Packers: Slow starts and offensive miscues must be corrected
2. Third-and-long issues
Another major issue I am having with the offensive play-calling is how third-and-long situations are being handled. It’s almost as if McCarthy does not trust Rodgers to make a smart decision.
Obviously there is risk involved when throwing downfield on third-and-long, especially in your own territory, but things are a little different when you have the least mistaken-prone quarterback in NFL history throwing those passes.
Most third-and-long situations end in a screen pass, run, or quick dump off into the flats, leaving the Packers with a very little chance of getting a first down.
Things like that are unacceptable to me with the quarterback we having leading that offense. Rodgers has to be given a chance to get the first down and if he doesn’t have it, then we know he will not make an ill-advised throw to hurt the offense.
Not even trying to throw for the sticks on third down, with the most talented quarterback in the NFL, shows me that McCarthy is fine with giving up on an offensive drive when he knows how capable Rodgers is of making a play that could possibly lead to more points on the board. This is another reason this team has had trouble putting teams away in the past.
Of course, the amount of third-and-long situations the Packers are having to endure, is a problem of its own.
The Packers are tied for the league lead in third-and-8 or longer situations, with 34. To make it even worse, they are fifth-worst in the entire NFL on first-down percentage in those situations.
They have only completed six first downs out of the 34, or 17.6 percent. Like I stated above, the play-calling on third-and-long has been a major hindrance in these situations, more than anything else to me.
The Packers have to be more efficient on first down in order to create better down-and-distances throughout each drive.
I trust that the Packers’ first-down efficiency so far this season and frequent third-and-long situations have a strong correlation to each other. First-down play choice is going to be huge in the coming weeks.