Green Bay Packers best and worst performances from 3rd straight loss

The Green Bay Packers 2022 season is hanging on by a thread following another underwhelming performance and their third consecutive loss, this time to Washington.

Here is a closer look at the best and worst performances from another disappointing game.

The Packers’ best performances against Washington

Green Bay pass rush

The Packers were up against an offensive line that had allowed the eighth most pressures and the most sacks entering the game. Green Bay took advantage, pressuring Taylor Heinicke a whopping 29 times, according to PFF. However, Heinicke deserves a lot of credit as he was sacked just one time and delivered some impressive passes. Had the less mobile Carson Wentz been at quarterback, the defense probably comes away with a few more sacks.

Aaron Jones

Jones was bottled up in the run game, but he had the most receptions on the team, catching nine of his 10 targets for 53 yards and both offensive touchdowns. It was tough sledding on the ground, but the Packers need to find a way to get him more carries; he’s just too good to not have the ball in his hands.

Allen Lazard

The one other bright spot in the passing game was Allen Lazard, although he did still have a drop on third down of the opening possession. Before leaving the game with a shoulder injury, Lazard caught six of seven passes for 55 yards. After the game, Aaron Rodgers said that Lazard and Jones are the only two pass catches not making regular mental mistakes.

De’Vondre Campbell

Campbell has had a slow start to the season, but performed well on Sunday, logging 12 total tackles, no misses, three pressures, five stops, and, of course, the pick-six. While expectations shouldn’t be that Campbell is going to play at an All-Pro level again, this Packers’ defense does need him to be better.

Quay Walker

After some quiet weeks, Walker led the team in stops with seven against Washington. He was also a more reliable tackler, missing only one on 12 attempts while also logging a pass breakup. Last week, we saw Walker off the field on third-down passing situations, but the Packers kept him out there this week.

Rasul Douglas

Douglas was making plays on the football for much of the day on Sunday, recording three pass breakups after totaling only one during the first six games of the season. Truthfully, Douglas should have had at least one interception, but he allowed only 29 yards on three receptions while being targeted seven times.

The Packers’ worst performances against Washington

Receivers not named Allen Lazard

Other than the contributions from Jones and Lazard, the Packers’ passing game didn’t do much. Washington rushed only four and sat back in a cover-2 shell, which made it difficult for the Green Bay receivers to get open, and when they did, there were several drops, along with some incorrectly ran routes, as Rodgers would point out afterward. Sammy Watkins, Amari Rodgers, Samorit Toure, and Amari Rodgers combined for five catches for 54 yards, although 28 of those came on the final play of the game when Washington was playing prevent defense.

Amari Rodgers

Rodgers had the dropped pass downfield, but he also put another punt on the ground. This is the third fumbled punt Rodgers has had this season and the fifth in his short career. I’m not sure how the Packers can keep trotting him out at this point.

Third down offense

The Green Bay Packers went the entire game without converting a third or fourth down attempt without the assist of a Washington penalty. The Packers finished the day 0-for-7 in those situations, which also contributed to the Commanders running an extra 25 plays and holding the ball for 15 more minutes.

Jaire Alexander

It doesn’t feel right putting Jaire Alexander in this category, but Terry McLaurin got the best of him. Alexander allowed four completions on six targets for 67 yards. This included a 37-yard touchdown pass and a third-down conversion that effectively ended the game.

Run defense

Washington does boast an impressive trio of running backs, but once again, the Packers’ defense was run over. The Commanders averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 166 total yards. The Packers particularly struggled at setting the edge, something that has been an issue for them all season.

Eric Stokes

Whether you agree with the penalties or not, Stokes was still called for two of them. One that negated a scoop and score by Rasul Douglas and another that added on 15 yards to a Washington catch on the sidelines. He was also responsible for the Antonio Gibson touchdown in the back of the end zone.

Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur

There are a lot of issues on this Packers team, a number of which go beyond Rodgers and LaFleur, but at the end of the day, one is the head coach, and the other is the quarterback making $50 million per year. Both have to be better–from play calling to execution.