After rewatching Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, here are five six things worth knowing:
1) It was a tale of two tackles on Sunday. On the right side, Elgton Jenkins looked more like his old self after four rough outings. The former Mississippi State star, who held up very well when lined up against talented rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeau, looked to be moving more fluidly on his surgically repaired left knee. David Bakhtiari didn’t fare quite as well on the other side. The five-time All-Pro was adequate in protection, but he was inconsistent adjusting at the second level in the run game and fell off some blocks. Bakhtiari (25 snaps) alternated series with Yosh Nijman (38 snaps), who played well.
2) While Romeo Doubs was relatively quiet in the passing game (three catches for 29 yards), the rookie made a lot of noise as a blocker. At 6-foot-2 and barely over 204 pounds, the fourth-round pick from Nevada is far from the biggest wide receiver in the league, but he’s one tough dude. Doubs punished a few cornerbacks down the field, and he was a physical, pestering presence against much bigger players at the line of scrimmage. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers had to appreciate the effort. Maybe he’ll reward Doubs with more than five targets next Sunday vs. the Jets.
3) Randall Cobb played a season-high 40 snaps against the Giants and caught seven passes for 99 yards. It was one of the former Kentucky star’s most productive games in years. Cobb, who probably runs in the 4.6s at the age of 32, used his savvy to beat nickel cornerback Darnay Holmes a handful of times. Rodgers literally forced GM Brian Gutekunst to trade for Cobb in July 2021; fifteen months later, he’s arguably the team’s best wide receiver. That’s as surprising as it is troubling.
4) T.J. Slaton played a season-high 25 snaps in what might’ve been the finest game of his young career. The massive defensive lineman was a big reason why running back Saquon Barkley – aside from one long run out of a wildcard formation – was held to 30 yards on his other 12 carries. Slaton destroyed veteran center Jon Feliciano on a couple of plays. The former Florida star, who’s not known as a pass rusher, also hurried quarterback Daniel Jones on a couple of occasions. He still plays too tall at times and gets overwhelmed by double teams, but those instances are down from a year ago.
In the top video, Slaton (#93) provides a textbook example of how to play nose tackle as he gets through 700 pounds of offensive linemen to tackle Barkley for a 1-yard gain. In the above video, Slaton keeps battling and eventually forces the quarterback into the waiting arms of Jarran Reed.
5) Quay Walker is an outstanding athlete with a bright future, but right now, he’s not a very good inside linebacker. The former Georgia star really struggled on Sunday. He got engulfed by bigger blockers and took questionable angles to the ball. Once physical veteran Krys Barnes is recovered from his ankle injury, the defense would probably benefit from his presence on early downs. That would allow Walker to be employed in a more multi-dimensional role. The still raw 22-year-old could line up over the tight end, blitz up the middle, or even be used to rush off the edge in obvious passing situations.
6) Just three days after signing with the Packers, veteran linebacker Eric Wilson played 12 snaps on special teams. The former Viking and Eagles didn’t make a tackle, but he was close to the returner a couple of times. He’s going to help an already much-improved unit. Other standouts on Sunday were outside linebacker Tipa Galeai and safety Rudy Ford. It’s amazing how much more disciplined the Packers are when it comes to covering kicks and punts. The gaping lanes that existed on a weekly last season are a distant memory. Through five games, coordinator Rich Bisaccia is earning his big salary.
OVERALL: A loss in October – even a really bad one – is no big deal. Shit happens. Besides, it’s far more important for a team to be playing its best football two months from now. But what makes Sunday’s game so concerning is how badly the Packers were out-coached. If defensive coordinator Joe Barry can’t figure out a way to slow down an offense as limited as the Giants, what’s going to happen against Philly, Dallas, a healthy Tampa Bay, etc., when the season is on the line?
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There’s three things that need to change to offer the Packers the best avenue to another Super Bowl.
Obviously, staying healthy is a big part of the picture. However, that’s not really a controllable factor.
The first thing is to actually force Rodgers and his bowels run the offense through Jones, Dillon and Hill once he returns.
Next, show Barry the door, or seriously change the system. Move the defense to a more simplistic highly aggressive approach. Play to the strength of the players and stop being so slow to react to what’s killing the team.
Lastly, aquire a WR or TE who knows how to get open and can provide more than Lazard, or whomever else. This should have been done before the season but Gute is slow to change.
If these things don’t happen I am not sure the team even makes the playoffs. Regardless, they certainly won’t make the Super Bowl.
Think how we’re going to look playing the Bills. Change is necessary and jobs should be very much on the line. If we’re going to continue hearing about being out coached. It then demands the question of why are the coaches still being paid?
Let’s hope change is made.
i wrote a poem. the title is “Joe Barry”. it goes like this:
Joe Barry, Joe Barry, Joe Barry
Oh, oh-oh, Joe Barry