Photo by Evan Siegle - packers.com
De'Vondre Campbell and Bijan Robinson - Packers-Falcons 9/17/23
De'Vondre Campbell vs. Bijan Robinson, Sept. 17, 2023
If the Packers have a consistent flaw over the past two decades, it’s an almost total inability to stop the run. Part of that weakness is by design, as the team correctly determined that the league was going to continue to emphasize the pass, but it has also cost them in big moments against San Francisco and Seattle in the playoffs.
There is no team in the NFL that likes to run the ball more than the Atlanta Falcons. They have a stout, run-focused offensive line, and two of the league’s best running backs in Tyler Allgeier and rookie Bijan Robinson, and the Packer defense was once again completely unable to do anything to stop them. The duo combined for 172 yards on the ground, leading to a narrow 25-24 Packer loss on Sunday. Robinson also added 48 yards through the air in crucial moments, repeatedly making Packer linebackers miss in space.
The Packers can also play the power running strategy as well as anyone, but star running back Aaron Jones missed the game with a hamstring injury, and backup AJ Dillon continued an alarming string of terrible performances. Since a promising rookie campaign where he averaged 5.3 yards per carry, Dillon has gotten steadily worse to the point where he is almost unplayable. His 15 carry, 55 yard (3.6 Y/C) performance against Atlanta was typical for Dillon, as he repeatedly tripped over his own feet, and failed to generate any kind of push. Dillon is supposed to be a 247-pound power back with exceptional speed for his size, but he rarely makes the correct read, and it takes his so long to get up to speed that he’s almost always on the ground before he has a chance to accelerate. According to NextGenStats, Dillon has gained 1.22 yards fewer than expected per rush this season, the fourth worst mark in football.
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Trip and Crash
To add injury to insult, on an early 3rd and 2 carry, Dillon tripped over himself and crashed into the back of Packer guard Elgton Jenkins, forcing him from the game with a sprained MCL. The Packers have outstanding depth at the tackle position, but cannot afford to lose any interior linemen, and if Jenkins misses any time, the offense will suffer.
The Packer passing game was almost good enough to overcome every other problem, as Jordan Love once again impressed, completing 14 of 25 passes for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns. Love’s yardage total doesn’t reflect how well he played as Green Bay gained an additional 87 yards on two pass interference penalties, one on a pass to rookie Dontayvion Wicks, and another to Romeo Doubs, that would lead to Love’s first touchdown pass of the game to, a 10-yard push pass to Jayden Reed.
Love’s efforts may have been enough if not for several embarrassing mental mistakes. On the Packers’ first drive of the game, the Packers managed to move into field goal range at the Atlanta 33 yard line, but they took an inexcusable delay of game penalty, forcing them to punt instead. The entire sequence was baffling, including the decision to punt at all, as rookie kicker Anders Carlson has a strong enough leg to hit from 55 yards, especially in Atlanta’s climate-controlled dome.
Fourth Quarter Miscue
The most embarrassing miscue came in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-one quarterback sneak attempt, where Jordan Love forgot his own snap cadence and jumped over the line early before the ball was snapped, resulting in a false start, and a Packer punt. The awkward miscue will be a popular meme for the rest of the season, and it was emblematic of a young team that lacks the precision of a veteran group. The Packers are easily the youngest team in football, and some growing pains like this are to be expected.
The pass defense also just missed putting the game away on several occasions. While Rasul Douglas did manage to intercept Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder once in the first quarter, Ridder had three more turnover worthy throws, including one that hit Packer linebacker Quay Walker directly between the numbers. Walker, who had a pick-six last week against Chicago, was unable to hang on this time, and it cost them.
The good news for Green Bay is that next week, in their home opener against the New Orleans Saints, they will be facing one of the worst running games in the league. Saints’ star running back Alvin Kamara is currently suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after a fight outside a nightclub after the 2022 Pro Bowl. Former Packer Jamaal Williams suffered a hamstring injury last week, leaving the unheralded Tony Jones, and former Packer quarterback Taysom Hill as the primary ball carriers. The Packer defense should be in much better shape.
