Packers first-half struggles in opening five games are alarming

An adjustment period of some kind was expected when the Green Bay Packers began the Jordan Love era. it is understandable to see some struggles with a team going from a future Hall of Famer to a player entering his fourth season with limited experience.

But the offensive failures Green Bay has experienced through their first five games are worse than anyone could have predicted. But it is the struggles in the first half which incredibly alarming.

Green Bay is one of, if not the worst in multiple offensive categories during the first two quarters of games this season.

Packers disastrous first-half numbers are concerning

The Packers are averaging the fewest yards per drive (17.4) of any team and the second-fewest plays per drive (4.6). Forty-six percent of Green Bay's drives in the first half have lasted only three plays, while 54 percent of all offensive possessions have resulted in a punt. It is incredibly difficult for any team to be successful with this lack of success. That difficulty only increases when the offense is quarterbacked by a player who came into the season with 83 career pass attempts.

Speaking of the quarterback position, Jordan Love has struggled throwing the football in the first half of games. Love's 4.8 yards per attempt and 28 percent success rate are 31st in the NFL, and his 49 percent completion rate is dead last.

Things are not a whole lot better when Green Bay opts to run the ball over passing. In the first half, while their EPA per attempt ranks 16th (-0.03), their success rate sits at 36 percent, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. Ballcarriers for the Packers are averaging 3.9 yards per carry, the 20th-ranked average, but they are stuffed on nearly one quarter of their rush attempts (24 percent), a number that's fourth-worst in the league.

The reality of the situation is that the Packers cannot afford these struggles to continue. The structure of the offense combined with the across-the-board youth makes it incredibly difficult to be put in a position where they are forced to play catch-up every week. This offense needs to be vastly improved in the first half when they return to the field after their bye week because this is not a viable way to win games on a consistent basis.

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