The Packers acquired a star, and he is making everything work for them
It wasn't the cleanest or more beautiful performance by the Green Bay Packers, but superior talent prevailed. On Sunday, even with a terrible first half, the Packers got back on track after halftime and beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-19, improving to 3-2 in the regular season. It was the first win with Jordan Love […]
It wasn't the cleanest or more beautiful performance by the Green Bay Packers, but superior talent prevailed. On Sunday, even with a terrible first half, the Packers got back on track after halftime and beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-19, improving to 3-2 in the regular season. It was the first win with Jordan Love at quarterback this season.
X is keeping the defense on track
The defense hasn't been able to stop the opposing offenses without creating turnovers, and that’s a big problem. Happily for the Packers, they signed Xavier McKinney in free agency. In the first quarter, he had a huge pass breakup. In the third, he recovered a fumble forced by Kingsley Enagbare. Then, he did it again. McKinney got his fifth interception in five games, becoming the first NFL player since the merger to get an interception in each of his first five games with a team.
Through five weeks, it's already clear why the Packers were willing to sign McKinney to a huge free agency deal, and it's also clear that he is the most valuable player on the defense, even playing a non-premium position.
There were some other solid performances on the defense (Edgerrin Cooper, Evan Williams, Karl Brooks), but it’s fair to say that the situation would be much more concerning had the New York Giants decided to keep their own premier player.
Offensive inconsistency and explosion
The Packers are an explosive offense, and that's how they created their first touchdown of the game after a bomb from Jordan Love to Jayden Reed. And also the second one, when Tucker Kraft received from Love and created an absurd amount of yards after the catch to score a 66-yarder.
But on a down-to-down basis, it's been rough to watch. And both the good and bad start with Jordan Love.
Entering this week, the Packers offense was 26th in dropback success rate and 29th in overall success rate, which shows how the unit hasn't been consistent whatsoever.
It's just too many mistakes. Jordan Love with some bad throws or miscommunications with Dontayvion Wicks, some drops from Jayden Reed, penalties, questionable offensive line play.
The offense was more efficient after halftime, and got a solid drive leading to Kraft’s second touchdown of the day, but it still has a long way to go.
At the end of the game, the run blocking showed some signs of life, and Josh Jacobs had a pretty solid afternoon.
Defensive front problems
The Packers had one of the worst defensive fronts applying pressure in the first month of the season. Head coach Matt LaFleur explained that the edges had been told to set the edge. Well, on Sunday, they didn't apply pressure, but didn’t set the edge either.
Even with a few backup offensive linemen and without their top two wide receivers to create reasons for concern, the Los Angeles Rams dominated upfront when they had the ball. The line gave quarterback Matthew Stafford time to throw and also opened lanes for Kyren Williams and Blake Corum to run.
Except for the Tennessee Titans game against one of the worst offensive lines in football, the Packers defensive front hasn't done much, and it's starting to get really concerning, because this type of defense is projected to depend on the front to be successful.
Stafford was under pressure only with a couple of Karl Brooks and Kenny Clark disruptions from the interior, or when Jeff Hafley decided to send extra bodies — Edgerrin Cooper had an important third-down sack in the second quarter, for instance.
One point where there is evolution. In the drive the Packers needed to make a stop, they did. A series of good plays from Eric Stokes and Karl Brooks helped them, and Evan Williams closed the game with a huge coverage on fourth down.
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