The Green Bay Packers ability – or should I say, inability – to play complementary football came back to bite them in the rear last Sunday against the Panthers. For them to win on Monday against the Eagles, they’ll need to turn that around, and quick too.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles (6-2) are one of the best teams in the NFL. For Green Bay to compete, they’ll need all hands on deck. Offense, defense, and yes, even special teams have to show up in this one. If even one aspect of this Packers team fails, then Monday night could be a very long night.
Packers Defensive Struggles?
Let’s take a look at the defense. The defense has been the bright spot for most of this year. The pass rush with Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary have been relentless. Parsons has six and half sacks through eight games while Gary has seven and half. According to PFF, Rashan Gary has 29 pressures and Micah Parsons has 43 pressures.
The problem is that the pass rush from either one of those two didn’t show up at all against the Panthers. Both Parsons and Gary seemingly disappeared. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the defense played well enough to win. They held the Panthers to sixteen points. But when the team needed the pass rush to win, to get the win, on the final drive, it didn’t show up.
To beat the Eagles, Gary and Parsons need to be their respective pro-bowl and all-pro players all the time. Not just some of the time. A more consistent pressure rate will allow the Packers defense to get off the field more often and force some turnovers from the opposing team. The one area that the Green Bay defense has been lacking has been in the turnover department.
The Offense
Of course, this leads me to the offense, which has probably been the most inconsistent aspect of this team. Against the Panthers, the Packers didn’t punt once! This is usually a good thing, however, they were horrible in the red zone. The Packers offense was able to make it to the red zone five times but were only able to score one touchdown out of the five attempts. The Panthers game would have looked so much different only if they were able to score a touchdown all five times in the red zone.
Being able to move the ball down the field is one thing, being able to capitalize and score is a completely different thing. Jordan Love has played very well this year. Love is on pace for throwing 4400 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions for the year. Which is a great season! The problem is, based on how he has been playing, he should have more opportunities to improve those numbers.
Let Love Cook
What I mean is that coach Matt LaFleur needs to allow Love to let loose rather that hold his quarterback back. Example: the second to last red zone trip ended without a touchdown. LaFleur dialed up a play that didn’t allow for Love to make a play. It was a 3rd and 3 from the Panthers 8 yard line and a quick screen to Emmanuel Wilson was called, which was immediately blown up behind the line of scrimmage. This made it a fourth and 8. To top it all off, LaFleur chose to go for it instead of kicking the field goal. Green Bay did not convert.
This is the inconsistency and mismanagement that I’ve been referring to. Love needs to be allowed to play freely and be given more opportunities to excel. LaFleur needs to trust his quarterback.
The Packers Not-So-Special Special Teams
Finally, the Packers special teams has been consistent. Consistently bad. Even now, with McManus’s struggles, since his injury, Matt LaFleur is choosing to stick with McManus instead of going with Lucas Havrisik. The problem with bad special teams is that special teams has a direct positive and negative affect on a team’s defense and offense.
With a good return in the punt and kicking game, then the offense has a short field to work with leading to more scoring. With a good punt and kickoff that is covered well, then the defense has a better chance of getting a stop. It’s just probability at that point. A made field goal means point scored. But a missed field goal means the opposing offense has a short field to work with.
Special teams matters. Having a good kicker matters. Having a good punter matters. Limiting special teams’ penalties matters. It a has a direct affect on the outcomes for the offense and defense. Special teams is like the glue for the rest of the team and the Green Bay special teams has been more like regular Elmer’s glue used in preschools than that of a strong super glue.
Many of the Packers losses can be directly attributed to a poor special teams and it has been that way for far too long. That was no different against the Panthers. Green Bay needs to find a way to improve their special teams or risk another playoff collapse.
But what do I know?
Eagles at Packers Prediction
Anyway, here is my prediction for Eagles at Packers: Packers 24 – Eagles 21
Chat-GPT’s prediction: Philly’s offensive stability and the advantage of coming off a bye gives them a narrow edge in a tight Monday-night spot; Green Bay’s pass rush keeps it close, but the Eagles make just enough plays late to escape with a one-possession win. Eagles 27 – Packers 24.
Either way and always,
Go Pack Go!
——————
Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
——————
The post Packers Need To Play a More Complete Brand of Football first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.