Packers positives and negatives: Getting healthy at the right time

Last week’s game was hard to watch, but we’ve put together the positives and negatives from Week 9.

The Green Bay Packers hardly looked like they wanted to show up and play against the Los Angeles Chargers and picked up their second loss of the season.

Here are some positives and negatives from the loss:

Positive: Health

The Packers are nearly a completely healthy team after nine weeks, which is something that hasn’t happened in the Aaron Rodgers era nearly at all. The Packers are still in need of more depth at certain positions, but at least there isn’t much that the team is lacking that they had in the beginning of the season.

With Jace Sternberger and Ibraheim Campbell returning from injured reserve, the tight end and safety positions are a little bit more insured. Sternberger’s presence is especially interesting, considering he may be the team’s primary pass catcher from the position going forward. Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis are both likely gone after the season, leaving just Sternberger and Robert Tonyan on the team.

Negative: Kenny Clark

What does Kenny Clark do well? So much is made of him as a rising star in the NFL, when in reality, the team’s supposed star in the interior of the defense makes the unit worse when he’s on the field. He doesn’t rush the passer, and doesn’t stop the run. He doesn’t provide any value whatsoever to a defense that desperately needs a force in the middle.

Brian Gutekunst referred to him as a “dominant” player before the season started. Apart from one good game in Week 2 against the Vikings, Clark has been invisible. The Packers would be wise to not award Clark with a big long-term extension as he is not among the league’s better defensive tackles.

Positive: NFC North

It appears as though the entire division had the same off-day as the Packers did. The Lions, Bears, and Vikings all lost, helping keep the Packers atop the standings in the division. The Bears, meanwhile, appear to be on the hunt for another franchise quarterback as Mitchell Trubisky continues to implode.

Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers have themselves a nice pairing underway through nine games. If the Vikings aren’t able to take advantage of a terrible performance by the Packers against the Chargers then it remains very reasonable that the Pack will be able to stay atop the division for the rest of the season.

Negative: Jaire Alexander

The Packers’ top defensive back is still developing into a top-tier cornerback. As there are so many elite wide receivers in the NFC, Alexander will have a tough time proving his worth as an island-dweller in the secondary come playoff time. With Kevin King remaining entirely inconsistent on the other side of the field, the secondary is still struggling mightily.

The defense is really not any better than it has been in recent years, even before Mike Pettine. In reality, it is simply a different set of players that are still susceptible to the run and inconsistent against the air attack. Jaire Alexander has himself all the talent in the world but remains inconsistent and vulnerable.

Positive: Jamaal Williams

The Packers had consistently ignored the running back position without much consideration as to how it could actually improve the balance of the offense. Jamaal Williams, while not supremely talented, has matured substantially into a role in the offense that Matt LaFleur can use to his advantage. The Packers still need more mileage out of their running backs as a whole in between the tackles, but Williams has done well for himself.

The Packers should be setting themselves up cap-wise to re-sign Williams in the near future. He is comfortable with the scheme, and has proven to be both a capable receiver and running back. Williams is also a tremendous complement to Aaron Jones who provides the open-field speed and wiggle that Williams doesn’t.

Negative: David Bakhtiari

The Packers’ star left tackle hasn’t had his best season. He and Bryan Bulaga were both completely overwhelmed by the vaunted Chargers defensive front and weren’t able to adjust to it in the second half. Holding penalties and blown protections have been noticeable in David Bakhtiari‘s play this season to the point where one wonders if he will be able to hold up against the elite pass rushers of the NFC in the playoffs.

While only 28, the former Colorado star has had a number of small injuries that might be somewhat limiting his effectiveness on the field. Bulaga’s injury history is well documented, and depth at the position is still a major concern, just as it’s been for years in Green Bay.

Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay management need to finally sign a veteran backup to the offensive line to reduce the potential that the line could fall apart in the event one of the two tackles get hurt.