Snap Judgments: Week 7
After rethinking about Sunday’s game against the Commanders, here are three things worth discussing:
1) Stick a fork in the Packers because they appear to be done. Being 3-4 in the surprisingly weak NFC isn’t the problem. Being an unimpressive 3-4 is the problem. An offense led by reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers has sputtered all season, and a defense with seven No. 1 picks and the 8th-highest payroll in the league can’t make a stop when it matters most. The last month should’ve been the easy part of the schedule, yet Green Bay has managed to lose three consecutive games to franchises quarterbacked by Daniel Jones (Giants), Zach Wilson (Jets), and Taylor Heinicke (Commanders). The next five weeks will include matchups against Buffalo (5-1), Detroit (1-6), Dallas (5-2), Tennessee (4-2), and Philly (6-0). The truth is, the Packers are far more likely to be 4-8 heading into December than even a modest 6-6. Rodgers, coach Matt LaFleur, and others said all the right things after the latest embarrassing loss, but as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. And for the past 42 days, what’s happened on fields in three states and two countries screams BAD TEAM.
2) All things considered, the revamped offensive line performed pretty well against a very good front seven on Sunday. With four players at new positions, the quintet of left tackle Zach Tom, left guard Elgton Jenkins, center Josh Myers, right guard Jon Runyan, and right tackle Yosh Nijman kept Rodgers clean and opened up a few nice holes for running back Aaron Jones. That’s not to say there weren’t issues. Rodgers was forced out of the pocket a number of times, and Nijman was called for two holding penalties. Still, if one were to put together a list of problems, the O-line would be near the bottom. Expect the same five players to start against the mighty Buffalo Bills next Monday night. The only possible change would be at left tackle if David Bakhtiari’s troublesome knee allows him to suit up. Speaking of the former five-time All-Pro, it’s unfortunate, but he may simply have to deal with some pain for the remainder of the season and his career. Three operations in the past 22 months still haven’t fixed an injury that occurred on Dec. 31, 2020.
3) The only thing worse than LaFleur’s playcalling this season has been his game management. Why in the world did he throw that challenge flag in the first quarter? Sure, he was right, and the call was reversed, but that “victory” resulted in the Commanders’ offense being pushed back three yards. When the fourth-year coach unsuccessfully challenged a much more important play in the second quarter, the Packers were left with no challenges in a game that still had 38 minutes remaining. Just imagine if the officials, who were terrible all day, made an obviously erroneous call late in the fourth quarter, and there was absolutely nothing LaFleur could do because he fought for 36 inches a few hours earlier. And this wasn’t the first time game management has been an issue. He foolishly challenged an obviously dropped pass by Romeo Doubs in the end zone in Week 4 against the Patriots, and Green Bay continually goes through timeouts the way a new mother goes through diapers. Amazingly, for a coach with one of the best winning percentages in league history, it’s getting more difficult by the week to see LaFleur roaming the sideline and not have flashbacks to Mike Sherman.
[yop_poll id=”70″]
5 comments