3 big problems for Packers after loss to Giants

In the words of the great Ken Ingalls, “The Packers are a 1-4 team walking around in a 3-2 team’s record.”

That might sound a bit harsh, but it’s closer to the truth than the Green Bay Packers being Super Bowl contenders. Green Bay has faced a cupcake of a schedule, including a few teams who were extremely injury-riddled. That hasn’t helped them feel any better about their team through five games.

They blew a 17-3 lead on Sunday and slept-walk through the second half in what became an embarrassing loss. Despite the Giants boasting an equally 3-1 record heading into the game, the Packers were supposed to be on a different level. That never materialized and it’s left Green Bay in need of some deep soul-searching.

As they look internally, here are three major problems they must address.

The Green Bay Packers must address several major problems after their embarrassing loss to the New York Giants.

Won’t commit to the run

The Packers have one of the best one-two punches at running back this season, but that hasn’t helped them commit to the run. Aaron Jones is averaging 6.8 yards per rushing attempt, but that doesn’t mean they’ll give him the rock. The Giants boasted a porous run defense, but that doesn’t mean the Packers would run the ball.

There were plenty of reasons for Green Bay to run the ball against New York. Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur (it’s unclear who is responsible for all the passing plays) decided it was better to air it out. They had twice as many pass attempts (39) as rushing attempts (20) despite averaging nearly the same amount of yards on each type of play. This refusal to stick with what works likely cost them a victory today and has given them trouble all year long.

Defensive coverages are too soft

With the Packers leading 10-0 and the first quarter winding down, the Giants faced a second-and-19 from their 43-yard-line. Jaire Alexander matched up with Marcus Johnson (who was just signed from the practice squad this week) on the outside, a matchup that should heavily favorite the Packers. However, the call was for Alexander to play 10 yards back and give Johnson plenty of space. Johnson caught the ball three yards past the line of scrimmage with Alexander still five yards away, made Alexander miss and picked up 12 on the play, getting them into field goal range at the 31-yard-line. That led directly to the Giants’ first points.

Alexander is the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Eric Stokes is a 2021 first-round pick. They paid Rasul Douglas a handsome amount to return as the third corner. Yet, Barry doesn’t aggressively employ any of them, instead, electing to sit them in conservative coverages and keep the ball in front of them. It’s maddening and backfires far too often.

Defensive talent isn’t living up to the hype

The flip side of the coin is that the Packers’ defensive players aren’t executing the scheme. The coverage is one thing, but the players aren’t executing it either. They constantly miscommunicate and give up easy plays that go for big yardage.

This defense has multiple first-round picks, a lot of free agent money and plenty of talent on paper. However, they’ve never put it all together on the field. As the season wears on, it’s becoming more and more apparent they were overrated this season.