We all backslide sometimes, and the Green Bay Packers are no exception.
After a solid stretch of games from “Toyotathon” Jordan Love, the passing offense was a shadow of itself against the Minnesota Vikings because they fell back to old habits.
As had been the case for much of the early part of the season, drops, pre-snap penalties, and a lack of offensive creativity held the Packers back. While they showed some life down 27-10 in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t enough to overcome their stagnation throughout most of the game.
Love only completed 10 passes in the first half for 64 yards and averaged 3.55 yards per pass at one point. Drops were a major issue, and the offense did pick up, but it was an overall poor performance from Matt LaFleur’s offense.
The loss dropped Green Bay to the seventh seed, meaning they would likely face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in the Wild Card round. Multiple scenarios could change this, but regardless of where the Packers will travel, they must get right on offense. That means treating Week 18 like a pseudo-bye and resting their starters to prepare for playoff competition.
Green Bay’s offense is by no means bad; it’s one of the best in the league. The 2024 Packers are a good football team but haven’t been able to beat the NFC’s top teams. And, unfortunately, two of those top NFC teams are in their own division. Green Bay’s offense generally started slow in those games and mounted late-game comeback attempts that didn’t quite get over the finish line.
In the first half of the season, this was a common phenomenon. Pre-snap penalties, receivers dropping the ball, and a lack of red-zone success kept the Packers from fully realizing their potential.
That changed after the bye week when Green Bay started playing more efficient, disciplined football. Better Josh Jacobs usage fixed their inability to score in the red zone, and the Packers leaned on their bell-cow back.
However, those problems haunted the offense again in U.S. Bank Stadium.
A promising early drive ended with a fumble. Jayden Reed couldn’t hang onto multiple balls he should have. A 12-men-in-the-huddle offensive penalty was the cherry on top of multiple penalties and protection issues. The Packers couldn’t rely on Jacobs to literally carry them to victory. It was one of the poorest big-game performances from LaFleur’s group.
As always, LaFleur was accountable, blaming himself and the coaching staff for the penalties.
“That’s the first time that’s happened in a real long time in my time here,” LaFleur said on the 12-men call, “and that can’t happen because that’s a critical penalty.”
Love also took accountability, but even he was publicly frustrated with his receivers. “It’s one-on-one coverages, so guys just got to go win,” Love said. “We didn’t do a good enough job of that.”
That’s a mild comment compared to the Rodgers days. Love also admitted that he wasn’t blameless, but it’s a rare barbed comment from Love.
LaFleur attributed the slow start to not expecting Brian Flores to play so much man coverage. With Christian Watson unavailable and Luke Musgrave coming back from injury, they couldn’t use their best man-beaters. Still, the Packers must find a way to pivot better. They’ll face strong defenses in the playoffs that they won’t be able to roll over.
While it’s tempting to try to get things right against a 4-12 Chicago Bears team, it’s ultimately not worth it. The Packers have consistently proven they can beat bad football teams and won’t face any in the postseason.
Matt LaFleur has never lost to the Bears, and it would be embarrassing to enter the playoffs 1-5 in the division. But it’s probably more valuable to rest the starters and do some self-scouting like they would during the bye week. The Packers looked like a different team after their bye, and it’s worth taking the time to reevaluate what works and what doesn’t while they have time.
The Packers are best when they start fast, and I’m a huge fan of LaFleur choosing to receive the ball first. Green Bay needs to help Love get into a rhythm earlier to get off to that hot start. Love tends to heat up as the game goes on, and getting him going with quick, easy throws can help accelerate. The Packers also must find a way to add more play action to the mix, with the team having a surprisingly low usage of one of its staples despite their excellent run game. The receivers could also use some extra time with the JUGS machine.
It’s always a conundrum deciding whether to play starters in Week 18 when the game doesn’t matter. Play your starters, and you risk injury in a meaningless game. Rest them, and you risk losing momentum. But after a humbling Week 17 loss, the Packers need to focus on the postseason.
This game could be a turning point for an offense that has yet to prove its ability to finish the job against challenging opponents. The offense has been excellent but has yet to reach its ceiling, and some self-scouting can help it do so. And wouldn’t it just be rich if LaFleur still beats the Bears with Malik Willis starting?
