Best and Worst Performances from Packers Disappointing Loss to Giants
By Paul Bretl
As Matt LaFleur said following the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the New York Giants in London, that was as disappointing as it gets.
"“Obviously, this is as disappointing as it gets for us,” LaFleur said via Packers Wire. “Give New York all the credit. They out-coached us, out-played us, they definitely wanted it more. It was the tale of two halves.”"
Green Bay controlled the game for much of the first half, leading by two scores for most of it. However, the offense went cold, and the defense couldn’t get a stop the rest of the way.
While it was certainly a frustrating second half of football to watch, there was some good from the Packers on Sunday. Here is a look at the best and worst performances that took place.
Green Bay Packers Best Performances
Aaron Rodgers’ quick passing game
Rodgers and the Packers’ offense leaned heavily on the quick passing game in the first half and moved the ball well. Rodgers got the ball out in an average time of 2.09-seconds, the fastest rate by a quarterback in a half since 2020, according to Next Gen Stats, and completed 18 of 24 passes for 147 yards with two touchdowns.
Randall Cobb
After Aaron Rodgers said that Cobb needed more opportunities, he played 40 snaps and had 11 targets on Sunday–both season highs. Cobb remained efficient, however, catching seven passes for 99 yards at 14.1 yards per catch per PFF ($$).
Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon
Both players found success on the ground, particularly on the wide zone runs where they could get outside the tackle box. Jones averaged 4.8 yards per rush on 13 carries, and Dillon 5.7 yards on six attempts. Jones would force two missed tackles, and both players had a run of 10-plus yards.
David Bakhtiari, Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, and Elgton Jenkins
No question about it, the Packers’ offensive line was aided by the quick passing game, but the players listed above combined to allow just three pressures on Sunday, with no player allowing more than one against a blitz-heavy Giants defense that ranks ninth in pressure rate. And as already mentioned, Jones and Dillon found success on the ground as well.
Packers defensive front
Saquon Barkley was able to rip off a 40-yard run, but otherwise, the Packers’ defensive front did a good job of bottling him up–allowing just 30 total yards on his other 12 attempts. Slowing Barkley the entire game was never likely, but he didn’t dominate on the ground either. The pass rush, meanwhile, totaled 16 pressures, led by Preston Smith’s four and Rashan Gary’s three.
The Green Bay Packers’ Worst Performances
Aaron Rodgers’ deep ball
Rodgers’ deep ball opportunities on Sunday came at the expense of the run and quick passing games. Rodgers finished the game 0-6 on passes of 20-plus yards, his most attempts in a game without a completion since 2016. Several of these opportunities felt extremely forced.
Royce Newman
If you didn’t notice, Newman was the one offensive lineman that I left out above. While the offensive line as a whole allowed just seven pressures, Newman accounted for four of them, including a few instances where he was pushed into the backfield.
Eric Stokes
It hasn’t been the best start to the season for Eric Stokes, and that continued on Sunday. He was targeted five times and allowed five completions at 14.0 yards per catch.
Rasul Douglas
Three penalties on one player just can’t happen. Douglas was called for two defensive holds and a personnel foul penalty. One of the holding penalties negated a sack, and the unsportsmanlike conduct took New York from third and goal at the four to first and goal at the two.
Darnell Savage
Savage had a missed tackle on Barkley that resulted in him picking up an additional 21 yards on a catch and run. Savage then couldn’t get off his block on Barkley’s 40-yard run, and a short while later, he allowed a completion for 15 yards on third-and-13. The Giants also missed a huge opportunity over the middle on a pass that was behind Darius Slayton as Savage trailed in coverage.
Crossing routes
Mike Renner of PFF would tweet that the Packers have allowed the second-fewest passing yards in the NFL this season but “by far” the most yards on crossing routes. Joe Barry could help this by not playing such soft zone coverages, but the players have to be better as well, and there still seems to be miscommunications taking place at times. These breakdowns in coverage against crossers don’t only fall on the shoulders of the cornerbacks, but the linebacker and safety play hasn’t been that good either.
Matt LaFleur and Joe Barry
The players have to execute much better, but they also have to be put in better positions to succeed. The defense’s inability to adjust mid-game is head-scratching. The Giants were moving the ball via crossers all game, yet the defense continued to sit back in zone. LaFleur, meanwhile, once again got away from his running backs, with Jones and Dillon combining for just 19 touches despite averaging over 5.0 yards per rush as a duo. The quick passing game, which had worked so well in the first half, disappeared as well in the third and fourth quarters.