4 things Packers must address in their bye week 2023

Run defense

The Packers need to be far better at stopping the run following the bye if they have any plans of running the table.

Green Bay ranks No. 31 in the league in run defense, allowing 154.8 yards per game on the ground. Only the Houston Texans have allowed more rushing yards per game.

There is some good news. The Packers’ next three games (Los Angeles Rams, at Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings) are against rushing offenses that rank inside the bottom 10. They then host the Detroit Lions in Week 18, who rank 10th in rushing offense.

The Packers have played against two of the top-three rushing offenses in the league over the past couple of games, and the results have been predictable. Green Bay has allowed 518 rushing yards and five touchdowns over the past two weeks.

If the Packers are to run the table after their bye, they need to start playing like a playoff team. That means stopping the run and putting opposing offenses in long third-down situations.

Teams are going to keep testing Green Bay’s run defense until Joe Barry’s unit shows it can stop it.

It hasn’t happened often enough this season. During the bye, the Packers need to figure things out.