Green Bay Packers

Whelan & Dealin’ At Lambeau

Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers entered the season as the youngest team in the league. On Sunday, they acted their age.

From the pregame dust-up with Stefon Diggs to the mind-numbing punt return decisions to the costly, boneheaded penalties, the Packers continue to be their own worst enemy. Fortunately for them on this Sunday at Lambeau, they did just enough to overcome their mental mistakes.

The epic first showdown between C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love became an afterthought. Stroud delivered the worst performance of his career, and Love was up and down, throwing a brilliant touchdown pass one moment and a head-scratching interception the next.

But with the game on the line and less than two minutes to go, he cooked, relying on Romeo Doubs and Tucker Kraft as he marched the team into field goal range for a potential game-winning kick.

Despite an offense operating in neutral and special teams units that made some critical errors, the defense stood tall all afternoon. Three first-half turnovers could have meant lights out, but the defense held Houston to just 16 points despite two drives starting deep in the red zone.

Jeff Hafley and his unit took over in the second half, holding the Houston Texans to only three points. That’s becoming a recurring theme as this unit has been dynamite in the second half of games. Hafley dialed up the pressure early and often on Stroud, stunting and blitzing. He turned Xavier McKinney loose on a blitz that resulted in his first sack and watched Eric Wilson, in for an injured Quay Walker, make some key third-down stops. Wilson was fantastic, as was Rashan Gary (finally) and rookie Evan Williams, who led the team in tackles again.

The defense didn’t notch a takeaway for the first time this season, but this performance showed that it’s more than just a ball-hawking unit. Green Bay’s defense was excellent on third downs all day and held Stroud to under 100 yards passing; he looked uncomfortable all afternoon. The Packers kept the mercurial Diggs in check, and Tank Dell didn’t catch a pass all day.

Keisean Nixon is settling in as an outside corner with Eric Stokes removed from the picture, allowing rookies Williams and Javon Bullard to play full time. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gutey sniffs around for a veteran cornerback before the trade deadline to provide a little depth at such a crucial position.

If you ask me to award just one game ball, I’d give it to punter Daniel Whelan, whom Matt LaFleur bestowed one of the three he handed out after the game. Whelan’s five punts averaged 57 yards, and he kicked most of them from deep in Packers territory.

Those field-flipping punts were a big shot in the arm for the defense and made Stroud and Co. work to churn out enough yards to get their excellent kicker on the field. And then, on the game-winning field goal try, Whelan deftly handled a botched snap and got the ball placed perfectly for Brandon McManus to deliver the victory.

What a whirlwind week for McManus, who was home in Florida watching the NFL on the Red Zone Channel last Sunday, wondering if he’d ever play again. We can save the debate about whether McManus deserved another chance in the league for a different day. The Packers did their due diligence and were comfortable adding him to the roster. He paid immediate dividends and should give the Packers and their fans a greater sense of calm when he takes the field as the season marches on.

Now let’s talk about Love, who has thrown a league-leading eight interceptions despite missing two games. You want to irritate LaFleur? Invoke the name of Brett Favre when you discuss Love’s penchant for gunslinging. I always want a guy who thinks he can make every throw and who’s willing to take some chances to make a big play. Most of the greats threw a lot of interceptions in their second and third seasons as starters as they tried to figure things out.

Does Love need to learn from his mistakes? Of course, but I don’t expect this to be a season-long storyline. His three touchdown passes were all things of beauty, especially the first one, a laser to Kraft just beyond the outstretched fingers of a safety. It wasn’t Love’s best day, but give Demeco Ryans’ shorthanded defense some credit – they had a lot to do with it. With Love, the good always seems to outweigh the bad.

The winning streak is up to three since that debacle against the Minnesota Vikings in Love’s first game back, with a bit of a trap game looming in Jacksonville before the Detroit Lions come calling to Lambeau. There is definitely room for improvement, but when you can beat a one-loss team on a day you lose the turnover battle 3-0 — and on a day your punt return unit does you no favors — it provides hope that the sky may be the limit for this team.

Especially if they stop acting their age.

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