Packers have a brand new problem despite huge win over Saints
The Green Bay Packers have been one of the least-penalized teams in the NFL ever since Matt LaFleur became head coach in 2019, but that has completely changed in 2023.And it almost cost them a chance at moving to 2-1 on the season. Fortunately, Jordan Love put on his cape and was able to will […]
The Green Bay Packers have been one of the least-penalized teams in the NFL ever since Matt LaFleur became head coach in 2019, but that has completely changed in 2023.
And it almost cost them a chance at moving to 2-1 on the season. Fortunately, Jordan Love put on his cape and was able to will the Packers to victory over the New Orleans Saints.
It's a brand new issue for LaFleur and co. The team has never averaged more than 6.11 penalties per game and have never ranked worse than 21st out of 32 teams. The Packers are the youngest team in the NFL, but they still can't be as bad as they've been these first few weeks.
| Year | Penalties per game | Rank (out of 32) |
|---|---|---|
2019 | 6.11 | 25th |
2020 | 5.06 | 26th |
2021 | 4.11 | 32nd |
2022 | 5.24 | t-21st |
2023 | 8.00 | t-4th |
nflpenalties.com
Just take a look at the penalties that either made the Packers' lives that much harder:
- 1st and 10 run by A.J. Dillon that gained five yards erased by hold that turned a 2nd and 5 into 1st and 20.
- False start on the very next play that led to 1st and 25 – the Packers screwed up the subsequent fourth down conversion attempt and it led to the Saints' 7-0 lead.
- Kenny Clark also committed a personal foul on the first play of that touchdown drive.
- False start on later 3rd and 5 creates a 3rd and 10. Jordan Love's pass is deflected at the line of scrimmage and it leads to a punt.
- Emanuel Wilson later ran for a first down on a 2nd and 5 but Jayden Reed's holding penalty turns the first down into a 2nd and 15 and the Packers couldn't convert the resulting 3rd and 15. Rashid Shaheed returned the ensuing punt for a touchdown to put the Saints up, 14-0.
- An illegal formation call on the Packers' final drive of the first half turned a 3rd and 5 into a 3rd and 10. Love was sacked and it took the Packers out of field goal range.
All of the above was just the first half of the game. It put the Packers in a 17-0 hole that they almost couldn't climb out of, as well. That simply can't happen.
It didn't get any better in the second half, either. In fact, the Packers' first drive of the second half ended in a turnover because a false start on 3rd and 9 turned it into a 3rd and 14. The Saints knew it was an obvious passing down, so they had plenty of guys in place to force Love's first interception of the season.
"We had a lot of mistakes offensively and there was a lot of penalties that put us in some, some bad situations," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game.
The Packers ended up with 11 penalties that cost them 90-yards, ultimately. The team can't expect to win on a consistent basis if this keeps up. It's simply unsustainable and the team will have to rely on breaks like Derek Carr leaving the game early and the Saints defense committing back-to-back defensive pass interference penalties on the Packers' first touchdown drive.
Right now, the Packers have 27 penalties on the season, (the above table was coming into Week 3) which led the NFL until the Carolina Panthers committed enough infractions to push their total to 28 during their 4:05pm ET kick.
If they don't fix this, now, then wins like Week 3 will come by way of luck rather than earned.
Featured image via Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
