Green Bay Packers two-minute defense the worst in the NFL
By Paul Bretl
A lot of things have gone wrong for this Green Bay Packers team this season. However, the defense’s inability to keep points off the board in the final two minutes before halftime has to be one of the more frustrating aspects of this year.
For starters, as we are all well aware, this was supposed to be one of the better defenses in the NFL and the unit that was supposed to carry this Packers team, especially early on as the offense figured things out. But instead, the defense has given up 53 points in the final two minutes of the first half, as noted by Rob Demovsky, which, as I’m sure you guessed already, is the most in the NFL.
It began Week 1 with Minnesota scoring a touchdown in the final minute to make it 17-0. Not coincidentally, this didn’t happen during the Packers’ three-game win streak that followed, but things have really spiraled out of control since. The Giants would score a touchdown to cut Green Bay’s lead from 14 points to seven.
A few weeks later, Buffalo actually scored 10 points in the final two minutes, making the game 24-7 at half. This then started an active five-game stretch where the Packers’ defense has given up points before halftime. The Lions would take an 8-0 lead. Dallas would tie the game at 14. Tennessee would increase their lead to 14-6. And Philadelphia made it 27-20.
These are crucial moments of the game and very much momentum-killing for the Packers while also providing the opponent with some juice before halftime. The scores by Minnesota and Buffalo essentially put both of those games out of reach while there still may have been some hope. Instead of being tied or very close to it against Detroit, Tennessee, and Philadelphia, the Packers were down a touchdown-plus. Meanwhile, the Giants and Dallas were able to keep the games close.
For a Green Bay Packers offense that has struggled to move the ball and score on a regular base for much of the year, the defense giving up free touchdowns before half does them zero favors.
Outside of Aaron Rodgers throwing a pick-six before half against New England, this unfortunate stat isn’t a result of the offense putting the defense in bad situations. In most instances, opposing offenses are traveling 60-70 yards to score, and in a few instances, 80-plus yards.
Joe Barry has been criticized regularly this season for his soft coverages, but that gets taken to an extreme in these final two minutes. Not trying to give up the big and fast scoring play, the Packers protect against the deep ball, which provides a lot of room for the offense to operate. In theory, this approach from Barry makes sense, but giving up easy 20-yard completions makes it ineffective. It’s fine to play softer in these instances; just about every team does, but there still has to be some sense of urgency and challenging the play. However, that just isn’t the case for the Packers.
Like many of the issues on this Packers defense, this is one that has been present for a large portion of the season yet remains unfixed. And perhaps that is the biggest issue of them all–an inability to adjust when things aren’t going right.