The importance of turnovers to the Packers' success

Last season, the Green Bay Packers were 0-4 when the defense did not get any takeaways, 3-8 when they got one or no takeaways, and 5-1 when the defense got two or more takeaways in a game.

Limiting turnovers on offense and trying to get takeaways on defense has always been important to overall success for not only the Packers, but for all NFL teams.

Consider this: In the 2022 season, teams that did not commit a turnover were 108-38 (.740). If they committed one turnover, the winning percentage dropped to .540. If they had two turnovers, it dropped to a .386 winning percentage.

If they had three turnovers, teams were at a .245 winning percentage, and if they had four or more turnovers in a game last season, teams were 1-23, a .042 winning percentage.

Here's the Packers' turnover breakdown for last season:

• No turnovers: 2-2
• One turnover: 2-3
• Two turnovers: 4-3
• Three or more turnovers: 0-1

Last year's turnovers didn't seem to follow the normal pattern for the Packers, especially when you consider they had two or more turnovers in four of their eight wins. If we look, however, at the last 10 seasons of Packers football, the pattern was very distinctive. Following are the Packers' records from 2013-22 based on the number of turnovers in each game:

• No turnovers: 56-11-2 (.826)
• One turnover: 27-16 (.628)
• Two turnovers: 14-16 (.467)
• Three turnovers: 3-10 (.231)
• Four or more turnovers: 0-7 (.000)

Getting back to the Packers' defense, we discover that getting takeaways in a game has been important. From 2013-22, when the Packers' "D" did not get a takeaway, the team was 9-29 (.237 winning percentage).

When they got one or more takeaways, that winning percentage skyrocketed to .742 (91-31-2 record).

Here is the breakdown from 2013-22 for the Pack's record in games with zero to four or more takeaways in a game:

• Zero takeaways: 9-29 (.237)
• One takeaway: 43-18-2 (.698)
• Two takeaways: 24-9 (.727)
• Three takeaways: 15-2 (.882)
• Four or more takeaways: 9-2 (.818)

So, what's the takeaway (pun intended!)?

It's the old adage that seems to have been in football for as long as the game has been played… hang on to the ball and force your opponent to turn the ball over.