After another disappointing defeat for the Green Bay Packers, here are the top five takeaways from Week 7.
Before last week, the Green Bay Packers had never lost consecutive regular-season games under head coach Matt LaFleur. They have now lost three in a row.
Green Bay put in another predictably poor performance on Sunday and deserved to walk away with another defeat.
Following another disappointing afternoon, here are the top five takeaways.
Packers offense hits new low
It continues to get worse for Green Bay’s offense, with the unit posting just 14 points against Washington. The Packers’ other touchdown came on a De’Vondre Campbell pick-six.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, it was the first time the Packers failed to convert a third down since 1999. Quay Walker and Romeo Doubs weren’t even born.
It’s another embarrassing milestone for an offense that hasn’t put together a complete performance in any of their seven games.
At this stage, it doesn’t feel like an offense finding its way but with sky-high potential. This is just what this offense is. An inconsistent unit that will often fall below 20 points.
Bad throws. Drops. Penalties. Poor decisions. All around, this offense isn’t good enough. From the quarterback to the play-caller to the receivers, there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Barring a dramatic turnaround, the Packers will struggle to win many games with this offense.
The second-half curse strikes again
The Packers have a problem in the second half. Three weeks in a row, they have fallen apart on both sides of the ball.
In London against the New York Giants, Green Bay held a 20-10 halftime lead. They would allow 17 unanswered points in the second. The offense scored zero in the final two quarters.
Last week against the New York Jets, the teams were tied at 3-3 at halftime. New York then added 24 second-half points, with Green Bay managing just seven.
And it was a similar story on Sunday against the Commanders. The Packers entered the break with a 14-10 lead, but gave up 13 unanswered points to begin the second half. The offense put up seven on an Aaron Jones touchdown catch, but it was too little, too late.
In the second half of the past three games, the Packers have scored a combined 16 points. Two of them came on a safety that the Giants took deliberately to drain time off the clock.
Let’s be clear, Green Bay’s play in the first half hasn’t exactly been dominant. However, this stat is striking: Over the past three weeks, the Packers have outscored their opponents 37-23 in the first half, but they have been outscored 16-54 in the second half.
Why is Amari Rodgers still returning punts?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
That perfectly describes the Packers’ decision to keep Amari Rodgers on punt returns. For almost a season-and-a-half, Rodgers has shown he isn’t the answer on punt returns. He rarely makes an explosive play, and far too often makes costly mistakes like fumbles.
He fumbled two weeks ago against the New York Giants. He fumbled in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears.
Rodgers failing to hold on to punts is nothing new. Anytime the Packers have him out there, it’s a risk.
Early in the game, the Packers had all the momentum after taking a 7-0 lead then forcing a three-and-out. But on the Commanders’ punt, Rodgers fumbled, handing Washington the ball in great field position. The Packers’ defense held them to only a field goal, but it was still a costly mistake.
Rodgers’ decision-making is also an issue. An example was late in the second quarter. Rodgers let a punt go around the 10-yard line, but instead of going for a touchback, it would be downed at the Packers’ one-yard line.
Rodgers continues to make mistakes on punt returns, but the Packers are yet to replace him in the role. It makes no sense at this point.
Reshuffled offensive line shows significant improvements
If there’s a positive to take away on offense, it’s the front five.
Green Bay entered Week 7 coming off an awful offensive line performance. After allowing four sacks and nine quarterback hits against the New York Jets, changes were required.
Even with David Bakhtiari inactive, Matt LaFleur reshuffled the offensive line.
Rookie Zach Tom started at left tackle, Elgton Jenkins moved back to left guard, Jon Runyan Jr. shifted to right guard, and Yosh Nijman started at right tackle.
The results? Zero sacks allowed and the Commanders only had one quarterback hit.
The Packers helped the line by using the quick-passing game at times, but it’s still a positive performance from the starting five. They held up just fine.
Washington’s defensive line is no joke. They entered the game with 19 sacks on the season, which tied for fourth in the NFL.
To give up no sacks is impressive.
The Packers have all sorts of problems they need to fix on offense. And while there are still concerns about the offensive line play, they were much improved on Sunday and did their job against an excellent Commanders defensive front.
With multiple players moving positions this week, they deserve a ton of credit.
Are the Packers finished?
Even when the Packers were winning games, they were anything but convincing. Green Bay only scored 14 points in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and needed overtime to defeat the New England Patriots with a third-string quarterback.
Matt LaFleur’s team has now lost three games in a row and enters Week 8 with a losing record.
They now enter a brutal five-game stretch, starting with a road game against the Buffalo Bills, arguably the NFL’s most complete team. You could give the Packers’ offense eight quarters, and they still might not be able to outscore the Bills in four.
Lose next week, and it will be four straight defeats, leaving the Packers 3-5.
They then meet the Detroit Lions on the road, the Dallas Cowboys at home, the Tennessee Titans at home, and the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on the road. Based on the way they are currently playing, the Packers might be lucky to get one win in this upcoming stretch.
Of course, things can change quickly. The Packers lost four in a row in 2016 and had a 4-6 record. They then won eight games in a row, including the playoffs.
But a favorable schedule helped Green Bay get back on track that year. The same isn’t true in 2022.