Packers: Positives, negatives from Week 6 loss to the Vikings
By Evan Siegel
The Packers had one of the worst weeks imaginable against the rival Vikings. A loss to a divisional opponent combined with the loss of their best player is a crippling blow to a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
The Packers had an absolutely awful day this past Sunday against the Vikings.
Numerous injuries, including Aaron Rodgers‘, rendered this season all but lost for the Packers. Now 4-2, there is still hope that the team can make the postseason with strong play from Brett Hundley and some luck along the way.
Here are some positives and negatives from Week 6:
Positive: Kenny Clark
Kenny Clark was one of the only defenders who showed up against the Vikings.
Against a team without its starting quarterback, running back, and top receiver, the Packers defense still gave up way too many yards and first downs to help out Brett Hundley.
Clark, however, made an impact.
Clark had six tackles, including two for a loss as well as a forced fumble.
Clark’s promising career continues to develop as one of the youngest starters in the league. The Packers are hoping he becomes a long-term piece to a defense that the organization is still trying to figure out how to improve.
Negative: Nick Perry
Nick Perry has been poor this season after signing a massive contract in the offseason.
Perry is still dealing with a hand injury that forced him to have hand surgery once again. This injury is obviously affecting his pass rush.
Against the Cowboys, Perry missed several relatively routine sacks he has made in the past, a trend that only continued against the Vikings.
Perry’s contract was a bit surprising given the fact that he was essentially coming off his first strong year as a consistent pass rusher.
Perry has steadily improved as a run defender over time, but the Packers are still hoping for a little more from their number two pass rusher.
Positive: Davante Adams
Davante Adams is having a monster year.
Another touchdown against Minnesota gives him five on the year, putting him on pace for another double-digit touchdown year.
The Packers need to be prepared to pay up for Adams this coming offseason, who will undoubtedly have several driven suitors looking to sign him.
The Packers will get a true sense of Adams’ ability now that Aaron Rodgers isn’t there.
Adams will be a frequent target of Brett Hundley’s, who will need to find him on critical third downs the rest of this season.
The Packers are in a tough spot as a team, who now will see exactly what they have in their various skill position players now that Hundley is the quarterback.
Negative: Running game
The Packers have really struggled to run the ball this season despite a good showing against the Cowboys.
Aaron Jones has been the only 100-yard-rusher the team has had this season, continuing the seemingly endless trend of a total lack of balance in the Packers’ offense.
The Packers have had an eternally revolving door at running back that is growing more and more inconsistent.
Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery combined for just 69 yards against the Vikings. Without the threat of Aaron Rodgers going forward, the Packers offense will be diminished significantly to a unit with inexperienced running backs and slow receivers.
The Packers are still banged up on the offensive line and were facing a great run defense, but the Packers have failed once again to bring in enough talent in the running game to prove to be a big enough threat on the ground.
Positive: Blake Martinez
Blake Martinez is on his way to the Pro Bowl at the current rate.
Martinez has made an outstanding improvement from a year ago and is the team’s leading tackler so far this season.
Eleven more tackles, including two for a loss against Minnesota, are encouraging for a player who took a couple of years to get his feet under him in the NFL.
Martinez has shown outstanding play-reading skills, as he is consistently getting into the backfield to blow up running plays. His coverage skills have also improved while Joe Thomas has been out.
The Packers have to be interested in Martinez’s recent play given the fact that it has been years since they’ve had a forceful presence in the middle of their defense.
Negative: Injuries
Hard to believe, right?
The Packers simply cannot stay healthy.
Week after week, the Packers lose multiple players to injury.
This time the bug bit Aaron Rodgers who was likely lost for the season. Quinten Rollins was also lost for the year with an Achilles injury.
Lenzy Pipkins, Lane Taylor, Bryan Bulaga, and David Bakhtiari all dealt with injuries throughout the game.
They join a group of players that are threatening to outnumber the number of healthy players on the roster.
The secondary is paper thin. Kevin King is dealing with a concussion. Morgan Burnett missed the Minnesota game with a hamstring injury. Davon House missed the Minnesota game with another hamstring problem.
Now Rollins is done for the year with the Achilles injury.
The Packers simply can’t stay healthy. This is not the first time this has happened either.
Next: Top 30 moments in Green Bay Packers history
The lack of luck with injuries has been a recurring theme for too long in Green Bay. A change in the strength and conditioning department is needed immediately.
The Packers simply have to commit to bringing in more athletic, durable players who can survive in the NFL.