Packers Continue to Make Same Mistakes, Show Little Growth

We all knew the 2023 NFL season would be a trying one for the Green Bay Packers, but we didn’t think it would be this bad.

Green Bay dropped their fourth straight game when they fell 24-10 to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. They haven’t won in over a month and are playing uninspiring football, committing the same mistakes over and over again.

It’s a rough time when their defense looks like the most competent unit the Packers have. They’ve held teams to manageable scores over the last three weeks, giving up an average of 20 points a game. However, they don’t look good doing it.

Halfway through the season, the Green Bay Packers continue to make the same mistakes week after week and are showing little growth.

The Packers continue to play the softest of coverages. The Vikings converted 11 third or fourth downs against them on Sunday, including a whopping eight of those coming on third-and-8 or longer. That’s supposed to be a favorable down for the defense, but Minnesota made it look easy when the Packers’ defensive backs were playing 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and backpedaling from the snap.

This has been a theme under defensive coordinator Joe Barry since he took over and has never changed. Matt LaFleur has expressed frustration about this in the past, but he’s been unable to get his conservative defensive coordinator to play more aggressively.

Although LaFleur has issues to sort out with his coaches, the offense has the most significant issues.

After putting up just three points in the first half, they haven’t scored a first-half touchdown since Week 2. They also haven’t scored more than 20 points since their Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

The mistakes are everywhere. The offensive line completely whiffs on far too many blocks in both the passing and run games. Jordan Love isn’t always accurate with the football. And his receivers drop too many passes or run the wrong routes entirely.

Then there are the penalties. Green Bay was flagged 11 times for 99 yards on Sunday. They are the most penalized team in the NFL, and many are insurmountable for the lackluster offense.

The same mistakes continue to happen week after week without any signs of growth. That’s the most frustrating aspect. We knew this season was going to be challenging, but we were at least hoping for some flashes of brilliance.

Love is going backward. He’s on track for about 3,626 yards, 26 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a 57.7 percent completion percentage. Christian Watson only has 11 receptions for 176 yards in four games this season. The entire offensive line has struggled.

The worst news is their schedule isn’t going to get any easier. They play the Los Angeles Rams next week, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs. The first part of their schedule was supposed to be the easy part. Now, they will get into a difficult stretch.

There’s still a little over half the season remaining, and it’s essential for Green Bay to begin stacking successes. They don’t have to be perfect, but signs of growth would be welcomed with open arms.