The Double-Edged Sword of Marquez Valdes-Scantling

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Photo Credit: Evan Siegle

Regulation was not enough to settle Sunday’s matchup between the Packers and Colts, but the Packers committed an ill-timed turnover in overtime—their fourth of the day—and lost a heartbreaker to Indianapolis. Fortunately, Green Bay played well, and lost mostly due to the fact that life is simply unfair. 

Yes, the defense could have played better during a furious Colts comeback, and yes, the offense could have put up more than 3 points in the second half but scoring as much as they did against one of the league’s truly elite defenses was an impressive feat. Their struggles in the second half were due largely to some bad timing, and a few fluky turnovers that allowed Indianapolis to control the ball for almost the entire third quarter. 

When teams are this evenly matched, it usually comes down to the little things. It was a sloppy game, and neither team played crisp football, but the Colts only turned the ball over twice, on an interception by Christian Kirksey, and a forced fumble by Raven Greene on a beautiful stick of tight end Mo Alie-Cox. The Packers turned the ball over four times, including an uncharacteristic Aaron Rodgers interception, and three fumbles by his teammates, including the definitive play of the game in overtime. 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s fumble is the most memorable play from the game, and he allegedly experienced harassment and a few death threats this week as a result. That is unfortunate because not only did he have the two biggest offensive plays of the game - a 47-yard bomb that may have been a touchdown if not slightly underthrown, and a 51-yard pass interference penalty—he was also the team’s highest graded blocker according to Pro Football Focus. The team never would have made it to overtime without MVS.

The bigger issue for Green Bay was on special teams, where Darrius Shepherd continues to be a huge liability. He doesn’t possess typical athleticism for a return man, which would be fine if he were a savvy player. In reality, it is unclear what the team sees in him as he almost always makes the wrong decision on his returns. In addition to a key fumble in this game, he also failed to field a kickoff assuming it would go into the end zone, nearly resulting in another turnover at worst, and poor field position at best. Shepherd was bailed out when replay revealed that the ball just grazed the end line, resulting in a touchback, but he consistently creates poor field position for the team, and should be removed from kickoff duty immediately.

This game also marked the return of Allen Lazard from core muscle surgery, giving the Packers their preferred top three receivers for the first time Week 3. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that Lazard is not yet 100% as he looked slow off the line and missed several key blocks, including on the MVS fumble. Davante Adams had a huge day, but the lack of another true threat cost the Packers on a key 4th down when the Colts used bracket coverage to take him away and force an incompletion. 

The Packers play the Bears next week, and if Lazard is still playing hurt, Adams will have his work cut out for him. Cornerback Kyle Fuller has been the best corner in the league in limiting the production of primary receivers, while every other Bears’ defensive back has struggled. MVS should have an opportunity for redemption, but it is Lazard who could make the biggest impact if he’s right.

Reich vs. LaFleur

Frank Reich is among the best coaches in the NFL. For anyone wondering why Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has declined so much from his MVP heights, this coincides with Reich leaving the Eagles to take the Colts job. Matt LaFleur has done a great job this season running a progressive offense, and the chess match between the two is part of what made this such a great game. The Colts attempt to force offenses to check down by showing open space underneath their fast linebackers, but their corners struggle in deep coverage. In this game, Rodgers did a great job ignoring their underneath trap and repeatedly airing it out. It did lead to one interception, but overall, it was a successful strategy, and one that will serve them well should they play the Buccaneers or Rams in the playoffs.

LaFleur also proved he is constantly learning. Earlier this season, Mike Vrabel of Tennessee Titans had his team take an intentional penalty on 2nd and short, in order to conserve time. With 2:17 left in this game, Matt LaFleur pulled off the same trick on a 1st and 5, sending out 12 players and taking the penalty. The reason for doing so was to avoid having the Colts run multiple short running plays, to pick up a mere 5 yards, wasting time and maintaining possession. Better to start the clock-grinding game with the Colts needing 10 yards, where a first down is much less certain, and they may be tempted to pass. LaFleur coached a great game, and his improvement over the course of the season is the biggest reason to be optimistic about their chances in the playoffs.

To read more Packers coverage by Paul Noonan, click here.