When Matt LaFleur took over for Mike McCarthy in 2019, we thought it was the end of playing down to inferior opponents.
In front of their home crowd for the first time in three weeks, the Packers let a very mediocre opponent hang around late, capitalizing on Washington's turnovers and red zone inefficiency to notch a 24-10 win. Still without plenty of key personnel on both sides of the ball, Green Bay struggled to put the game out of reach during the second half, but found a way to hold on.
As sloppy as the team's performance was in general, LaFleur and the Packers can still take pride in securing an important win before they embark on a tough stretch of games that includes road trips to Arizona, Kansas City and Minnesota. As they say, a win is a win - and the Packers have now won six straight.
On Offense
Though Washington produced more total yards on offense, Green Bay's O was efficient back at home on Sunday. It was a vintage showing by tight end Robert Tonyan, who had been the forgotten man on offense until posting 63 yards receiving and hauling in a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers turned in his second-highest passing day of the season (274 yards) while completing passes to seven different receivers.
But, the offense unquestionably left some points on the board against Washington. The Green Bay backfield was surprisingly ineffective all four quarters, putting the ball on the ground twice and amassing only 57 total yards. On passing downs, poor protection up front resulted in three sacks on Rodgers and a number of scrambles by the 17-year veteran.
Despite early challenges establishing the run, I would have liked to see more persistence by LaFleur in that aspect of play calling, as he did so well in Week 6. As we've seen over the past three years, Aaron Jones is too talented to receive just six carries and must be emphasized regularly in order to keep defenses honest.
On Defense
The game's final score didn't fully capture the productivity that quarterback Taylor Heinicke had against the Packers' defense on Sunday. Heinicke was able to hook up with receiver Terry McLaurin seven times for 122 yards and regularly venture into Green Bay territory. Fortunately for the Packers, mistakes by the second-year QB - which included an interception and two-play goal line debacle - helped keep Washington out of the end zone during all four of their red zone trips.
As stout as the run defense was against Washington's running games, it was concerning to see the unit allow 95 yards of scrambling to Heinicke - especially with Kyler Murray due up next. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry will need better support from his linebackers and defensive backfield going forward when opposing quarterbacks get outside the pocket.
Helping the defense's cause was yet another impressive performance by punter Corey Bojorquez, who has quietly helped the Packers flip the field on opponents in recent weeks. In addition to a booming 53-yard punt that helped prevent Washington from starting their offensive series near midfield, he also perfectly executed a second-half punt that pinned them on their own 2-yard line.
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