Packers’ Strengths Turn to Weakness in Surprising Loss

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Photo Credit: Marc Rockwell-Pate

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Aug. 12, 2006

The Packers have enjoyed an elite offensive line for years. Anchored by David Bakhtiari at left tackle, Corey Linsley at center and Bryan Bulaga on the right side, the addition of rookie Elgton Jenkins has bolstered a strong rushing attack and kept Aaron Rodgers upright more often than not. It was, therefore, surprising to see the line essentially cost them the game.

The Chargers are a very talented team, but the talent rarely comes together in a complete performance. Unfortunately for Green Bay, they managed one on Sunday, anchored first and foremost by linebackers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, who combined for three sacks. Ingram missed most of October with a hamstring injury, and it’s hard to overstate just how important he is to his team. Without him, they have been one of the NFL’s worst defenses, but teamed with Bosa, they won their battle with the Packer line like few before them. Aside from putting constant pressure on Rodgers and shutting down Aaron Jones, they also induced several sloppy penalties in the first half, consistently forcing Green Bay into tough down-and-distance situations.  

The Packers got back a star of their own in wide receiver Davante Adams, who’d missed several games with turf toe. In his absence, Matt LaFleur’s offense flourished, and the hope was that Adams would step right back in as one of the NFL’s best receivers and make it even better. Instead, the team spent the first half forcing the ball to Adams in unfavorable matchups for short gains.

Ideally, LaFleur would have simply plugged Adams into his normal offense and continued to use play action. Instead, the offense resembled Mike McCarthy’s old system as receivers were typically in single coverage and asked to beat their men. Outside of Allen Lazard, who lead the team with 44 yards, they struggled to do so. By the advanced stat Expected Points Added (EPA), the two most valuable offensive plays for Green Bay were an unnecessary roughness penalty against Los Angeles and Mason Crosby’s 54-yard field goal. The Packers didn’t hit a single big play on the day, while on the other side wide receiver Mike Williams managed to haul in two deep passes, flipping field position and netting the Chargers a couple of field goals.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jake Kumerow were complete non-factors, combining for no catches on four targets as several deep passes from Rodgers fell just out of reach. It was as complete an offensive failure as we have seen this year, and adding insult to injury, Aaron Rodgers missed plenty of easy throws. 

Bend, Not Break

Mike Pettine’s defense is frustrating to watch. When they fail to get interceptions, they mostly fail to stop people. With Kevin King limited by a groin injury, the secondary was undermanned, and while they mostly held Los Angeles to field goals, the Chargers played things conservatively, and could have easily had a few additional touchdowns. 

Pettine’s defenses never seem as good as the sum of their parts. There is no reason we should be talking about the Smith Brothers as a lesser duo to Ingram and Bosa, but the Chargers’ duo controlled the game to an absurd extent, while the Packer defense had issues getting off the field despite solid pressure. Blake Martinez remains a fine downhill tackler, but when forced to match up players like Austin Ekeler or Hunter Henry, it’s an automatic first down for any Green Bay opponent. Coverage isn’t his game, and this isn’t his fault, but Pettine needs to do a better job of preventing that type of mismatch from occurring in the first place. It’s also worth noting that after a sensational start, Jaire Alexander has regressed. He is still generally in good position, but he also allows himself to get bodied by bigger receivers. 

Next week, the Packers face Christian McCaffrey, a better version of Ekeler who is able to put pressure on inside linebackers in the passing game. It’s a terrible matchup for Pettine, and if the defense is going to succeed, something will have to change. Frankly, the Chargers should have won by much more than they did.

A Note on Special Teams

The game wasn’t really over until the Chargers blocked a JK Scott punt for 8 yards and turned it into the game’s first touchdown. Green Bay’s special teams have disappointed every week whether it is Darrius Shepherd botching punt and kickoff returns, to poor coverage on short Crosby kickoffs, to uncharacteristically poor punting. Even though Mason Crosby knocked through a 54-yard field goal, special teams finally burned them. The Packers have a nice record in close games so far this season but continued sloppy play in the third phase will reverse that in a hurry. With Carolina and San Francisco coming up next, the prospect of a three-game losing streak is very real unless they clean up penalties, kickoffs and punting.