The Green Bay Packers were on top of the world after dismantling the rival Chicago Bears in Week 1. Maybe the transition to Jordan Love wouldn’t be so tumultuous after all. Maybe the pieces were in place throughout the roster.
The proliferation of those narratives was perfectly natural, but an ugly skid has since been abruptly halted them. The Detroit Lions’ win at Lambeau was physical and emphatic. The media billed it as a changing of the guard in the NFC North. There was plenty of blame to go around. However, a road loss to the far-from-remarkable Las Vegas Raiders sounded the alarm in the following week.
Now, Green Bay is headed to the Mile High City to take on Sean Payton’s disheveled Denver Broncos. After torching former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on his way in, Payton has overseen a disaster of equal proportions, so much so that to lose to them on Sunday would effectively end Green Bay’s season. They’d be 2-4, which alone isn’t insurmountable, but the schedule isn’t getting easier than it’s been in this first third of the season.
The growing pains associated with the reloading phase were expected. However, Green Bay’s defensive stars, accustomed to Aaron Rodgers’ magic and significant regular-season success, are already sick of being mediocre. Following the Week 5 loss, Jaire Alexander called out the offense, saying, “At this point it’s pretty obvious that the defense has to not give up any touchdowns.” It came off as a pretty explosive quote, but he clarified his message by emphasizing that the offense is young and that it is incumbent on the defense to compensate and help them through the growth process.
After some early noise, most fans and media let Alexander’s wording slide. Then, Thursday morning, fellow cornerback Rasul Douglas dropped the hammer. Has the message in the locker room been that the defense must compensate for the offense’s youth with their play? “No,” Douglas said, “Because they’re not young. And if they are, they gotta grow up. It ain’t no such thing as being young. You had, what, five games? That’s enough.”
In his few short years, Douglas has gotten his fair share of the Packers experience of early domination and inevitable playoff collapse. But he has made himself clear that he expects to win. He went on to say that “we haven’t felt victory in awhile and I’m tired of coming in here and everybody is sad and just look down. We just got to do whatever it takes to win.”
It’s been easy for most Packers reporters and diehards to chalk this season up as transitional and start adopting the long-term view that Brian Gutekunst’s approach has set in motion. But, in demanding more from his teammates, Douglas is letting everyone know that he expects to win, and he expects to win with this team. Given the timing of his comments, he also recognizes that this is probably the week where the tables need to turn. Five weeks of mistakes, a lack of physicality, and overall just bad football. That’s all they get. It’s time to turn the page.
The defense is far from innocent in the sequence of events that has led to a losing record through five games. Arthur Smith’s physical rushing attack dominated them in Week 2. The Lions absolutely shredded them in Week 4, and they surrendered a key first down to Davante Adams to close out Week 5. I mention Adams’ touchdown because Preston Smith was in man coverage. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry took responsibility for the call that allowed that atrocity to take place. Still, it was yet another indicator that all of the potential on the defensive side of this roster is far safer in the hands of new leadership.
The future upside is clear on the offensive side of the ball. Christian Watson’s downfield speed, Romeo Doubs’ contested-catch ability, Jayden Reed’s elusiveness out of the slot, and Luke Musgrave’s insane physical profile have made it more than clear that the Packers have a young core in place that can grow and develop alongside Love. Not to mention that Aaron Jones, who has basically been out since Week 1’s seismic victory in Chicago, is the offense’s dynamic focal point. It’s hard to understate the impact of having him back, which ideally will be Sunday.
After Alexander delicately clarified his comments, Douglas made sure that the defense sent a clear message. It has truth to it, it’s brazen, yet it doesn’t reek of the same toxicity that has brewed in locker rooms like the New York Jets’ over the past couple of years. Rather, what he said shows that he hasn’t given up on this season despite how bad the losses have been. A loss in Denver would top them all, no matter the final score. Douglas expects to win, and so should everybody else. It’s aggressive leadership, but it’s leadership. And that’s what the Packers need right now. Hopefully, it brings results.
