Packers' win over Chargers comes with a caveat that can't be ignored
The Green Bay Packers (4-6) came away with a big win over the Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) on Sunday and there were plenty of good things to take away from the game.However, it's hard to ignore the fact that the Packers were beneficiaries of some major Chargers mistakes that played a big role in the […]
The Green Bay Packers (4-6) came away with a big win over the Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) on Sunday and there were plenty of good things to take away from the game.
However, it's hard to ignore the fact that the Packers were beneficiaries of some major Chargers mistakes that played a big role in the win.
No one is saying the Packers shouldn't have won this game. They made plenty of plays to win the game and it was even more impressive that the offense only had running back available for over half the matchup.
But at the same time, one can certainly say the Chargers made plenty of plays to lose the game and those ultimately outweigh the Packers' good.
It's a fair argument to make and in order to provide a take, yes, the mistakes did outweigh the Packers' efforts.
- Donald Parham's wide-open drop on 4th and 4 that would've had the Chargers in field goal range
- Keenan Allen's drop on 3rd and 5 at the Packer 7 that would've been a catch-and-run touchdown
- Austin Ekeler's fumble at the goal line – even if it was a very good play to punch the ball out
- Keenan Allen's wide-open drop in the end zone on 3rd and 7 that took a guaranteed four points off the board
- Austin Ekeler slipping on a wide-open 2nd down pass – Justin Herbert was sacked on the subsequent 3rd and 10
- Quentin Johnston's dropped pass on 3rd and 5 on the final drive that would've moved the Chargers into Packer territory
Yes, the Packers made mistakes. They missed a field goal and an extra point and there were your missed blocks, their own drops, missed tackles, and whatnot. But they didn't make mistakes of the above variety nor severity.
Totaling the above, the Chargers threw away at least 18 points. They lost by three.
I'm not trying to be a downer, or anything. And again, I'm not trying to take anything away from the Packers, because you can see they are improving. There's been tangible growth over the last couple of weeks that should certainly be monitored over these last several weeks.
It's a lot like the win over the New Orleans Saints back in Week 3: Penalties were a major issue in that game and it was clear the team wouldn't be able to consistently win making those mistakes. That became more than true over the next several weeks as a lot of really bad errors held the team back.
This time around, it's more the other team handing the game off and shooting themselves in the foot. The Packers can't count on that to happen each week. Hoping the other team makes more mistakes will keep a team in the cellar for as long as that mindset exists.
There's so much to build off from this win, especially the final game-winning drive led by Jordan Love and capped off by Romeo Doubs. But at the same time, the Packers have to make sure they keep the hammer down and they keep trying to dictate the game and not the other way around.
