Green Bay Packers: 8 Quick Observations from Disappointing Loss

After rewatching the game – yikes- here are eight quick observations from the Green Bay Packers’ disappointing loss to Minnesota.

A week after the Green Bay Packers bounced back with a win over the Houston Texans, for the second time in three weeks, we are left asking, where is the juice? A lackluster Packers team, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, was punched in the mouth by Mike Zimmer and the Minnesota Vikings.

Both offenses couldn’t be stopped during the first half, but it was the Viking defense that forced the first punt, and unfortunately, the Packer defense wasn’t able to do the same until it was too late. After a fast start, the Green Bay offense stalled as they fell behind and were forced to push the ball downfield on an incredibly windy day.

I’ve now had the opportunity to digest everything as well as rewatch the game, so as I do every Monday morning, here are my eight quick observations from Green Bay’s performance.

Same old run defense

Shame on me for thinking that maybe, just maybe, this unit was improving. Now, by no means had they been dominant, but they had been better, holding Houston to only 3.6 yards per carry as well as limiting explosive plays. But that all unraveled on Sunday.

Dalvin Cook totaled 163 yards on the ground with three touchdowns, and the worst part of all was that everyone knew what was coming. Yet he couldn’t be stopped. No one in the front seven was able to make any sort of play, and once again, the tackling was atrocious. With a quick turnaround and a date with San Francisco, Green Bay better figure out something and quickly, or we may see a repeat of the NFC Championship Game.

Tackling – yikes

I just said it, but I’ll say it again, the tackling was atrocious. Dalvin Cook fought through early contact and then seemed untouchable in the open field. Some weeks are worse than others – like this one – but tackling remains a constant issue for this Green Bay Packers defense, which is either the worst or very close to the worst when it comes to tackling.

WRs not named Davante Adams are quiet again

Davante Adams had another very good performance, but for the third week in a row, the rest of the receiver unit was pretty underwhelming. Against both Tampa Bay and Houston, receivers not named Adams combined for six receptions on 13 targets for 54 yards with a touchdown.

This week wasn’t much better. That same group caught four passes on six targets for 63 yards. And the two incompletions were huge drops by Equanimeous St. Brown. If we are looking for some silver linings, I will say that the receptions by Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Malik Taylor came at crucial moments in the game. But with that said, this unit largely remains ineffective.

The wind played a major role

The Green Bay Packers were and still are the better team, but the wind was a bit of an equalizer. Against a below-average and banged up Minnesota secondary, the Packer offense wasn’t able to exploit that weakness as effectively in the wind. And when they fell behind, it made moving the ball quickly with chunk plays all the more difficult.

No juice

I mentioned this in the beginning, but the Green Bay Packers played some uninspiring football, especially on defense. After the game both Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur mentioned the “lack of energy” that the team had and this is becoming a troubling trend in their losses.

Although the Packers haven’t loss many games during the LaFleur era, when they do, a lack of energy seems to be the scapegoat. So my big question is, why is there a lack of energy? And what has to change?

On top of that, as good as the Packers are with a lead, they are equally as bad playing from behind. As members of the Wisconsin Badger football program say, “bring your own juice.”

Tonyan and Sternberger Impress

While the Green Bay Packers’ receiving corps struggled to make plays – minus Davante Adams- the young tight ends were very good. The duo of Robert Tonyan and Jace Sternberger hauled in eight receptions on 11 targets for 125 yards and averaging 15.6 yards per catch. When Aaron Rodgers needed to make something happen, these two were often on the other end making a play.

Stagnant pass rush

It’s baffling how the Green Bay Packers’ pass rush went from being one of the best in the NFL to arguably the worst, without any real personnel change. Prior to this Week 8 matchup, the Packers had a pressure rate of only 17.4 percent, which ranked last in the NFL. Although Minnesota didn’t have to rely heavily on the passing game given how well they were running the ball, when Kirk Cousins did drop back, this defense wasn’t making him uncomfortable.

Za’Darius Smith is still coming away with sacks – his six are the third-most in the NFL – but he isn’t generating pressure with any sort of consistency. Meanwhile, Preston Smith has all but disappeared.

Penalties, penalties, penalties

Penalties were a big issue against Tampa Bay, and they were this week as well against Minnesota. Funny how that happens to be in each of Green Bay’s losses. Sure, there were some questionable calls by the referees, but they aren’t the reason the Packers lost. Playing uninspiring and sloppy football is the reason the Packers lost. And oh yeah, being called for nine penalties totaling 85 yards doesn’t help either.