Green Bay Packers: 3 Matchups to Watch in Week 14

Packers Special Teams vs. Jamal Agnew

Let’s face it, the Green Bay Packers punt coverage this year has been bad. There have been four punt return touchdowns this season, and the Packers have given up half of them, including the longest of the season, 91 yards to Keelan Cole. Against the Jaguars, they all failed to stay in their lanes and gave Cole a straight shot to the end zone, and it was a similar story against Jalen Reagor and the Eagles.

This week, they face another dangerous returner in Jamal Agnew. Agnew burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2017, returning two punts for touchdowns and leading the NFL in punt return yards, touchdowns, and yards per return at 15.4, making the All-Pro team. Over his four seasons as a returner, he’s taken back three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns and is always a big-play threat.

For years, Green Bay’s special teams units have been terrorized by the likes of Devin Hester and Cordarelle Patterson while having a very weak return game of their own. Dynamic players like Randall Cobb and Jaire Alexander quickly became too valuable at their primary position to risk injury as a returner. Now, they have Tavon Austin, who has one of the most impressive return man resumes in the league. Hopefully, we’ll see not just a turnaround in stopping returns but a counterattack as well.

In both games that the Packers have given up a touchdown, they’ve managed to win, but it’s been against inferior teams, and it has kept those games too close for comfort. Special Teams, as the third phase of the game, really can affect outcomes, and they need to clean it up before a tougher opponent punishes them for it in the playoffs.