5 Disappointments From Packers' Narrow Week 5 Win

4. Third Down Conversions

The Packers’ offensive struggles on third down were a glaring issue in Week 5, encapsulating the larger problem of inconsistency.

It wasn’t just that Green Bay struggled to string together meaningful drives—it was the fact that they consistently stalled in crucial moments, going just one-for-eight on third down conversions. That’s a brutal 12.5 percent success rate.

Even more telling was that the Packers didn’t convert a single third down until the fourth quarter, and by then, they were already in a dogfight with a Rams team they should’ve put away. Six of their ten possessions ended in three plays or fewer, mirroring an alarming trend from last week. When you can’t extend drives, it becomes impossible to build any sort of offensive rhythm, and that’s exactly what happened in this game.

To make matters worse, the offense’s inability to sustain drives kept putting the defense in tough spots. The special teams didn’t help either, as punter Daniel Whelan was off his game, forcing the defense to defend short fields. Fortunately, Green Bay’s defense held its ground, but this is not a sustainable formula for success.

Third down conversions are often the difference between keeping momentum or letting it slip away, and for the Packers, it was the latter on Sunday. They can’t keep putting themselves in these situations and expect to win. If Green Bay wants to compete with the top teams and avoid letdowns, they’ll need to improve their situational execution—and it starts with being better on third down.