It will feel like a long week for the Packers as they prepare for their mid-season meeting with the Houson Texans. Aaron Rodgers and Co. were beaten badly by the Buccaneers this past Sunday...in pretty much every aspect of the game, to be clear.
The Offense
One should not read too much into the 10 total points scored by Green Bay's offense.
The Packers went up against a talented and motivated Bucs defense that knew how to shut down a ground game that serves as the foundation to offensive production. But, truthfully, it was the highly-uncharacteristic physical and mental performance by Rodgers that sank them, beginning in the early second quarter when he threw his third-ever pick six.
Evidently, that throw, along with another interception committed on the following drive, completely rocked Rodgers' focus, as he went on to throw four straight incompletions prior to halftime. The impact of those two picks, plus a heated verbal exchange with Ndamukong Suh, clearly got under Rodgers' skin - and ultimately threw Matt LaFleur's offensive game plan on its side. The team played from behind the rest of the game, having to abandon a balanced offensive attack that had been so successful for four weeks.
There is plenty of reason to suggest this was an anomaly. Aside from the fact that the Packers ran into an already-tough Bucs D that was coming off a bitter loss to the Bears, Green Bay was missing several crucial playmakers. They were unexpectedly without wing back Tyler Ervin, who is frequently used in motion to distract opposing linebackers. They were also missing TE/H-back Josiah Deguara and WR Allen Lazard, both of whom serve as valuable chess pieces in Matt LaFleur's creative play design.
The Defense
The Packers offense is still gold. The defense, however, was finally exposed in Tampa.
Problems on the defensive side of the ball remained masked for the first four games, as the unit was frequently gifted with long drives by the offense that chewed up clock and gave the defense plenty of rest. Naturally, that same offense also helped establish lopsided contests that left opponents having to play catchup through the air, which lent well to a relative strength for the Packers D.
When the Packers offense was put on its heels versus the Buccaneers, having to play from behind, the Mike Pettine's defense failed to adjust. A suspect run D was man-handled by the Tampa Bay O-line, allowing Ronald Jones to easily pick up first downs and sustain long drives for the Bucs. Even the Packers' defensive stars struggled, as Za'Darius Smith failed to log a hit on Tom Brady and Jaire Alexander gave up several big receptions to Chris Godwin.
The problem is this: the packers have disproportionately invested in defensive skill positions over the years and yet that's the unit that continues to hold them back from another Super Bowl.
Last season, they drafted LB Rashan Gary and FS Darnell Savage in the first round of the 2019 draft, after making a massive splash in free agency consisting of the on-boarding of LB Za'Darius Smith, LB Preston Smith and SS Adrian Amos. In the years prior, they made first and second round investments in CB Jaire Alexander, CB Josh Jackson, CB Kevin King, S Josh Jones and NT Kenny Clark.
Few teams can afford to tilt personnel focus that drastically toward the defense. Consider the Bears, who have invested no more than the Packers on that side of the ball: they threw free agent money at Khalil Mack in 2018 and made recent early-round draft picks in LB Roquan Smith, CB Kyle Fuller, LB Leonard Floyd and CB Jaylon Johnson. But those investments have resulted in allowing an opposing passer rating of 73.5 (second best in the NFL) and 19 total points per game.
The Packers' investments have failed to translate into stout defensive play. What remains boils back to coaching and scheme. The Packers continue to fail at both - which begins and ends with Pettine.
Comments