Green Bay Packers: Positives, negatives from Week 11

What were the positives and negatives from the Green Bay Packers’ Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens?

The Packers lost again on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens, falling to 5-5 on the year and effectively ending their chances of winning their division.

Green Bay is now squirming for a wild-card spot as they are now three games behind the division-leading Vikings. The Packers were shut out at home for the first time in 11 years, and only for the second time in the Mike McCarthy era.

Here are some positives and negatives from the loss.

Positive: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix recorded his second interception of the season against the Ravens. Clinton-Dix has had a poor season to this point in his fourth year as the starter alongside Morgan Burnett. He has failed to build off his solid campaign from a year ago when he was named to his first Pro Bowl.

Clinton-Dix is desperately needed by this defense to become a more consistent presence on the back end of the secondary. The talented, rangy defender has been up and down to this point in Green Bay, and is currently going through a significant valley. Sunday’s performance helps.

Negative: Brett Hundley

Brett Hundley was awful against the Ravens. After a decent showing against the Bears that featured several outstanding throws, particularly in the second half, Hundley regressed significantly against the league’s top pass defense. Without his starting tight end, right tackle, and two of his running backs, he was a deer in headlights out on the field.

Hundley went 21-36 for 239 yards. He threw no touchdowns and was picked off three times. The first was on the goal line on an awful throw to a wide open Randall Cobb in the end zone. The second was a simply horrible decision as he threw a duck into double coverage and was easily intercepted. The third was a desperation throw into traffic that could not have been easier for rookie Marlon Humphrey.

Hundley has looked skittish at best so far in his time as the starting quarterback in Green Bay, and it better change quickly if he is going to play himself into some serious money.

Positive: Vince Biegel

Now that he’s finally healthy, Vince Biegel has been seeing some time on the field in his rookie year. He recorded a half sack on Joe Flacco on Sunday and came close to another one as Baltimore was missing one of their starting tackles, Ronnie Stanley. As Clay Matthews continues to decline and Nick Perry underwhelms as a “star” pass rusher, the Packers would be thrilled to see Biegel step up.

The fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin was dealing with a foot injury that placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform List to start the season. The Packers finally activated him for their loss against the Detroit Lions. Biegel may just be what the Packers desperately need at edge rusher.

Negative: Offensive diversity

The Packers are simply convinced that they are better than the unit across from them. Mike McCarthy doesn’t have any more than four or five plays in his offensive playbook. Now that Martellus Bennett is no longer in Green Bay, the Packers can no longer run the smoke screen to the tight end, something they have simply feasted on all season, regardless of whether or not it actually worked.

The Packers pass patterns are a laughingstock. Ted Thompson is partly to blame for this, because he has supplied McCarthy with next to no speed whatsoever at the skill positions. The routes are stunningly basic, with little to no attention paid to how opposing defenses have caught up with the simplest of game plans in all the NFL.

Positive: Davante Adams

Davante Adams has been the lone bright spot in this offense all season. While Aaron Rodgers has been out, Adams has been the only Packers receiver to stay consistent on the outside. Jordy Nelson is not the same player without his quarterback. Randall Cobb has proven to be one of the most overpaid players in the NFL, and Geronimo Allison has been a total bust after an encouraging conclusion to his season a year ago.

Adams had another 100-yard performance against the Ravens on Sunday, hauling in eight wobbly ducks from Brett Hundley for 126 yards. Adams now has 50 receptions on the year for 620 yards along with six touchdowns. Adams is the last of the Packers receivers to show that he belongs with the team long term, as the rest of the unit has looked average at best.

Negative: The Packers are awful without Aaron Rodgers

It doesn’t matter how many injuries you have. Even though the Packers were without their starting quarterback, right tackle, tight end, two of their running backs, their starting cornerback, and one of their safeties, it shouldn’t matter. Clay Matthews and Kenny Clark also left during the game with injury.

But the bottom line is the Packers are among the NFL’s worst now that Rodgers isn’t there.

McCarthy has been exposed as a play caller. Thompson has been exposed as a general manager who hit on a draft pick all the way back in 2005 with the 24th selection and has been getting pass after pass ever since.

Next: Top 30 moments in Green Bay Packers history

The Packers are not going to win another Super Bowl with or without Rodgers unless some significant changes are made to the front office.