No cheating. I want you to guess how many turnovers the Green Bay Packers defense has forced so far this year.
Okay, now keep that number in mind.
We are already in Week 6. While some will say there is lots of time left, we are already a third of the way through the season. The New York Jets are on their way to Lambeau. Sure, we could talk all day about how the Jets always disappoint. Right now, though, they have the exact same record as the Packers. And while Green Bay is having trouble scoring points, especially in the second half, the Jets are fresh off a game where they racked up 40.
The defense producing turnovers would be a step in the right direction. Right now, their numbers are downright embarrassing. Much has been made of the offense’s propensity for giving the ball away. They’ve coughed it up seven times through five games, and Aaron Rodgers has thrown three uncharacteristic interceptions. (Surely you’ve seen the panicky math: That puts him on pace to throw nine or 10 on the season, when last year he only threw four!) But lost in the worry over the offensive struggles has been the difficulty the vaunted defense is have generating its own turnovers.
For a team that was predicted to have a top-10 or even top-five defense, it’s been mediocre at best. Let’s do a quick breakdown of turnovers so far to see if your guess is correct.
Week 1
There were two turnovers in the Week 1 loss against the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, none of those were forced by the Green Bay Packers’ defense. Green Bay gave away a fumble and an interception. The Packers only produced one sack as well. After a training camp and pre-season full of hype, this was not an ideal debut — although I’m sure it’s hard to produce any turnovers when you are leaving Justin Jefferson wide-open all over the field.
Week 2
Green Bay picked up their first win and got their first turnover of the season in Week 2. It’s always nice to see the Green and Gold own the Chicago Bears again. But, as their most recent Thursday Night Football loss to the 1-4 Washington Commanders showed, they are not a good football team. If anything, the Packers probably should have had more turnovers.
Jaire Alexander made a terrific sliding interception in the fourth quarter to seal the game for Green Bay. This may or may not shock you, but Alexander currently leads the team in interceptions with one.
Yes, that is the only interception the Packers have had so far this year. That’s not great, especially considering they have one of the best cornerbacks in the league. It obviously doesn’t help that Alexander ended up on the injured list again already. But that’s why they drafted Eric Stokes and signed Rasul Douglas to a 3-year, $21 million deal.
Week 3
The Pack won a tough battle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. Green Bay has never played well in Florida. They finally came home with a win, against Tom Brady, no less. The Buccaneers were also significantly depleted at receiver. When you need to sign Cole Beasley off waivers a week before he retires to fill a roster, you know the cupboard is bare.
Not only did the Packers pull off a two-point victory, but they also forced turnovers, a pair of fumble recoveries: one near the end of the second quarter right before halftime by Darnell Savage and the other by Jarran Reed in the third quarter.
They left Tampa Bay with a victory and a winning record but started a possible trend of not scoring in the second half. For those keeping track at home, that isn’t good when you’re trying to win football games.
Week 4
For the second week in a row, Green Bay escaped a game with a win. They beat the New England Patriots at home in overtime, 27-24. The Packers also forced another fumble in this game.
Rashan Gary forced and recovered the fumble. Along with his team-leading sacks, he is the only Packer player this year who has both forced and recovered a fumble. That might be the most frustrating thing about this team. There are absolute superstars on the defensive like Kenny Clark, Gary, and Alexander. Packers fans should pray they can keep Gary — and that a certain player’s $50 million might be off the books by then so they can afford it.
This was also a team facing a third-string quarterback by the end of the game. Zero interceptions is basically unacceptable. They also had to make a fourth-quarter comeback to win. It was yet another warning sign about this team even though they were on a two-game winning streak.
Week 5
A great start on Sunday in London ended in a heartbreaking loss. Once again, the offense didn’t score in the second half. They abandoned the run, rookie wide receivers were left wide open, and the defense was terrible.
As much as I believe that Joe Barry won’t be the defensive coordinator after this season, he at least will be honest and own up to his mistakes and shortcomings.
Unfortunately, there were no turnovers all game. It’s great that the offense never gave the ball away, but when you’re barely on the field during the second half, that’s easier to do.
The Giants clearly aren’t a bad team this year, but they aren’t spectacular either. Like the Buccaneers, they were stretched thin at wide receiver. But the Packers left receivers wide open over the middle of the field, and they aren’t making the necessary impact plays. (It doesn’t help that they only have a paltry 11 total sacks on the year.)
The Packers’ defense need to cover better, and absolutely need to get to the quarterback. Sure, the offense needs to do a better job of hanging on to the ball, but the defense must vastly improve their ability to get the ball back.
