Packers positives and negatives: Defense struggles vs. 49ers

Mike Pettine’s defense struggled in the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Packers got obliterated by the NFC’s top team in San Fransisco Sunday night.

Little went right, and a whole lot went wrong.

Here are some positives and negatives from the loss:

Positive: Elgton Jenkins

It may sound crazy, but there is a legitimate argument to be made that Elgton Jenkins has been the best pass-protecting guard in the NFL this season.

The Packers passed on Parris Campbell, Irv Smith Jr., and others who could have helped the skill positions for Green Bay in the second round of the draft, but so far, Jenkins looks like Brian Gutekunst’s best draft pick yet. The Packers, provided a little bit of money is moved around, should consider a pursuit of Brandon Scherff in the offseason. A combination of Scherff, Corey Linsley, and Jenkins would comprise a devastating interior line.

Negative: Mike Pettine

It’s only been two years, but Mike Pettine has not been an improvement over Dom Capers. His scheme is a bit different, and more turnovers have been forced, but the exact same things that have plagued the defense for years still remain. The Packers are still soft as tissue on defense and put no fear into opposing offenses.

The turnovers haven’t exactly been earth-shattering either. Despite this being the strength of the unit, the Packers are just ninth in takeaways in 2019. They are 14th in points allowed and 27th in yards allowed per pass. They’re also 27th in yards given up per rush.

In Pettine’s first year with the team, the personnel simply wasn’t there. Brian Gutekunst then added two pass rushers who each have 10 or more sacks on the year. He added two new starting safeties and another pass rusher in the first round, and the defense still can’t stop a nosebleed. Come playoff time, the better offensive lines of the NFL will bully the Packers up front, just like they’ve been bullied for years.

Positive: Davante Adams

The Packers finally got their top receiver into the end zone for the first time all year against the Niners, even if it wasn’t through the air. Davante Adams is still slowly working his way back from his toe injury that sidelined him for four weeks. With little to nothing to speak of at wide receiver apart from Adams, he has to be close to flawless to make up for an otherwise boring passing attack.

Adams, like many do, had a tough time separating from Richard Sherman on the boundary, but he was clearly coming in and out of his breaks much smoother than he had to this point in the season. Matt LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett need to continue to get him as involved as possible on offense provided that Aaron Rodgers can accurately throw him the ball, which we haven’t seen a whole lot of this season.

Negative: Blake Martinez

For the 57,894th time, Blake Martinez got absolutely torched against an average to above average offensive line. Virtually any offense can simply cram it down he and Kenny Clark‘s throat while barely breaking a sweat in the process. The Packers, having already committed large sums of money to their pass rush, have absolutely no reason to give Martinez a new deal. He gives the defense about as much as he gives the offense.

The Packers have completely neglected the middle of their defense for years. Ever since the departure of Nick Barnett, yes, Nick Barnett, the linebackers for the Packers have been just atrocious.

Cory Littleton will likely hit free agency this offseason. Brian Gutekunst needs to completely overhaul the position, similarly to the way he overhauled the safety position. Draft picks and a free agent or eight need to be brought in to finally solidify the weakest link on the roster.

Positive: Jamaal Williams

The Packers’ number two running back looked a little bit more at home than Aaron Jones did against the 49ers. Matt LaFleur has done a nice job of getting him involved even when Jones dominates defenses as he has throughout the season. Jamaal Williams is bigger, stronger, and has shown an ability to catch passes out of the backfield about as well as Jones.

His fourth-down conversion in the second half should be encouraging, as he leaked out of the backfield at the perfect time after hanging in in pass protection. The Packers should look to add a third running back to the rotation in the offseason, as depth remains an issue there, but Williams looks like a keeper after being completely lost under Mike McCarthy.

Negative: Adrian Amos

The Packers need more from their free agent signee. Adrian Amos so far has not provided the type of defensive stoutness in the middle of the field that the team thought they would be getting. By no means has Amos necessarily been disappointing as he has been solid against the pass, but his lack of impact covering tight ends has been noticeable.

Amos is also being played out of position due to the team’s lack of linebackers. Whenever the Packers feel like taking a play off from getting embarrassed at linebacker, Amos usually rotates into the box. So far, this strategy hasn’t worked very well. Amos needs to play a little more like the way he did with the Chicago Bears, routinely shutting down tight ends across the middle of the field.