Ah, the Green Bay Packers’ special teams.
You were completely nondescript in the best way possible for a few weeks, maybe even months. After being the bane of Green Bay’s existence for eons, you started looking like a real, NFL-caliber group. My affection for Rich Bisaccia’s Italian charm was paying off.
And then the Packers lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and special teams spent most of the game as a familiar liability. Bisaccia’s group saved the day in the first matchup, with Karl Brooks‘ heavenly finger being the only thing to keep the Packers from going 0-6 in the division.
In their second matchup, special teams opened up with a hat trick of awful plays, starting with a penalty on the opening kickoff. A botched snap came next, and, finally, the crescendo of a tricky punt return TD that put Chicago up by seven despite them amassing something like negative five yards of offense.
It was a major regression for a unit that was finally finding some competence. Thankfully, the we-fense didn’t deteriorate much after that, and Brandon McManus almost saved that day with a late 55-yard field goal. But with playoffs on the horizon, it’s worth asking whether this bungled special teams performance was an isolated anomaly or an omen of things to come.
Since moving on from rookie kicker Brayden Narveson in favor of the veteran McManus, special teams had looked pretty solid. McManus sealed back-to-back games against the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans with game-winning field goals. Daniel Whelan looks like a consistent weapon, and a blocked field goal decided the first game against Chicago.
The league’s highest-paid special teams coordinator was finally turning things around. Green Bay’s third phase finished the season at a respectable 15th by DVOA, their highest since the Civil War (this might not be entirely factual).
Sunday’s performance looked more like the 2021 unit that cost the Packers a trip to the NFC Championship game.
The first blunder was a holding penalty against Chris Brooks on Bo Melton‘s opening return. Not ideal, especially for a team choosing to receive the ball and start hot, but nothing we haven’t seen before. If that’s the only error, you can live with it.
However, it didn’t take long for mistake No. 2 to appear. On Green Bay’s first punt, Matt Orzech snapped the ball way too high, almost putting it through Whelan’s hands. Thankfully, Whelan caught the ball and still managed to boot it 35 yards. Not great, but a good recovery from Whelan, who could show the receivers a thing or two about catching the ball.
The next punt went even worse, with Chicago pulling out some trickery against their hated rival. D.J. Moore lined up for the return, drawing in the eye to the right. However, the punt went to the left, where Josh Blackwell caught the ball and used a wall of blockers to take the ball to the house to make it 7-0 Chicago.
Sprinkle in six missed tackles, and it wasn’t a great day at the football store for Bisaccia’s group.
Special teams is an easy target of ridicule thanks to their long history of being not very good. Still, it’s not like they were the lone blemish on the day. Matt LaFleur’s offense also had a not-very-good outing. While Jeff Hafley’s defense played well most of the day, even they failed at situational football on Chicago’s final drive. This was a rough showing against a bad team. The loss will ideally galvanize the Packers to overcome it and play better football in the playoffs.
Despite the lack of momentum in the past two games, I’m still optimistic about this team. The Packers are talented and can hang with the class’ big boys.
But since at least the start of the Aaron Rodgers era, the Packers have found almost every possible way to lose in the playoffs, from getting their teeth kicked in to heartbreakingly narrow losses attributable to bad officiating and bad special teams plays. All the beer in Wisconsin couldn’t make Packers fans forget the botched onside kick against the Seattle Seahawks 10 years ago, and even a remotely competent special teams group could have left the 2021 divisional round with a win.
It’s worrying to see special teams regress right before the postseason. While those previous gaffes occurred under different regimes, it’s not like Bisaccia has done enough to earn complete trust. Last year’s unit was mediocre and cost the Packers a few opportunities, and they’ve only had about half a season of looking good.
Thankfully, Whelan looks like one of the best punters in the nation, and McManus has been a wizard since joining Green Bay, missing only one kick. The Packers have much more reliable specialists than they have in the past. And the group shouldn’t fall prey to the same return trickery twice.
Anyone who had the grace to read my work these past few years (sincerely, thank you for that) knows how much I want Bisaccia’s tenure to work out. I love his demeanor and leadership; he makes me want to run through a wall. It hasn’t translated into special teams greatness. But the group has been more good than bad lately.
Ideally, Sunday’s poor performance is a one-off backslide. Because if special teams becomes a liability again, it’ll be a short postseason run.
