Packers: Positives, negatives from Week 4 vs. Bills

Positives and negatives from the Green Bay Packers’ Week 4 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

The Packers shut out the Bills, but there are several reasons to be concerned after their so-so performance at home.

The positives and negatives from Week 4:

Positive: Jaire Alexander

Even though it was an errant throw from rookie Josh Allen, Jaire Alexander grabbed his first career interception against the Bills and has continued to impress as a promising young player for the Packer secondary.

Josh Jackson has been a little inconsistent so far through four games. After a fantastic preseason, Jackson has been up and down after the first quarter of the season. Green Bay needs Alexander to be every bit as advertised, as Tramon Williams also doesn’t appear to have much left.

Negative: Offense

While being without Randall Cobb certainly limited the Packers to some degree, they just continue to be the same sluggish, lethargic offense that they have been for years. The Packers still don’t have any semblance of an offensive scheme or any dynamism to their passing game. Keep in mind, they were playing an average defense last Sunday.

Getting Cobb back will help in some respects, but it will not change anything for an offense that has continuously looked average despite having Aaron Rodgers at the helm. Against stingier defenses across the NFL, the Packers offense will falter further.

Positive: Marquez Valdez-Scantling

So far, Equanimeous St. Brown and J’Mon Moore have yet to see the field in the regular season. Valdez-Scantling only hauled in one ball against the Bills, but it went for 38 yards on a simple go-route.

This is encouraging considering this is exactly what the Packers drafted Valdez-Scantling to do. He stands tall at 6-foot-4, but ran a 4.37 40-yard dash.

The Packers have no speed in their receiving corps, but Valdez-Scantling might have earned the confidence of his coaches somewhat after that play. It is unlikely that the Packers will re-sign Randall Cobb after this season anyway, meaning Valdez-Scantling might be the team’s number three receiver going forward.

Negative: Nick Perry

Nick Perry has disappeared from the Packers defense. The former first-round pick has consistently hung between being a dominant pass rusher and an injury prone starter who can’t stay on the field.

Perry, now 28, has been non-existent this year. His game-closing sack of Mitchell Trubisky at the end of Week 1 sealed the opening night win, but since then, he’s barely been visible.

Clay Matthews is likely in his last year with the Packers, but one has to wonder how much the team will be willing to continue to pay to Nick Perry. While the defense has improved somewhat, there are still several glaring holes, one of which is pass rusher. The Packers might want to consider unloading Perry’s $14.7 million cap hit next season.

Positive: Byron Bell

In previous years, the Packers would have just relied on whoever was their primary backup to starting right guard Justin McCray, who is already barely good enough to start in the NFL. Green Bay brought in Byron Bell after the majority of free agency had passed.

Bell, while traditionally a tackle in the NFL, has made a smooth transition to guard as McCray sits with injury.

Bell is a better, more experienced option than McCray. The Packers should prioritize getting their best five guys in front of Aaron Rodgers before rushing McCray back. They let Jahri Evans walk after he played surprisingly well a season ago, but right now Bell should be the answer.

Negative: Marcedes Lewis

The Packers aren’t involving Marcedes Lewis nearly as much as they need to. Lewis was brought in to be more than just a stopgap backup to Jimmy Graham. Green Bay needs to utilize him more in the pass game, as he has been a competent receiver down the field for over 10 seasons.

Lewis and Graham should form a strong tandem at tight end, but the Packers are not getting Lewis on the field enough to make that possibility a reality. Lance Kendricks is getting way too many snaps and has struggled mightily in run blocking. It’s time to give Lewis the backup job.