Packers trio of rookie pass catchers generate big plays vs. Steelers
By Paul Bretl
Not to be forgotten about in what was another loss for the Green Bay Packers where they were unable to come up with a late score, but more progress was made by their trio of rookie pass catchers.
Jordan Love finished the day throwing for 289 yards at 7.2 yards per attempt. The combination of Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks would account for 199 of those total yards. Overall, the trio caught 10 of the 13 passes thrown their way and all provided explosive chunk plays for the offense.
Both of Musgrave’s receptions were for 20-plus yards, including a 36-yarder. Of Reed’s five catches, two were for 20 or more yards, with a long of 46. Wicks had three receptions on the day, highlighted by a long of 32-yards.
"“We had quite a few explosives this game,” Musgrave said via Packers News after the game. “AJ (Dillon) had a huge run. Keisean (Nixon) had a great kick return. And then J-Reed was just on fire. I don’t know if I’d put myself on that level but, yeah, it’s huge, those explosive plays, not only for the drive, but for the momentum and just kind of the energy of the team.”"
For much of the season, this Packers offense has struggled to generate chunk plays consistently—and in some games not at all. This is a hard way to live in today’s NFL. For one, it forces an already inconsistent offense to string together 10-plus play scoring drives, which is not easily repeatable. On top of that, if defenses don’t fear the deep ball, they shrink the field by playing closer to the line of scrimmage, making moving the ball on the ground, or over the middle or on short-area throws more challenging with less space to operate within.
Collectively as a group, this is the most well-rounded performance that the Packers have had from their rookie pass-catchers this season. But all have been building momentum in recent weeks—this isn’t a one-off performance. Reed leads the team in receiving yards on the year and has at least one reception of 30 or more yards in five of the Packers’ nine games this season. In the last four games alone, Reed has 207 receiving yards.
Musgrave now has four explosive plays in the last two games alone, while Wicks has become a go-to option for Love as of late in key situations with his ability to create separation.
"“He does a really good job with his releases off the line,” said Love when asked about Wicks’ recent play. “He’s able to create a lot of separation, and then the top of his routes. He’s a shifty guy that DBs just have a hard time sticking with. I think he just does a really good job with the routes. He understands concepts—the timing of them, and he’s been getting better every week. He’s a shifty guy, and like I said, it’s hard for DBs to cover him.”"
Coinciding with these pass catching performances are improved accuracy from Love on intermediate and downfield passes, along with the offensive line holding up much better in pass protection the last few weeks. The play upfront has given Love needed time to go through his reads without feeling rushed, leading to more decisive play from him, and that’s also afforded the pass catchers additional time to create some separation.
In addition to the obvious big play ability that each of these three players can continue to bring to the offense, their continued emergence can hopefully open up opportunities for Christian Watson. With so many unknowns and overall inconsistencies from this Packers passing game this season, Watson has garnered a lot of the attention from opposing defenses. This season, he has caught just 14 of the 33 passes thrown his way.
With the Packers suffering their third loss in the last five games by failing to convert on a late scoring opportunity, it’s clear that Love does not have a go-to option in the passing game at the moment. He’s tried to have Watson be that player for him through forcing the ball his way at times, even when that isn’t the best decision, as we saw on Love’s first interception against Pittsburgh. Of Love’s 10 interceptions this season, five have come when targeting Watson.
However, if Reed, Musgrave, and Wicks can continue to progress and build off of their most recent performances, when the Packers ultimately find themselves in another must-score situation, Love will hopefully have other options to go to with the ball, or perhaps Watson will be in a better position to make a play because all eyes won’t be on him.
"“Execute, that’s all it’s about,” Reed said. “I can go in there and just execute the game plan and do my part of one of 11, that just puts me in position to make plays.”"