I’m trying to prioritize what bugged me most about the Green Bay Packers’ home loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Was it the four turnovers? The complete lack of a pass rush? The incessant drops? The two missed field goals? The weekly parade of penalties? The head coach acting like a three-year-old? Jeff Hafley’s confounding game plan? So many choices.
I finally settled on the last one because the defense was on its heels from the start and allowed Sam Darnold and Co. to do as they pleased and take the crowd right out of the game. Seems to me, when you’re down two of your top three outside corners, you need to pivot. You need to get out of your comfort zone and send some extra rushers. Sure, you might get burned once or twice, but you also might get Darnold on the ground and force him to make a mistake or two.
Kudos to the Vikings front for keeping the Pack’s pass rushers at bay. Where was Rashan Gary and Co.? Were they still counting the eight sacks they racked up the previous week?
It felt like you knew what kind of afternoon it was going to be when the Vikes opened the game by marching down the field and scoring. The Pack responded by moving into the red zone so that Brayden Narveson could shank a 38-yard field goal. The Vikings took over and scored again, then picked off Jordan Love. Before you had time to crack open your second Spotted Cow, it was 21-0 and pretty much lights out.
We could all see Jordan Love was rusty and did not quite trust his knee in the first half. He wasn’t planting his front foot, which led to inaccurate passes and short drives.
Love was a different player in the second half, ending up with a career passing day, but that was all in frantic catch-up mode. Two of his three interceptions were squarely his fault, and his day could have been much different if his receivers could hang on to the football.
It looks like Christian Watson will miss multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain. His early exit spotlighted Dontayvion Wicks, who only caught five of his team-high 13 targets. He had a forgettable day that he will need to put quickly behind him, because Love will continue to lean on him in Watson’s absence. Devonte Wyatt is the other injury worry. He’s off to a great start but left the stadium in a walking boot and on crutches after suffering an ankle injury.
But the Packers accomplished one thing on Sunday: They didn’t let Aaron Jones score and do a Lambeau Leap (though I hear he did one after the game). However, they did allow him to punish them to the tune of 139 yards of offense. How triumphant do you think he felt leaving that field and heading into the locker room as the NFC’s last unbeaten team?
LaFleur’s tantrum in the closing seconds of the first half could have become a huge story following the game had Love not bailed him out with his best throw of the day, finally putting the Pack on the scoreboard to head into halftime with a modicum of momentum. It was the result of 90 minutes of frustration boiling over when the sideline official ignored his plea for a timeout, but had it cost his team a chance to score, who knows how ugly this game might have turned out. You just cannot lose it like that.
There are some positives to take away. The furious second-half comeback, including 22 unanswered points, had the Vikings squirming for a little while there. The defense stiffened, forcing a couple of punts and getting a couple of turnovers, allowing the Pack to claw back. And even with a one-dimensional offense, Love made some big plays that put the team just an onside kick recovery away from a chance at a stunning win. (What was that onside kick attempt by Daniel Whelan, anyway?)
A two-point loss has you thinking about what might have been. What if Narveson drills those two field goals early? How does that change the flow of the first half? He’s now missed field goals in three of the four games, and only a defensive penalty kept him from missing at least one in all four. The team has preached that it wants to be patient, but you have to believe that patience is waning. I don’t think it’s a sure thing he’ll be on the plane to LA.
It’s not time to panic, but this team has a lot to clean up: penalties, drops, pass rush, missed kicks, errant throws, sideline meltdowns – the list goes on and on. The Vikings planted their flag and showed that this is not a bridge year for them. They plan on contending. Now, the young Packers must show they’re up to the challenge.
