday’s really cool and fun-to-watch game against the Detroit Lions, the Packers’ special teams rank 29th by DVOA. That’s not good! According to Michael David Smith, Green Bay is a below-average team in all five metrics tracked by Football Outsiders (field goals/extra points, kickoffs, punts, kickoff returns, and punt returns).
Yet somehow, it’s much better than last year! The 2021 squad was an impressive 32nd, and the gap between them and the 31st-ranked team was vast. So there has been improvement!
But despite starting the season strong, special teams has been trending downward during this losing streak. Mistakes keep piling up, and the lackadaisical energy affecting the rest of the team hasn’t spared the special teamers despite hiring a very energetic coordinator.
So what are the issues? Well, Amari Rodgers is still returning punts despite being unable to hold the ball and looking hesitant even when he has it. Bisaccia has experimented with Christian Watson and Keisean Nixon on kickoff returns. Nixon, in particular, has shown some juice, but they’ve still been below league average.
Punter Pat O’Donnell has been the Packers’ MVP for most of the season (because the offense is bad), but he’s fighting for his life on every attempt. According to Next Gen Stats, O’Donnell has been pressured on 23.5% of punts this season, the highest rate for a punter in the past five years. His blocked punt returned for a TD was very uncool.
Even when things go well for the unit, some sort of penalty cancels it out. The group still lacks discipline, and the starters blessed with a special teams role still aren’t used to it. Jaire Alexander‘s roughing the kicker penalty against Detroit led to a two-point conversion, changing how the Packers needed to approach the rest of the game.
Kicks haven’t been great. While Mason Crosby has looked better than he did last season, it’s time to wonder if the leg strength is still there. Crosby rarely hits the end zone on kickoffs and has yet to make a kick over 50 yards this season.
The guys Bisaccia brought in this off-season have been the few bright spots on the unit. Nixon and Dallin Leavitt have been a breath of fresh air, but with the secondary’s struggles and injuries, Nixon may need to spend more time on defense. Ditto for Rudy Ford, who Green Bay brought in just before the season’s start. Ford brings incredible speed and energy as a gunner, but with Darnell Savage struggling so much at safety, Ford deserves a chance to play on defense.
Of any Green Bay coordinator, Bisaccia’s job should be the safest. This was never going to be an immediate turnaround. Even though you’d expect a better turnaround than this, the Packers must be patient. There are things going well, things they can build on. That hasn’t been true for a long time.
In order to improve, Bisaccia must make necessary changes, like finding a competent punt returner. Amari Rodgers could still have a role on offense, gods know this team is running out of wide receivers. But it’s malpractice to keep Rodgers on punt returns, no matter how good he looks in practice. Bisaccia also needs to work on punt protection and consider changing the personnel.
Thankfully, the Packers have two significant contributors returning in running back Kylin Hill and linebacker Krys Barnes. Neither played many ST snaps in their return game against Detroit, and both may be needed more in their primary position. But their ST roles should grow as they get back in the swing of things. Having reliable teamers back should help the unit.
The Packers’ season is just about done. The rest of the year should prioritize analyzing what they have for the future. That should mean plenty of punting and plenty of opportunities to put Bisaccia’s unit to work. Year 1 hasn’t been the hoped-for turnaround, but nothing about this team has gone as anticipated. We can only cross our fingers that at least one phase of the game can start to figure things out, and Bisaccia’s group might be the best positioned to do so.
