Good morning, everyone. With the Green Bay Packers in their bye week, I want to give you my thoughts on how they are doing so far this season. Without further delay, let’s get started.
The Packers started their season on the right track, winning their first three games. 2 of those first 3 wins came against NFC North opponents (Bears in Week 1, Vikings in Week 2). The major factor in the first 3 victories was the defense getting sacks and turnovers. An Adrian Amos interception and a Preston Smith sack of Mitchell Trubisky sealed a 10-3 win over the Bears in Week 1. Kevin King picked off Kirk Cousins to seal the 21-16 win over the Vikings. They got more sacks and turnovers against the Broncos to win that game by double digits. During this time, the new offense was going through some growing pains. Against the Vikings, they scored touchdowns on their first 3 possessions and then nothing after that. Even with the early struggles on offense, the defense helped win the games for Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers didn’t have to be a superhero to win games that often. He came close to doing that against the Eagles in Week 4. This was a game that saw the defense get dominated by the Eagles run game and quick passing game. They couldn’t get sacks of Carson Wentz or turnovers of any kind. Aaron Rodgers had to play out of his mind to keep the Packers in it. He threw for 422 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night. Despite that, the Packers couldn’t get it done near the goal line. They were 0 for 4 from the one yard line. What’s worse is that they passed the ball on all four attempts. There was also the fact that Davante Adams was out with a turf toe before this sequence happened. The defense gave them another chance to tie the game with a couple of minutes left. They almost did that, but the ball bounced off of the chest/hands of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and into the hands of a defender for an interception, sealing the Eagles victory.
Entering the Week 5 showdown with the Cowboys, there was plenty of talk about how the Packers would respond to their first loss. Both Davante Adams and Jamaal Williams were out for this game with injuries. It’s safe to say that the Packers responded very well, as they jumped to a 31-3 lead over the Cowboys thanks to Aaron Jones’ 4 rushing touchdowns. The defense unfortunately let Dallas back in it with a couple of touchdowns that cut the lead to 34-24. Luckily, a missed field goal by Dallas with less than 2 minutes left help seal the victory for Green Bay. The Packers then won 3 more games after that, each in their own unique fashion. Against the Lions in Week 6, they came back from an early 13-0 deficit to win the game by a score of 23-22. What helped the Packers win was the defense forcing the Lions to settle for field goals 5 times, including a couple of times in the red zone. Aaron Rodgers made some clutch throws down the stretch, including a 35-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard (who made a great catch in the end zone). I know that the Packers were helped by some questionable officiating, especially near the end of the game. No matter how ugly, I will take a Packers victory. In Week 7, Aaron Rodgers had his first perfect passer rating in a 42-24 win over the Raiders. He threw for 429 yards and 5 touchdowns on the day. In addition, he ran for one touchdown against the Raiders. What helped the Packers win this game by double digits was a 21-point swing in between halves. After Blake Martinez forced Derek Carr to fumble in and out of the end zone for a touchback, the Packers scored a touchdown to end the first half and another touchdown to start the second half. After 7 weeks, the Packers were 6-1 and having a great time while doing it.
Against the Chiefs in Week 8 at Arrowhead Stadium, the Packers won a very competitive game. They made some key adjustments after giving up a 14-0 lead and trailing 17-14 at halftime. With the game tied at 17-17 in the fourth quarter, Aaron Rodgers threw a crazy pass into the end zone that was caught by Jamaal Williams for a touchdown. Rodgers was in the process of being brought down by a defender when he threw the pass. Williams got both of his feet in for the score. After the game was tied again, the Packers sealed the win with another touchdown, a defensive stop, and a 5 minute drive that ended Kansas City’s chances of coming back. Aaron Jones had a total of 226 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns, including a 67-yard catch and run that helped seal the 31-24 win. With the offense doing well without Davante Adams during these 4 weeks, I thought that everything was going to be smooth sailing with him coming back against the Chargers. I was very wrong, as nothing went right for the Packers in that game. The game was essentially over after the Packers trailed 26-3 in the fourth quarter. They made the score more respectable with a touchdown (plus a 2-point conversion) but the game was already in the books. The 26-11 loss brought an end to a very impressive winning streak. It also gave the Packers another chance to bounce back the following week. They did just that in front of their home crowd in the snow. Aaron Jones ran for 3 touchdowns against the Panthers. In the final seconds, the defense stopped Christian McCaffrey short of the goal line to seal a 24-16 win over Carolina. The win gave the Packers a record of 8-2 on the season.
This season has been fun to witness so far. The Packers already have more wins than all of last season (they were 6-9-1 in 2018). They have won all of their games against NFC North opponents (one against each team). Head coach Matt LaFleur has helped reinvigorate the Packers offense with his new scheme. This has helped Aaron Rodgers in that he doesn’t have to throw for a whole bunch of yards and touchdowns to win every week. The running back duo of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams has helped the Packers win plenty of games. Jones has 14 total touchdowns so far (11 rushing and 3 receiving). Williams has 6 touchdowns for the Packers (5 receiving and 1 rushing). Even though he has no touchdowns yet, Davante Adams leads the Packers with 557 receiving yards. None of this has been possible without the offensive line protecting QB Aaron Rodgers and creating the running lanes for the backs. Elgton Jenkins has done very well as a rookie, giving up no sacks in any of his snaps. What the offense needs to fix is silly pre-snap penalties, including false start and delay of game penalties. I am sure that they will clean those up after the bye week.
On the defensive side of the football, the duo of Za’Darius and Preston Smith have transformed the Packers pass rush. Preston Smith leads the team with 10 sacks, while Za’Darius Smith is not that far behind with 8.5 sacks. Kevin King leads the team with 3 interceptions, although there have been missed opportunities by him and other players (including Jaire Alexander and Darnell Savage). In terms of turnovers, the Packers have 16 already after only 15 last season. What the defense needs to improve on is that they need to cover the middle of the field better. There have been times where receivers and tight ends have been open for easy catches. I am sure that they will fix those mistakes after the bye week.
Special Teams has been better than last year by a long shot. JK Scott has been punting the ball very well, flipping the field on most of his punts. Mason Crosby has only missed one field goal this season. The return game has still been okay, although there are still a few silly penalties against the Packers on kickoffs and punts. With 6 games remaining in the schedule, there is still a possibility for a touchdown on Special Teams. I think that they will get it done. With the weather getting colder, field position is extremely important. As long as the punts are still deep, the Packers will have an advantage there.
In terms of the overall culture within the locker room, it has completely changed from past years. Not only have the Smiths helped in this regard, but everyone else has chimed in as well. Everyone seems to be having fun again, including Aaron Rodgers. I am all in on the new atmosphere for the Packers. What has helped is the 8-2 record so far. The team has responded very well to any adversity thrown at them, especially after losses and during tough parts of each game. I really think that Matt LaFleur has a great chance to win Coach of the Year. Brian Gutekunst did a great job in the offseason, getting the Smiths as well as Adrian Amos and Billy Turner in free agency. Through 10 weeks, the investments have paid off for all 4 players. The only thing that they can do is continue doing great work for the team. I am sure that the rookies (including Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage) will make more of an impact in these next few weeks.
Overall, this Packers team has been doing great so far in 2019. It is important for them to keep it going for the last six games of the season. They have a great chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2016. As always, it‘s one game at a time. More on that in a future post. Have a great day, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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