Cory's Corner: We Haven't Seen The Packers' Best Yet

The Packers have a shiny 3-1-1 record, but there are problems beneath the surface. 

The Packers own the best record in the NFC North and are the second-best team in the NFC according to winning percentage behind Tampa Bay.

Those are really good things to hang your hat on, but I would argue that Green Bay hasn’t even played its best game yet. 

First and foremost, the big boys up front have been iffy at best. The run blocking is ranked 25th in the league and the pass blocking is ranked 21st. Nearly 85 percent of Josh Jacobs’ rushing yards have come after contact, which means that he isn’t seeing a lot of daylight. 

The player that leads the team in receiving yards is tight end Tucker Kraft — making his case for a Pro Bowl bid. Rookie Matthew Golden is proving why the Packers electrified the Lambeau Field parking lot on draft night by leading the team in yards per reception at 15.1. 

Jordan Love has nine touchdowns and two picks, but has made bad decisions, especially late in ballgames. His footwork remains an issue as his feet are usually not squared up to the target and he needs to trust his legs more — especially with an offensive line that has been suspect so far this year. 

On defense, the Packers only have two takeaways, one more than the 0-6 Jets. With Micah Parsons bearing down on opposing quarterbacks, the secondary has to be able to make a play and get a turnover. 

And speaking of Parsons, he’s getting held, choked and wrestled by opposing offensive linemen. He is getting frustrated mainly because they aren’t getting called for penalties, but also, his teammates aren’t picking up the slack. Rashan Gary leads the team with 4.5 sacks, but he hasn’t been a menacing presence that opposing teams have to keep an eye on. The same goes for Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness, who have 2 and 1.5 sacks, respectively. This is the time when those guys need to become the big time players that the Packers always thought they could be. 

Then there is the matter of the fourth quarter. The defense has allowed opposing offenses to score on 12 of 18 drives in the final quarter. Over the past three games, the Packers have allowed an average of 18.3 points in the second half. 

That’s when you need to tighten up and become stronger as a unit, not melt to the pressure of being physically or mentally tired. 

“It’s lining up and doing the same thing you did last play and not getting bored,” said Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs. “Not letting fatigue take over. It’s just depending on each other and trusting each other.”

I don’t think anyone would argue how talented the Packers are. They have world class football players on that roster. The problem is, I’m not seeing that level of play consistently. Love will make your jaw drop one moment and then make a very odd decision on a ball that he didn’t have to throw. 

These guys have to realize that petty miscues are not OK. And that comes from coach Matt LaFleur. He needs to set a standard that is above silly mistakes. Instead of going into the waning moments of a game wondering if the Packers will win, he needs to instill why winning isn’t just a fun result — it’s an expectation. 

When that starts happening, the mindset will start to change. 

 

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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn

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Comments (21)

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NFLfan's picture

October 18, 2025 at 08:02 am

If we know about these issues, other teams do too.

Currently, I'm most impressed with the Bucs-I love watching Baker Mayfield play.

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mrtundra's picture

October 18, 2025 at 08:22 am

I love watching the Green Bay Packers play.

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NFLfan's picture

October 18, 2025 at 08:57 am

Most of us watch other teams play besides the Packers. Don't tell me you won't watch the upcoming Lions/Bucs game.

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vin0770's picture

October 18, 2025 at 09:32 am

Is it a trend working on year seven that MLF doesn’t learn from past in game decisions that backfire? His post game presser he always talks about learning from this…when does it become learned?

And is he able to focus his team to be buttoned up and not be perfect, but can you at least stop crap that they do that is self inflicted? Can he make the other team beat them vs helping give them help.

I don’t know if his track record shows a path about how he tightens things up. It’s game six week seven, now would be ok by me.

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NFLfan's picture

October 18, 2025 at 10:22 am

During the end of the Steeler/Bengals game there was masterful clock management. I couldn't help but compare the difference re: MLF's difficulties w/same.

From what I see of Matt, is the inability to look down more holistically and see the broader view of a situation and how it relates to overall goals.
For example, there in not enough appreciation of the 'injury' to the competence of the team which comes from repeated, unaddressed and unsolved issues such as poor clock management/in-game adjustments, persistent road game weakness, penalties, lack of personnel management, compartmentalized management style (over-delegation to Coordinators, many of whom have failed for years). There is a sense of denial in his mind-set which tells me the same problems will recur.
I think the above will keep the Packers from making the SB.

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stockholder's picture

October 18, 2025 at 10:47 am

{allowing 12 of 18 drives in the final quarter.}
Fear and injuries, changed the success of what worked.
Consistency isn't what you'll see with back-ups.
We know there's talent on the roster.
But when coaches have to make allowances for
Non-Calls, Lack of depth strength, and giving
their opponent a chance to win. (Bad decisions)
The message is quite clear.
Hope seems to be the direction they'll take.

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packer132's picture

October 19, 2025 at 07:25 pm

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

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dobber's picture

October 19, 2025 at 07:31 pm

It's like Schrodinger's Christmas.

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LambeauPlain's picture

October 18, 2025 at 10:53 am

"Jordan Love has nine touchdowns and two picks, but has made bad decisions, especially late in ballgames."

The two picks were bad decisions? By who? INT #1 happened after Walker let his rusher speed around his left to give him an easy path to swat at Love's right arm just as he was loading up to fire a pass. Walker makes the block and no INT.

The INT last week was a poor throw that was tipped to the defender. I don't view the pass as a bad decision...lead the WR just a few yards more and it is a completion. But admit it was a poor throw and those happen to every QB.

So far this season Love has an INT rate of 1.4%. Last year his INT rate was 2.6%. Looks like so far, his decision making is better this year than last year in when and where to pass.

For reference, Bart Starr's INT rate was 4.4%...was Bart labeled as a "bad decisions" QB?

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Coldworld's picture

October 18, 2025 at 12:28 pm

Aaron Rodgers has the lowest career rate of 1.4% of any QB with significant playing time. So far this season Love has been slightly below that. It seems an odd time for this to be so debated therefore. Sure, his prior seasons were higher, but so were Rodgers’ equivalent years. Just strange, if I’m being polite.

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NFLfan's picture

October 18, 2025 at 11:36 am

Jordan Love is not even on my radar as a significant drag on the team.

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Spock's picture

October 18, 2025 at 11:39 am

...and once again Cory wants to compare Green Bay's interceptions with the lowly Jets. At least this time he's not suggesting we try to be them!

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GregC's picture

October 18, 2025 at 12:57 pm

Jets coach Aaron Glenn was the toast of the town when his team defeated the Packers in that all-important preseason game in August.

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GregC's picture

October 18, 2025 at 11:51 am

I agree with the basic premise that the Packers haven't played their best football, but this column is just a laundry list of fan complaints--some legitimate and some not. Calling out Devonte Wyatt for substandard play was particularly odd.

Yes, Jordan Love has made some mistakes, but there continues to be a huge discrepancy between how he's perceived by Packer fans and how he's perceived by everybody else. I looked at the QB power rankings on CBS sports, and this week Love is at #4--one spot above Patrick Mahomes. So I guess Love is the worst QB in the league except for all but three of the others.

Packer fans continue to win the prize for the most spoiled fan base in the NFL.

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LambeauPlain's picture

October 18, 2025 at 12:08 pm

I am not concerned about Love and his skill position team mates. I am concerned about the other 5 guys. I hope we see Walker, Banks, Jenks, Morgan, and Tom. All. Game. Long.

And all season.

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brenner's picture

October 19, 2025 at 10:25 pm

Agreed. If I'm being honest I'm not sold on Banks and Jenkins was 100% a better LG than C, and still is the best LG on the roster. Can Banks learn to play RG?

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JohnnyLogan's picture

October 18, 2025 at 03:28 pm

The Packers will play better when Le Fleur lets them. He doesn't even watch the defense when they're on the field, but he still deserves the blame for the horrific second-half collapses because, as head coach, he should be the coach of both sides of the ball. He hasn't a clue what to suggest on defense, and isn't that bright when it comes to offense.

For one, the Packers aren't passing enough. Jordan Love ranks 25th in dropbacks despite also sitting at tenth in passing yards per game, third in yards per attempt, fifth in passer rating, and eighth in hero throw rate.

Le Fleur is a frightened coach, always afraid of making mistakes, and he should be because he's made so many over the years. He knows his weaknesses but hasn't a clue how to correct them, so all we've gotten for seven years is "I have to be better." Unfortunately, I don't think he can be—time for a change.

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GregC's picture

October 18, 2025 at 04:49 pm

In Joe Barry's final season, LaFleur did get more involved with the defense, and it improved. He probably doesn't need to do that with Hafley, however. I know it is quite a scandal that they gave up 18 points to the Bengals. (The Steelers gave up 33--and lost.)

And it's certainly a mystery why Jordan Love plays so well if his head coach is as awful as you say he is. It's pretty rough having a coach with the 4th highest winning percentage in the league. (And one of the coaches ahead of him is the coach of the Jaguars, who has coached six games so far.) Andy Reid is not far behind LaFleur, though. Maybe he can catch up.

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JohnnyLogan's picture

October 18, 2025 at 06:06 pm

All good points. But remind me of his record in playoffs over seven years, his game management skills, his record last year within the division,... and as for Love being good, I agree, but then why doesn't he use him like other top-tier QBs are used, instead of being near the bottom in the league in the number of pass attempts per game? Twenty-four QBs have thrown more passes than Love. He's not exactly lighting up the scoreboard, despite having good stats. If he's so good, why not use him more?

Some QBs are called game-managers. I don't think Love is that, just yet. But I do believe Le Fleur is the coach's equivalent—he's a game manager, rather than a coach who drives a team towards greatness.

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Major Snafu's picture

October 19, 2025 at 07:55 am

Hey the desert may expose this teams weaknesses. If Brisset can light up that secondary early the way Flacco did too late last week, they have a very good chance. The Cards have a decent team but can be lacking at times.
Word is Jacobs may not play and I'm nopt sure of other injuries. Watson is he ever comong back and LLoyd is he still on the team? Great money for doing nothing for two years now.

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Since'61's picture

October 19, 2025 at 07:57 am

It's important for the Packers to win this upcoming road game in Arizona. they need to stack success and they to build confidence that they can win on the road.
As long as they don't beat themselves the Packers should achieve a solid win on the road this week. Thanks, Since '61

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