Important lessons Packers can take into Week 5 against Rams

Week 5 is fast approaching, and while many may want to forget the Green Bay Packers' ugly loss to the Minnesota Vikings, it is important to look back and take the good and bad from that game going forward.

Before we can move on, let's take one last look at the Week 4 loss in our "After Further Review" rewatch and film study.

What lessons can the Packers take into Week 5 from last week's performance?

What can the Packers learn from their Week 4 loss to the Vikings?

1. Packers must fix the mental mistakes

Initially, this was going to be penalties, which have haunted this team all season. In Week 4, Green Bay committed eight penalties enforced for 68 yards. Minnesota picked up three first downs due to penalties throughout the game. Perhaps the biggest one came late in the first quarter when Eric Stokes was all over Justin Jefferson on 3rd-and-1.

There was plenty of contact from both parties, but Stokes got called for the flag. A couple of plays later, Minnesota found the end zone instead of settling for a field goal attempt.

However, the Packers didn't just deal with penalties but other unforced errors, including drops. Dontayvion Wicks was the biggest offender in this category. Wicks was targeted 13 times but recorded only five catches. While he was clutch late in the game by scoring two touchdowns, he also registered two drops, per Pro Football Focus.

Tracking targets can be tricky. Sometimes it is not the receivers' fault when they don't bring in a target, whether by being the closest to a throwaway or if the defender makes a great play on the ball. However, drops are incredibly costly. The Packers rank third in the league with nine drops on the season. They must clean up these errors.

2. It is time to figure out the kicker position

It was a game to forget for Brayden Narveson. He missed field goals from 37 and 49 yards in Week 4. While he remained perfect on extra-point attempts, NFL teams can't settle for leaving points on the board, especially in divisional games. After the game, Matt LaFleur said he still has confidence and trust in Narveson, having seen the positives from him.

Green Bay did the right thing by moving on from Anders Carlson. The team also arguably did the right thing by moving on from Greg Joseph after a rough preseason, although he has rebounded his career with the New York Giants. I am not sure who the answer is. Maybe it is Narveson, Alex Hale, or someone else entirely. What is Ryan Longwell up to these days? In all seriousness, for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the answer isn't to do nothing and figure it out in the offseason.

3. Making sense of the Packers' defense

If the previous two weeks were a masterclass of the Jeff Hafley scheme, the first half of the Week 4 matchup was a significant step back. Green Bay allowed 28 first-half points. Granted, two of Minnesota's touchdowns were on short fields after costly Packers turnovers.

Hafley's unit has made a slow start in consecutive weeks. Will Levis and Sam Darnold both picked apart the defensive unit on their opening drive, marching down the field for a touchdown. I certainly understand playing a bit more conservatively against Jalen Hurts, or even Anthony Richardson, but Darnold will not often hurt you with his legs.

Minnesota is a talented team with plenty of pass-catching threats, but in a game without Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine, one would think that getting after Darnold a bit more would cover up the lack of depth in the secondary and cause him to make a mistake or two.

The Packers answered the call in the second half. Xavier McKinney grabbed another interception, and Keisean Nixon had a strip-sack, which led to a Packers touchdown. Hopefully, Green Bay can build on its second-half performance.

4. Packers offense was rusty but not concerning (yet)

Jordan Love had a career day against the Minnesota Vikings, but not all of it was positive. Love hit career-highs in yards and touchdowns but also tied his career-high for interceptions, albeit one or two were arguably not his fault. Bad bounces happen, but at the end of the day, the team would not have been able to mount the comeback attempt with anyone else under center.

Love would rather have had the win than the numbers, but in his first game back, he looked like a guy who missed two games, and that is OK. He was late on a couple of reads but threw catchable balls, largely shook off the rust, and figured out how to throw with the injury.

It would have been nice to see the ground game a bit more throughout the game, but when you get down 28-0, you need chunk plays and fast scores. Love and the Green Bay offense rose to the occasion, including a five-play, 96-yard drive that took only 1:22 of game time. The second-half rally was nothing to scoff. Minnesota was playing within its Cover 2 dominant scheme, not prevent like the game scenario may have dictated.

Division battles are always tight and can be 50/50 games. The Packers came up short this past week, but the second half was encouraging and more to Green Bay's true identity. The Packers travel to Los Angeles this weekend with a chance to "get right" against a depleted Rams team.

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