There are plenty of metrics and stats that indicate that the Green Bay Packers are among the top teams in the NFL. Their record only halfway backs that up, and their struggles to put teams away only work further to cement the idea that the team might be a tad overrated.
Of course, the only thing that matters is winning, and the Packers are and will do enough of that to get into the playoffs, barring total catastrophe. But it's the little things that hold great teams back. In the case of the 2025 Packers, it's snuffing out teams in the late stages of games.
According to ESPN, despite the Packers holding the 10th-ranked scoring defense, in the fourth quarter alone, the Packers carry the NFL's worst scoring defense, allowing 13.7 points per game in the final 15 minutes. It's an issue the Packers are fully aware of and are actively working toward correcting.
Packers coaches are searching for answers to a fourth-quarter collapse they can't ignore
"That's something [defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley] Haf and I we're kind of like just nitpicking, like why is it happening?" head coach Matt LaFleur said via ESPN. "Because if you look at the scoring differential, I just looked at it, I think in the first quarter throughout the course of the season, we've scored 24 points and the opposition scored zero."
"We're just like, 'Why is that happening?’ Are we running out of gas?"
The root cause of these can span any number of reasons. Could it be the youth? Could it be the depth? Does the defense run out of gas? The bottom line is that the defense allows too much in the late stages of games. Qualifying symptoms include a lack of turnovers, attention paid to Micah Parsons, and below-average pass defense.
The Packers have seen more pass attempts through six weeks than any other team despite already having their bye week. They rank 11th in yards allowed and 17th in touchdowns allowed through the air. Clearly, the Packers have no issue making teams one-dimensional by building early leads and shutting down any hopes of a balanced attack with the top-ranked run defense.
It's time for the Packers to stop diagnosing and start making moves
So, how do the Packers fix the issue? The simple answer is to cause more pressure on the quarterback and force late mistakes. But Green Bay hasn't been able to do that, carrying just two turnovers into Week 7.
The answer may come externally, then. The trade deadline is coming up, and it's not as though the Packers didn't know that there was concern at cornerback coming into the season. If a beefed-up, Parsons-led pass rush isn't helping out the secondary enough, then Green Bay needs to upgrade its secondary ahead of the trade deadline.
When it comes to the cornerback shopping list, Seattle Seahawks corner Riq Woolen might top it. His inconsistencies in Seattle are driving his trade rumors, yes, but a change of scenery can often do wonders for players in his position.
And, to be fair, 6-foot-4 cornerbacks that fit the defensive scheme don't grow on trees. Given the current circumstances of the Packers' defensive backend, it's worth a shot ahead of the November 4 deadline.
Seattle doesn't need wide receiver help, so the Packers would have to be willing to deal picks in the trade, and that may not fly with Green Bay's plans after selling the farm for Parsons.
But there aren't many options outside of Woolen short of circling back to Rasul Douglas, and that move wouldn't exactly inspire confidence, judging by his performance since being shipped out of Green Bay.
On the subject, LaFleur, Parsons, and cornerback Nate Hobbs seemed to position the issue as internal, something they can correct with the personnel inside the building. Or at least, that's the hope. That may be the case, but the Packers' postseason hopes might not survive the wrong course of action if they let the trade deadline pass without an upgrade at cornerback.