The worst thing I can say about the Packers-Ravens game is that almost every Packer played well and they were still destroyed. I have, in the aftermath, already witnessed fans and media ripping the talent level of the rest of the team, ripping Dom Capers, and worst of all, disparaging the offensive line. The fact of the matter is that Brett Hundley played one of the worst games imaginable from a starting quarterback. Buffalo’s Nathan Peterman overshadowed Hundley in terms of poor play with a legendary five interceptions on just 14 attempts, but in truth Hundley wasn’t really that much better. On 38 dropbacks, Hundley threw three interceptions, lost a fumble and took two sacks on fourth down plays. Quarterback is the most important position in football, and on Sunday he undermined the good work of 21 other positions.
Nothing Has Changed, The Quarterback Should Change
I don’t think Joe Callahan is very good, however, even if he’s every bit as bad as Hundley, I will settle for someone being bad in new and interesting ways at this point. Hundley has had weeks of starter, and years of backup, reps to work on his deficiencies and he hasn’t improved at all. Sunday was his worst game as a Packer, and the Ravens created an easily repeatable template on how to humiliate the young quarterback.
1. Hundley is awful under pressure.
The Baltimore pass rush is good, but Hundley made it far better by repeatedly lapsing into one of his worst habits, and not stepping up into the pocket. Under normal circumstances, tackles facing overly aggressive edge rushers will simply push them into the backfield while the quarterback steps up, escorting them safely away from the play. This is impossible with Hundley, who refused to step up into a rush, and instead fades back, directly into the path of the outside rushers.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
He did this repeatedly on Sunday, taking unnecessary hits and turning potential big gains into incompletions, huge losses and/or interceptions.
Jason Spriggs looked like he had an awful game, but outside of one missed block, he was actually solid in the face of an impossible task. The Ravens knew they could let it loose and simply fly upfield to get to Hundley. It worked, it’s easy and every subsequent opponent will do the same thing.
On Hundley’s second interception he almost certainly had Lance Kendricks running free downfield, however he ran himself into harm’s way instead, and ended up throwing a wobbly ball off of his back foot.
It’s a play Aaron Rodgers made in his sleep, but it’s also a play that even marginal quarterbacks like Baltimore’s Joe Flacco make routinely.
2. Hundley stares down receivers.
Last week I pointed out that Hundley was lucky to escape Chicago without an interception, as he threw at least two highly interceptable balls. He wasn’t so lucky against Baltimore’s outstanding secondary, as a promising first drive by Green Bay ended with Jimmy Smith reading Hundley’s eyes, and the play abandoning Davante Adams and falling back into coverage on Randall Cobb, where he has an easy end zone pick.
The throw itself was also terrible, and should have either had much more zip, or taken Cobb out to the boundary where only he would have a play on it. Instead he immediately cost the Packers a seven-point lead, and they would never really threaten again.
3. Hundley will not pull the trigger.
The game has not sped up for Brett Hundley, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the number of pump fakes he makes on a given play. Hundley doesn’t pump the ball for deception; he pumps it due to indecision. Every Hundley pump is an almost-throw to a usually open receiver, generally leading to a more difficult throw later. Watch for the double clutch here:
All of Hundley’s flaws are obvious, and it is extremely concerning that he has not improved on any of them. Ideally Mike McCarthy should involve more run/pass option concepts, but Hundley’s hamstring issues may have prevented that this week. Instead, with no healthy running backs the Packers were forced to confront their current passing offense head on, and with Hundley it is one of, and possibly the worst, passing offense in the NFL.
Defense
Baltimore doesn’t have a good offense, but it was good to see the Packer defense play a borderline great game. The Ravens were held to 219 total yards and converted just three of thirteen third downs. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s pick of Flacco was a thing of beauty, and even Kyler Fackrell and rookie Vince Biegel played well. Given that they were constantly operating on a short field, the score could have been much more lopsided. The big issue for the defense going forward is that it continues to be severely injured. Kevin King was a late scratch and his shoulder is going to be a problem for the remainder of the season. Kenny Clark suffered a severe ankle injury, and his breakout season is going to be put on hold for a few weeks at least. And as usual, after a brilliant first half, Clay Matthews was unable to finish the game due to a groin injury.
|
|
The defense isn’t likely to repeat such a performance any time soon, and it’s a shame that this one was wasted.
Going Forward
The Steelers are one of the NFL’s best teams, featuring an outstanding defense as well as a top ten offense. If Brett Hundley is still behind center on Sunday it’s not going to be any easier for him, and unlike Baltimore, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown will make you pay for every mistake. I didn’t expect the Packers to win this game without Rodgers, but now I don’t think Vegas can set a line high enough to make the Packers a worthwhile wager. This is a good bet for the biggest blowout of the year.
