Packers Drop Season Finale, but Win on Health

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Photo by Evan Siegle packers.com

Amari Rodgers - Packers-Lions Jan. 9, 2022

Amari Rodgers - Packers-Lions Jan. 9, 2022

Green Bay entered their game with the Lions with one goal in mind: to stay healthy. That Packers already clinched the number one seed in the NFC, and homefield throughout the playoffs, before the game even started, and without the need to win, they instead focused on setting a team record, and getting in some work.

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams played the entire first half, allowing Adams to break the team record for yards in a season previously held by Jordy Nelson (1519). Adams got their late in the first quarter, and proceeded to tack on some insurance yards, finishing with 1553. While Green Bay ran a cautious scheme focused on getting Adams yards and keeping people safe, Detroit broke out every razzle dazzle play in their playbook, from faked punts, to reverse wide receiver passes, to double reverses, and managed to turn two of those trick plays into touchdowns. In the end, Adams got his record, Aaron got to be the one to deliver the ball, and no one got hurt.

Aside from Detroit’s creative play calling, Amon-Ra St. Brown was the star for the Lions, capping off an impressive second half of the season by catching 10 of 12 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown. St. Brown finished the season second among rookies in receptions to Miami’s Jaylen Waddle, which is impressive considering he was the 17th receiver taken in the 2021 draft. Equanimeous’ younger brother got the best of their family matchup, as EQ finished with just 22 yards on two catches, though Jordan Love just missed him on a potential go-ahead touchdown late in the game when he couldn’t get enough on his throw with pressure in his face.

Struggle with Accuracy

Jordan Love came on to relieve Rodgers for the second half, giving us our second extended look at the young quarterback, and unfortunately, not much has changed. While Love was playing with the Packer backups, and we should account for that severe drop-off in talent, he still struggled with accuracy and mechanics. Love rarely looks comfortable in the pocket, and he’s at his best when given a one-read play to execute.

More than anything, Love is slow through his progressions, and the backup offensive line did him no favors. In his defense, both Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis dropped what should have been touchdown passes, but he was also very inefficient on his completions. His 62-yard touchdown to Deguara was almost entirely due to Deguara’s efforts after the catch, and outside of that pass, he completed just nine of 16 passes for 72 yards. His downfield throws were all terribly risky, and his second and final interception was inexcusable, and reminiscent of his final season at Utah when he led college football in picks.

While we can’t write off Love after 1.5 games, he has yet to put a solid sequence of plays on tape. Even a developmental project like Love should show some signs of development at this point in his career. Most troubling, his accuracy hasn’t improved at all, and even his on-target passes require some extra effort from his receivers.

On the plus side, running back Patrick Taylor was outstanding in relief of AJ Dillon, picking up 53 yards on 11 carries, and powering in for a touchdown. Taylor looked a lot like Dillon, acerating into holes, and picking up the bulk of his yards after contact.

The Playoffs

The Packers now get to enjoy their bye week while the rest of the NFC faces off on Sunday and Monday. Because all likely Packer opponents play later this weekend, and not on Saturday, it’s very likely that Green Bay will play its first game on Sunday the 23rd, and likely against the winner of the Rams-Cardinals game. As the top seed, the Packers will face the lowest remaining seed of the winners this weekend, and possible opponents also would include the 49ers or Eagles, should they manage to pull off upsets, but knocking off the Buccaneers or Cowboys won’t be easy. Fortunately, the Packers have already faced, and defeated the Rams, Cardinals, and 49ers, and Green Bay would be a substantial favorite against any of them.

The Packers are also likely to be healthier than at any other point of the season. David Bakhtiari made his debut against the Lions to get some work in after missing the entire season. He looked absolutely dominant, moved well, and bowled over defenders in the run game. Center Josh Myers returned as well and played a solid game. The makeshift Packer line has held dup exceptionally well given the circumstances but getting back two starters in time for the post-season will allow the Packers to weather some of the elite defensive lines they are likely to face.

In addition, Za’Darius Smith was also cleared to return after missing the season with a back injury. Rashan Gary and Preston Smith have been outstanding on the edge in 2021, but they lack depth, and an injury to either would have created serious problems for the defense. The return of Za’Darius insulated the team from any injury that might pop up and gives them additional flexibility with their fronts.

Finally, it also looks like Jaire Alexander will be back for the first playoff game, drastically upgrading a secondary that was already playing well with Rasul Douglas and rookie Eric Stokes. Stokes and Douglas have played exclusively on the boundary, so don’t be surprised if you see Alexander taking reps in the slot, where Chandon Sullivan has struggled.

The Packers earned theirs by with an outstanding offense, and opportunistic defense. Given the key players they will be getting back in the nick of time, they appear likely to get the most out of that bye. They should be considered the favorites to return to the Super Bowl out of the NFC.