It is absolutely stunning to watch what has become of the Green Bay Packers’ offense. It seems like just a couple of weeks ago that Jordan Love and Co. exploded for four second-half touchdowns in Pittsburgh. Wait, was it actually just a couple of weeks ago? Feels like months.
What we witnessed on Monday night at Lambeau Field was a once-heralded offense that is now broken. Is it irrevocably broken? That remains to be seen. What is clear is that the offensive line is not a functioning unit right now, which is causing a lack of confidence in Matt LaFleur’s play-calling and Jordan Love’s execution.
I didn’t anticipate LaFleur being asked about his job security in mid-November of 2025, but it is a fair subject to broach at this point. I wouldn’t say his seat is hot, but it’s warming up. If the offense doesn’t improve, his tenure as the head man in Titletown might be shorter than we think. Remember, he and Gutey each have only one year left on their contracts, and new sheriff Ed Policy said he doesn’t want guys working in the last year of their deals. A decision will be made on both, one way or the other.
There are plenty of reasons to be alarmed by the state of the offense. Obviously, injuries have played a role. At the end of Monday night’s game, the team was without four of its top five pass catchers (Tucker Kraft, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed), and the offensive line has been banged up across the board for most of the season.
What’s alarming is that it doesn’t seem like LaFleur can pivot from his preferred game plan to one that better fits his personnel and situation. Too often, we see the offense disorganized and confused when it’s in hurry-up mode. The failure on the play of the game Monday night, the fourth-and-one, was the biggest indictment of LaFleur to date.
He chose to rush to the line of scrimmage, quickly snap and hand to Jacobs, and get a new set of downs. Unfortunately, that was the fourth time he had called that play in short-yardage situations, and the Philadelphia Eagles were ready for it. They called it out before the ball was snapped, for God’s sake.
There was no Plan B to call there; you have to take a timeout and give yourself a chance. Of course, there was an illegal formation penalty that would have pushed them back anyway. Not the first time they got flagged on fourth-and-one. That’s unacceptable and unbefitting of a supposed contender.
LaFleur insists on leaning on the run game, even when his underperforming line is getting manhandled like they were against Philadelphia’s talented front. He said after the game that he thought the running game was doing some good things. Jacobs averaged 3.5 yards per carry. There were very few holes for him to find.
Love will also not be spared some criticism. He was rushing things all night. There were several opportunities for big plays if he had waited a tick longer before scrambling out of the pocket. He’s clearly spooked by the lack of protection, particularly up the middle. This wasn’t the calm, cool Love we’ve seen so many times under the lights. He wasn’t helped by his receiving corps, which had at least three drops in big-time spots, none bigger than Bo Melton’s on fourth down with the Pack driving.
I’m not going to rip Melton here, who also was flagged for lining up illegally, negating a big catch by Christian Watson. The dude has been a cornerback all season, yet LaFleur chose to turn to him ahead of Malik Heath or any of the three young guys toiling on the practice squad. Seems like a lot to ask of Melton — another head-scratching decision by the head coach.
Six hundred words in and I haven’t mentioned Jeff Hafley’s defense yet. That’s a shame. They were fantastic. They were physical. They held the Eagles to under 300 yards and Saquon Barkley to 60 yards on 22 carries. They routinely got off the field on third down. Edgerrin Cooper’s punchout on Jalen Hurts abruptly ended Philly’s impressive opening drive. They deserved a better fate.
In the Pack’s three losses, the defense has given up 16 or fewer points in each game. The last time the team lost three times by so few points was 1978, the year I got my driver’s license. It’s so fun to watch this unit when they’re playing like this, and it’s so disappointing to see these kinds of efforts wasted. It looks like they’ll need to keep doing the heavy lifting for this team.
The latest injury setback is the loss of Elgton Jenkins, who fractured something. Ankle, leg, whatever it is, he’s likely done for the season in Green Bay. The team will save $20 million on the cap by moving on, so that’s a no-brainer. He’s been a great Packer, willing to move wherever they need him on the line. However, he was not a great center this season, and now Sean Rhyan will get a chance to audition for the job, one that doesn’t have a natural player-in-waiting on the roster.
Two midseason games at Lambeau in consecutive weeks and a total of 26 points scored by the Packers. In those two games, the Pack crossed midfield 12 times and scored a total of 20 points. That’s embarrassing.
It’s fork-in-the-road time. The Packers currently sit as the seventh seed with an 81% chance to make the playoffs. The 2010 champs were 6-6 through 12 games, and the offense was in a funk in midseason. It’s not over. But it’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel if the offensive line plays the way it has, and with the head coach and quarterback coaching and playing scared.
A trip to Met Life Stadium on a short week is the next assignment, facing a team that just fired its head coach and may have Russell Wilson under center. A win is obviously mandatory. Then come three straight division games, two at home, where we will find out whether the offense has found its mojo or whether Matt LaFleur should shed a couple layers because that seat is getting hot.
