Instant Takeaways from Green Bay Packers 4th consecutive loss
By Paul Bretl
Well, this game played out as expected. The Green Bay Packers were simply outmatched and outplayed by a much better team.
Here are the instant takeaways from the Green Bay Packers’ performance as they fall to 3-5 on the year.
-The Packers were without Elgton Jenkins and went with Zach Tom at left guard with Jon Runyan and Yosh Nijman on the right side like last week. In pass protection, the interior of this Packers’ offensive line got bullied. Also, Aaron Rodgers’ lack of mobility this season has been quite evident.
– Some good news, however, is that against a Bills defense that plays with light boxes, we saw the Packers lean on the run game, and not coincidentally, they found success–especially in space where Aaron Jones and this athletic offensive line are at its best. Now, let’s see them stick with this formula beyond just this week—this needs to be their identity.
– Aaron Jones looked so good tonight. There’s no reason he should be underutilized, as he has been moving forward.
– There are a lot of issues on this Packers team this season, but the struggling and constantly rotating offensive line unit has been a big reason why.
– To help the run game, we saw Josiah Deguara get more playing time in two tight-end sets. As I wrote earlier in the week, his usage had been down for some reason. He’s versatile and plays a key role in Matt LaFleur’s offense as the H-back.
– Moving the ball through the air was always going to be a challenge. The wide receiver position is dealing with several injuries, the Bills’ frequently play with seven in coverage, and the Green Bay offensive line play in pass protection hasn’t been good. The Packers have to find a way to get better at generating big passing plays. Trying to consistently put together long scoring drives isn’t a long-term solution.
– Speaking of big plays, great adjustment by Samori Toure on that touchdown grab during the scramble drill. That is how you gain Aaron Rodgers’ trust and earn more snaps. At this point there is no reason that the rookies don’t get more chances.
– Amari Rodgers was still returning punts. The coaching staff continues to speak highly of him.
– In the first half alone, the Packers ended up with three key players losing Christian Watson and De’Vondre Campbell to injury while Quay Walker was ejected.
– I thought we would see Jaire Alexander following around Stefon Diggs, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, we saw Diggs with two big plays on Rasul Douglas. After Alexander followed Garrett Mitchell and Terry McLaurin the last two weeks, I’m not sure why Joe Barry switched things up this week–he appeared to be spending a lot of time on Gabe Davis.
– I imagine Barry will once again take a lot of heat this week, and understandably so, but at some point, the players have to perform better. Eric Stokes was benched at one point and has struggled all season, and Green Bay didn’t generate much pressure. Darnell Savage has not been good at safety, and as a team, missed tackles have been a major issue, among other things. Coaching, and the lack of in game adjustments, have been a problem, but so has the on-the-field play.
– It might be time to explore Rudy Ford taking snaps over Savage. A few weeks ago, Barry talked about how they trusted him; well, it might be time for a change because Savage is having a tough time.
– This was a Bills’ offense that averaged 41 pass attempts per game and ranked 20th in rush attempts, yet they ran more often against the Packers, knowing that was their biggest weakness on defense.
– Josh Allen’s mobility was a big problem for the Packers–which wasn’t surprising given their issues with tackling.
– Another week and another hefty dose of penalties for the Packers–although there were some questionable ones called on Green Bay.
– This game played out as expected. The same mistakes that we’ve seen made by the Packers all season were prevalent, but this time it was against one of the NFL’s best.
– There’s no reason to make a trade for a receiver. Would it help? Sure. Would it make a large enough difference to turn this season around without other things taking place? Not at all.