The Green Bay Packers took care of business Sunday, though they did allow Joe Flacco a chance to claw back in the second half. It was his second attempt against this defense after playing a part in the Packers' only loss of the season so far.
Of course, heading into the game and coming off the much-needed bye week, there was a hope that the Packers' defense could generate some turnovers after getting just two in the first month of the season. After all, the team hasn't taken the ball away since picking off Flacco in that trip to Cleveland three weeks ago.
That didn't happen, though. The Packers failed to create a turnover against the offense that has given the ball away more than any other team, which happened to have a brand new quarterback that the Packers faced less than a month ago.
Lack of turnovers for Packers defense turning from temporary slump to lingering concern
With yet another performance without a takeaway, the Packers will head into next week as the 31st-ranked defense in the turnover category. Only the New York Jets, who picked up their first takeaway of the season this week, have fewer.
That's sour company to keep for this otherwise vaunted defense, especially after finishing with the third-most takeaways a year ago.
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To be fair to the defense itself, the Bengals played incredibly conservatively early in the game. The Packers' defense only allowed the Bengals to run 23 offensive plays in the first half while forcing three three-and-outs. Playing like that will always make up for a lack of turnovers.
After halftime, though, the Packers struggled to put effective pressure on Flacco as the Bengals crawled back into the contest. Green Bay remained in control on the scoreboard, so the team leaned on conservative zone coverages to keep a cap on things.
While Flacco found receivers in space and scored a couple of touchdowns, Green Bay was afforded the comfort on the scoreboard to avoid aggressive mistakes.
Still, the circumstances of the game itself notwithstanding, the Packers' defense is in dangerous territory, with the lack of turnovers turning from a trend into an identity. Lacking turnovers helped fuel the tie against Dallas, the loss to Cleveland, and Cincinnati's late surge this week.
Next week presents a new opportunity to create a trend of forcing takeaways. The Packers head to Arizona to take on the inconsistent Cardinals, who could be without Kyler Murray for a second straight week. Backup Jacoby Brissett threw a pick in the loss to Indianapolis on Sunday.
Whether it's Brissett or Murray, though, the Packers need to buck this trend to ensure they can compete with the top of the conference as the late stages of the 2025 season quickly approach.