As I began writing this article, the Green Bay Packers went offside again.
Green Bay’s defense ranks in the bottom 10 for pass-rush win rate and lacks depth at cornerback. However, Jeff Hafley’s unit’s most frustrating problem is its recurring inability to stay onside.
As expected, Green Bay’s defensive line is adjusting to new techniques in a new scheme. The already thin cornerback room became an issue when Jaire Alexander missed time. Still, there’s no excuse for the constant offside penalties.
Matt LaFleur addressed the issue after Thursday night’s Thanksgiving win against the Miami Dolphins. “It’s really annoying. I guess we’ve got to drill it more,” he said. “We’ve got to start checking with the officials. It’s becoming a problem, and it’s going to kill us.”
The Packers lead the NFL with eight offside penalties and have committed at least one offside, encroachment, or neutral zone infraction in five of their last six games.
Against the Dolphins, they were flagged four times for offsides, neutral zone infractions, and encroachment. Rashan Gary’s neutral zone infraction nullified a sack he and Kingsley Enagbare combined on against Tua Tagovailoa.
Jeff Hafley’s unit forced the Dolphins into a fourth-and-nine on Green Bay’s side of the field. Miami lined up for a field goal, but the Packers jumped offside. The Dolphins took advantage, converted the fourth down, and extended the drive. Fortunately, Green Bay held them to three points, but that kind of mistake could have been costly against a playoff-caliber team.
During his Monday press conference, Hafley addressed the offside issues when asked about timing snap counts and coaching points.
It’s infuriating. You want to talk about giving away free yards and free plays? Do you know how hard it is to stop someone on third and fourth down? Last week, we had two red-zone stops. We stopped them, and they lined up for a field goal, but we jumped offside. They went for it, and we had to stop them again.
If you look back at the Lions game, we had a four-point swing. We stopped them, then jumped offside, and gave them another chance. That can’t happen. Pre-snap and post-snap penalties are inexcusable. You’re just giving away free yards and free plays. It’s not okay, it’s being addressed, and we have to fix it.
The defensive line isn’t trying to time the snap every play. Most of Green Bay’s penalties came after the play, meaning they didn’t jump early but instead lined up incorrectly across the line of scrimmage.
If the defensive line frequently tried to time the snap, those penalties would be more understandable, though still not excusable. However, it seems Green Bay is struggling with awareness.
When they get into their stance, they need to know which hash mark the football is on, which should be an easy fix. We’re three months into the season, and it’s concerning that they haven’t fixed this issue yet. At this point, I might as well start betting on the over for Green Bay jumping offsides every week.
The Packers head to Detroit to face the Lions on Thursday Night Football, followed by a road matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams lead their divisions, and Green Bay will pay the price if they continue making these silly mistakes.
