Green Bay Packers v. Browns: Behind the Numbers

Here is a look at the stats and figures you need to know from the Green Bay Packers performance against Cleveland on Saturday.

It was another game that was a bit too close for comfort, but ultimately, another win--and at the end of the day, that's all that matters. The Green Bay Packers are now 12-3 and remain the NFC's top seed.
 
As we do each week following the Packers game, it's time to go Behind the Numbers, taking a look at the stats and figures you need to know from Green Bay's performance. 

28.8

This Green Bay Packers defense was coming off their best stretch of football when they were able to shut down three of the NFL's most talented quarterbacks. Over the span of three games, Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson completed just 56 percent of their passes for a combined 601 yards with four interceptions and one touchdown.
 
However, over the last five games since, the Green Bay defense has been trending downward, allowing 28.8 points per game. There have been more soft coverage in the secondary but also more explosive plays given up, and while the run defense always ranked in the bottom half of the league, it's becoming more porous. With that said, to Green Bay's credit, the Packers still get after the quarterback very well and are among the best at forcing turnovers.
 
The advanced metrics such as DVOA have never been too high on the Packers, even at their best, with Green Bay currently ranking 19th against the pass and 25th against the run. As of late, the Packers are playing much closer to those advanced rankings rather than their points per game or total yards allowed averages.

126

Speaking of the run defense, the Packers really had no answer for Nich Chubb. Prior to the game, I was wondering if Joe Barry would utilize more players closer to the line of scrimmage than what he typically does in an effort to stop Chubb and the Cleveland run game. It turns out he did, but it also turns out that it didn't matter.
 
The Cleveland offensive line, who was down two starters, by the way, bullied the Green Bay defensive front. Chubb finished the day averaging over 7.0 yards per carry with 126 yards on 17 attempts. As a team, the Browns would average 8.8 yards per attempt on the ground.

5.9

The Green Bay Packers offense was able to find some success through the air in the first half, but credit to the Cleveland defense, that became more difficult as the game went on. When it was all said and done, Aaron Rodgers would post just 204 passing yards on 34 attempts and averaged only 5.9 yards per attempt. For some added context, averaging 5.9 yards per pass over the course of the season would rank 30th in the NFL. 
 
Cleveland may rank 15th in points per game allowed and 15th by DVOA, but this is a talented unit front to back.

4

This Green Bay Packers defense was able to generate four turnovers, and they needed every single one of them to win this game. Had they forced only three -- which is still a lot -- I'm not so sure that they win this one. 
 
The first three turnovers led to 21 points for the offense. On Green Bay's other six drives that didn't begin due to a turnover, they had five punts and a field goal. Then, of course, the final interception put the game away as Cleveland was hanging around midfield and nearing field goal range. 

9

The Packers actually entered Saturday's game as one of the more sound tackling defenses in football--a big change from previous years. Take it as you will, but they do rank first in tackling grade from PFF. 
 
However, that wasn't the case against Cleveland. According to PFF, the Packers would miss nine tackles -- the second-most in a game this season -- and four of them were forced by Nick Chubb, who entered the game with 51 missed tackles forced, the third most among all running backs. 

3

One of the key matchups to keep our eyes on was Myles Garrett vs.Yosh Nijman. But just as Nijman has done all season, he held up quite well, allowing only three pressures. Matt LaFleur provided Nijman with some help from the tight ends, and Rodgers got the ball out of his hands quickly, averaging just 2.26 seconds per throw.
 
As a unit, Green Bay gave up only seven pressures, and they didn't allow a single sack. 

5

Rasul Douglas leads the Green Bay Packers in interceptions with five, and he didn't make his debut until Week 6. As Rodgers said following the game, Douglas has "changed our defense,"--and no, that's not an exaggeration.
 
Of Douglas' five interceptions, three very well could have determined the outcome of the game. In Arizona, he came away with a second-down interception in the Cardinals' end zone that secured the win. Against Los Angeles, in a game that Green Bay won by eight, Douglas had a pick-six. And then, just this past Saturday, as the Browns were nearing field goal range, he came away with another turnover. 
 
It's all speculation, but odds are if Douglas isn't on the team, Green Bay doesn't win all three of those games. In fact, you can make a realistic case that the Packers could be 9-6 if they didn't have Douglas at cornerback.  

107

Against a Browns defensive front that ranked in the top-10 in yards per rush allowed, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon were able to find quite a bit of success on the ground. Combined, they rushed for 107 yards on 21 carries and averaged just over 5.0 yards per rush. As the offense struggled to move the ball in the second half, giving those two a few more opportunities may not have been a bad idea.

8/13

A big difference in this game and a reason why it was kept so close was that Cleveland was really good at extending their offensive possessions, while the Green Bay Packers were not. The Browns finished the game 8/13 on third and fourth down opportunities, and the Packers were just 4/11.  

 

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__________________________

Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl. 
 

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8 points
 

Comments (50)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
MarkinMadison's picture

December 27, 2021 at 06:28 am

In an attempt not to sound like a broken record or an echo chamber, let me just put it this way: This offense has an identity, and it would be nice if the QB and HC embraced it.

There is an article circulating (paid) about how Nijman's play might put the Packers in a bit of a puzzle if Bakh isn't ready until the playoffs. Nijman has played well. He is clearly one of the Packers' best five right now. He still will be if Bakh returns tomorrow. But all of the caveats (TE help, RB help, getting ball out quicker, and Garrett had a groin pull five days prior) still demonstrate that he has a limiting impact on the offense. And to be fair, a rusty Bakh may fare no better. So if Bakh is available, I think you put him at LT and see if Nijman can handle RT. Nijman has played RT before in college, and he can make the switch again, particularly if there is a bye week to work on it.

The defense looks like it is reverting to Pettine. Just saying.

15 points
15
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

December 27, 2021 at 07:58 am

That same article I believe indicated that GB gave help to Nijman 8 times out of AR's 34 (?) passing attempts.

Those 9th in defense stats have to be taken with a few grains of salt. Part of that is the offense gaining TOP success and leads. The DVOA sounds closer if a little too harsh, at least to me.

Dennis Kelly is okay but not great at RT. Depends on Turner's return as well.

5 points
5
0
MarkinMadison's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:16 am

My subscription ran out so I was only able to read a limited amount. Can you put the "8 times" into context? What would a healthy Bakh get v. a wounded Garrett? Zero I would guess, but that is just a guess. Anyway, my point is that I suspect a rusty Bakh is still an upgrade, whatever the blurb I read implied.

Good point about Turner. I assumed just getting Bakh back. I haven't thought about Turner coming back.

1 points
1
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:00 pm

LOL, I don't subscribe either, but I read it at work off somebody else's subscription. Off memory it was 5 chips by TEs or RBs, and Runyan slid over 3 more times, though that came later in the play, whatever that means.

IDK how often Bakh gets help. On run plays, yes of course sometimes, but I, too, would be guessing he did not get any help normally for pass pro. We don't know if Bakh comes back at 70%, 80%, 90% or at 100%. Nijman is getting a lot of praise, and deservedly so. But objectively speaking, he is a low-end starting LT at present. I am still excited about him because I think it likely that he continues to improve, both over the remainder of this season, and I still think he has the potential to be a high-quality starting tackle in the NFL in a year or two.

A healthy Turner is better than Kelly.
Nijman > RT Kelly? I think healthy Turner > Nijman.
A healthy Myers is better than Patrick.
Newman is getting better. Always could run block.
RG Turner (healthy) > Newman? I am not sure.
I think Runyan is a fixture at LG for now.

So, we don't know if one or more of Bakh, Myers or Turner is going to return. If any of them do return, we don't know at what percentage of health, or how soon so they have time to knock off some rust. Offensive line cohesion is a real thing, so I view moving Turner to RG (even though he has played there a lot) as a dubious move. He hasn't played RG with Myers at OC and Nijman at RT, so none of them know each other. Maybe that might work, but it would be Stenovich's (and others') decision, one that could readily be criticized by fans if it didn't work out.

[Same issues with Jaire and Z, really, though Z at some lesser percent probably is better than Garvin or Galeai, so his return seems more helpful than most. Jaire at 70% might not be better than Stokes/Douglas but having 3 good CBs could be huge since some teams have 3 good WRs, and those three CBs can handle different types of good WRs.]

Time is getting shorter. 2 weeks of regular season games left; it would be great for some of these guys to knock some rust off in a regular season game. For guys who don't return during the regular season, the wild card games are on Jan. 16/17th, and should GB secure the bye, their first playoff game would be Jan. 22/23rd. That would be 26 or 27 days to get heathy.

That week extra could be big. That's why I've been pushing to play guys rather than rest them to help secure regular season wins: I guess I think GB needs a least some reinforcements to win a super bowl, and there are at least 5 players in various stages of recovery (unknown to fans, really), all of whom would boost GB's chances.

1 points
1
0
Grandfathered's picture

December 27, 2021 at 08:51 pm

Do you have an opinion on whether Lucas should be replaced at center if Meyers returns? Patrick's rush game seems weak. Lindsley was able to get to the second level and block linebackers. I would trade pass protect for better run blocking.

0 points
0
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:21 pm

IDK (is that allowed on the internet?). Myers looked better than Patrick until the finger and then the knee injury. Patrick's quality of play seems to fluctuate, probably based on the opponent and the game plan against that opponent.

I guess I would have said Myers > Patrick if Myers is 100%, but I am struck by your idea of pass pro over run blocking. GB probably sinks or swims on AR to Adams/Jones/Dillon and whether they can get MVS untracked. Some contributions from Lazard and the TEs are always helpful. The run game probably will be good enough with Patrick, especially if they get Bakh back.

1 points
1
0
Guam's picture

December 27, 2021 at 08:37 am

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Nijman is moved to RT this year after Bahk comes back since Turner is a likely cap casualty next year and Nijman looks like his most probable replacement. Nijman's development has been a very pleasant surprise.

And yes, the defense has looked very "Pettine-esque" of late. The gang tackling and D-line activity that characterized the mid-season are gone.

BTW, I was shocked that PFF had Lowery graded higher than Clark in the Browns' game. Maybe it was Lowery's sack that got him that grade, but he certainly didn't look very good to me. Both Lowery and Lancaster had real trouble holding the point against the Browns rushing attack.

4 points
4
0
MarkinMadison's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:21 am

I haven't rewatched the game. My gut watching it live was that everyone was getting pushed around and Gary still looked too far inside at times to me. Gary talked about gaps after the game. I can understand Clark getting pushed around a bit coming off of the COVID list. If he had a positive test his stamina may take a while to recover.

4 points
4
0
dobber's picture

December 27, 2021 at 10:24 am

I don't know...I don't have a feel for how much cross-training NIjman has been doing, and he did play snaps on the right side in preseason, but with LaF espousing putting his best 5 OL on the field and with Billy Turner quietly having a really good season prior to his injury, I think they dance with the girl who brung 'em and Turner plays RT when he's healthy.

6 points
6
0
Leatherhead's picture

December 27, 2021 at 10:59 am

I think you are right, and Bakhtiari and Turner start if they’re able, but you could still see Nijman for a series or two, especially since Bakhtiari has been off for quite a while. Also, there is the question of how available Bakhtiari is going to be from this point on. We all hope he’s going to play for several more seasons but his body might have other ideas, and in that case Nijman is even more important..

Two more games, a week off, then we play at home against the winner of the 4/5 seeds, probably the Rams or Cardinals. Then either Tampa or Dallas (I think Dallas) comes to Green Bay.

4 points
4
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:34 pm

I agree in general. I also think OL cohesion is important, so I don't think you can move these guys to unfamiliar positions without risk of misunderstandings.

That said, it is a multi-variable issue. Bakh at 75% and Turner at 90% is a different proposition from Bakh at 90% and Turner at 75%. Is Myers at 85% better than Patrick? IDK.

0 points
0
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:51 pm

Nijman only gets moved to RT if he is better than Turner right now. GB is all-in for this year. They know 2022 is going to be difficult. If there is a blow out, might see Nijman take some snaps at RT in favor of Kelly.

1 points
1
0
Crankbait's picture

December 27, 2021 at 01:56 pm

Linebacker play has just been nonexistent. Just like the Pettine days.

-1 points
1
2
Guam's picture

December 27, 2021 at 02:28 pm

Tough to play linebacker when your D-line is getting shoved back into your face. Not excusing the linebackers but I think the larger fault is the D-line.

4 points
4
0
SterlingSharpe's picture

December 27, 2021 at 06:58 am

The WL record is nice. We had the #1 seed last year as well.
I won $1000 last year betting on Tampa Brady getting to the Super Bowl.
Unless ZaDarius & Jaire come back & are in-form, and Bakhtiari same thing, this team more closely resembles the 2002 Packers. That was the Favre-led team that had the #1 seed IF they had won their last game at the Jets.
They didn't. And then they became the first Packers team in history to lose a home playoff game (to warm-weather Atlanta).
Now? Now we've lost home playoff games all the time. Giants & 49ers have each ended our seasons twice in Lambeau. Tampa Bay & Minnesota have also.

People think the frozen tundra helps us. It doesn't.

We need to start clicking & playing better. Kenny Clark needs help. And Savage needs to play way better.

11 points
11
0
dobber's picture

December 27, 2021 at 10:13 am

"People think the frozen tundra helps us. It doesn't."

Still better off playing on your own field rather than at someone else's who definitely benefits from home cooking or from a fast, artificial turf.

3 points
3
0
Ya_tittle's picture

December 27, 2021 at 12:01 pm

Tundra was far from frozen last year. Had it been, different outcome I think.

-1 points
0
1
Bitternotsour's picture

December 27, 2021 at 12:23 pm

bettors always tell you about their wins...

(subtext- won $1000, down $6400 ON THE YEAR).

4 points
4
0
Houndog's picture

December 27, 2021 at 07:44 am

I said it early, and I'll say it now, the Packers won't win a Superbowl with this defense.
The middle of the season looked promising, but the last 5 games have been horrendous. I felt a huge sense of disappointment when they lost Mercilus. While he's no longer the pass rushing force he was when I wanted them to draft him, he was still very good at setting the edge, and he's been missed since being injured. Where is that killer instinct they seemed to have against the Chiefs and the Cardinals?
Worse is that since that mid-season run, Barry has been doing his best Pettine impersonation with the D-backs 10 yds off the LOS and not covering the middle of the field. And then, in the second half against the Browns, MLF pulls a Mike McCarthy move by playing 'not-to-lose', 3 points, 5 punts, WTF? Did anyone see the beat-downs Tampa and Cincinnati handed out yesterday? You've got to keep the hammer down!
Like everyone here I'd love to see another Lombardi trophy in GB.
And, like a lot of people here, I'm still waiting for the Packers to put together that ONE complete game, they'll likely need some of that against the Vikings, Detroit, and anything beyond.

11 points
12
1
Tundraboy's picture

December 27, 2021 at 08:28 am

Fair enough. Losses on D have caught up with us perhaps. Need another jolt with some of the anticipated returns and no more turtle offense.

2 points
2
0
flackcatcher's picture

December 27, 2021 at 01:22 pm

There is no contender who does not have serious weakness at this stage of the season. NOT A SINGLE ONE. (Get off my lawn. Sorry, I couldn't help my self... :-) At this stage does the team have enough depth to overcome. In the NFL that's a rare thing indeed. Defenses are stressed by the rules and injuries at this point, and their weakness in personnel and scheme are exposed mostly because they are reactors, not aggressors. To expect Joe Barry to be the same defensive play caller with a banged up defense at this point of the year, is to be (forgive me) stupid on steroids. (Or a certain Fox game announcer, first name Troy) He is not Mike Pettine who had far less to work with as Packers DC. (Mostly because injuries hit his defenses early. And if you take a hard look at the last three years under Pettine, it was the defense that carried those Packer teams late in seasons) This not the 1990 or even the early 2000 NFL. We all know here on CHTV how the NFL has tilted the field in favor of the offensive football. So that means as a DC, you limit what the other side does and cut down the damage to your team. In other words, the Packers offense has to outscore the other team. That is what the NFL and TV networks want. It's horrible football, but that's what Joe Barry and Mike Pettine before him had to deal with. (Going to stop now before I go on a full rant about how fans have been so unfair to Pettine and Dom Capers before him over the rule changes...)

1 points
3
2
Guam's picture

December 27, 2021 at 02:40 pm

Agreed that the rule changes have all but eliminated the "dominating" defense. It is about minimizing the damage now. I might quibble about Dom Capers in his last couple of years. I think OC's had figured out how to attack his defense and he just wasn't adjusting well. Fangio and his coaching tree were more effective at adapting to the new rules.

0 points
0
0
ReaganRulz's picture

December 27, 2021 at 08:28 am

Maybe the Pack D should watch some tape from the Cowboys D last night….WOW and SCARY all at once!! Now the Redskins are certainly not an offensive juggernaut but the Cowboys D line penetrated so quickly that it just disrupted everything. And it lasted ALL game.

Hoping that we can get Smith and Alexander back soon. I think we have the talent on D we just have to keep re-emphasizing the fundamentals of tackling and staying in positional lanes. GPG!!

3 points
6
3
Lphill's picture

December 27, 2021 at 08:31 am

With the Packers defense regressing and other teams clicking , the Packers would not beat the Bucs, Cowboys ,Rams in the NFC or the Chiefs, Colts , Bills in the AFC .

0 points
7
7
Johnblood27's picture

December 27, 2021 at 08:41 am

thank you zoltan.

since you are omniscient and all-knowing (at the same time) can you also drop some IPO tips here on CHTV so we can all retire (like Vic) and just play golf and cheer for our beloved losers.

2 points
5
3
gpt999's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:45 am

I have to agree with this comment. Defense wins championships. And for some unknown reason, we are reverting back to our old, passive schemes. Come on, Joe. Get us back to an attacking, tough defense! Bull rush from the middle, set hard edges and lose most of those dime packages!

4 points
4
0
jannes bjornson's picture

December 27, 2021 at 10:22 am

Lack of D line talent has caught up to them.

4 points
4
0
dobber's picture

December 27, 2021 at 10:47 am

I would argue that an inability to find a way to compensate for having only one DL opponents need to account for is catching up to them...as it has the last couple years.

1 points
1
0
Leatherhead's picture

December 27, 2021 at 11:09 am

I would argue that the defensive line of Clark, Lowry, Keke, and Lancaster have gone 38-9 over three seasons, and that the Packers defense has been an above average scoring defense during that time.

2 points
4
2
stockholder's picture

December 27, 2021 at 12:04 pm

I would argue that this is a weak division. That LP is correct. THAT- They Must get back Z. Smith. So P. Smith Can move around. That Slaton Holds his ground. And should be the Nt/// so Clark can move over the Left side. And Lowrey should be over the Right Tackle. Per his college days. Until KeKE comes in on Passing situations. Regardless what PFF says. The only way this Defense can Win. Is if they get Z. Smith back and Alexander.

2 points
2
0
dobber's picture

December 27, 2021 at 01:10 pm

"I would argue that this is a weak division."

Weak divisions propel teams to home playoff games and byes...that said, of the current NFC playoff teams, the Packers are 3rd in SOS and 2nd in SOV, so the strength is coming primarily from outside the division. As long as you win, what does it matter?

"They Must get back Z. Smith. So P. Smith Can move around."

They need Z back so they don't have to rely on lesser players like Garvin or Galeai soaking up OLB snaps, and so they can put a better interior pass rusher on the field on passing downs.

4 points
4
0
flackcatcher's picture

December 27, 2021 at 01:33 pm

Both P. Smith and Gary are playing on one arm with their injuries, and it has been showing with how both OLB have been playing the edge. Boy do they miss Benett? and Z. Smith. Lack of depth can kill playoff chances. It is to Gutekunst credit that his front office has made the right choices in personnel more often than not.

1 points
2
1
blacke00's picture

December 28, 2021 at 07:15 am

What they really needed was better drafting! They have not in recent years made an honest effort to draft DL and IL. Their ability to identify talent at those positions is very poor. When you need street FA and practice squad players to to rise up to be some of your best players on D....you need to take a hard look at your talent evaluators.
If you think "Z" is going to make any kind of an impact this year, you are kidding yourself. Ditto for Bakh.

2 points
2
0
Bitternotsour's picture

December 27, 2021 at 12:26 pm

Because all games are played on paper, not on the field. Somehow or other the packers have the best record in football, and they played a game with a backup who never started a game before.

You sir, have a polluted mindset.

0 points
0
0
Cheesey51's picture

December 27, 2021 at 08:39 am

This packer team already have the players needed to get to the Super Bowl. Wkithout a doubt, having 3"fresh legs" All-Pros return to the lineup vastly improves the current and playoff situation. In 2010, the packers won the SB with arguably our two best players on the sideline in the 2nd half.
Confusion, missed assignments and playing back on defense has taken the speed away from the players and they look very much like there playing not to lose ala MM.
Let the players play and tackle and catch

6 points
6
0
gpt999's picture

December 27, 2021 at 09:37 am

I don't like using numbers from one game to describe a trend a team is taking - especially an Aaron Rodgers led team - but after the result of the Browns game, some trends are taking shape.

The offense was good in the first half, but took the second half off.

Special teams - for once - weren't awful! They weren't great, but they didn't make any disastrous plays either. For them, its a win. Yes, we are setting the bar low here.

The Defense was POOR! The 4 INTs made it look almost passable with the 21 points that resulted. But there was literally no run defense! A championship team cannot allow this occur. Play like this against heavy run teams like SF or and its game over at the end of Q1. And outside of the 4 INTs (which were all pretty bad decisions on Mayfield's part), the pass defense looks like the Pettine "passive twinkie" defense of old. This "trend" has been going on since the Seattle game and must stop.

I would grade the Packers a C-minus on this game. The only reason whey won was because the Browns we are D in my opinion - primarily due to Baker Mayfield. But a win is a win...

7 points
7
0
dobber's picture

December 27, 2021 at 10:44 am

4 -- the number of plays from scrimmage the Packers had that went more than 15 yards. One was an AJones run. Cleveland had that many in the first half.

2-- Average TE per play for the Browns. Why did Cleveland dominate on the edges against the Packers? I'd point to the fact that they played 12 and 13 personnel a lot and overloaded the edges to exploit Packer weaknesses there. Minnesota plays a lot of 21 and 12 sets, and you can bet they'll try it against the Packers next week.

On the Packers' side, it's an oversimplification to say that MVS would have forced the Browns to defend more of the field and would have made a difference in how the offense performed--especially in the second half--on Saturday, but he couldn't have hurt, either.

6 points
6
0
Alberta_Packer's picture

December 27, 2021 at 11:35 am

For the second game in a row the edges resisted like soggy cardboard. At this point in the season Clark is the only impact player on the D-line. I know that Lowry received some accolades - but aside from his sack - he has been The Invisible Man. At the beginning of the year the D-line was underlined by many as the weak link (aside from STs) on the team. Unfortunately, after an atypical run of competent play, this group has reverted to their usual form. This is troubling.

4 points
4
0
dobber's picture

December 27, 2021 at 11:56 am

I don't argue that the Packers sucked in contain against the Bears and Ravens, but this was different from Baltimore, though. Against Baltimore, it was scrambles and improvisation against pass rushers who were too far upfield or bending without interior push that generated holes for Huntley to hurt this defense. Saturday, Cleveland attacked the edges with pulling OL and extra TEs.

5 points
5
0
Alberta_Packer's picture

December 27, 2021 at 12:58 pm

So net result - more questions than answers for the D.

2 points
2
0
dobber's picture

December 27, 2021 at 01:18 pm

Agreed.

0 points
0
0
flackcatcher's picture

December 27, 2021 at 02:57 pm

Nah. Cleveland was playing for its playoff life and with a QB who had not practice due to covid restrictions. So the Browns max out their strengths and ran the ball. Did they surprise the Packers with unscripted calls, as they are a primary pass team, yes. Given how gassed the Packer defensive front seven was last week, the Browns game plan was logical. For most of the second half they had more blockers than the Packers had defenders within the LOS. But the Packers were gambling that the Browns could not generate a consistent pass game. They were right, and that negated the strong run game when the Brown were forced to put up in the air. Lafleur is his staff are some of best at game planning within the league. Not perfect of course, but it got them the W. And in a survive and advance league, that's what counts.

0 points
1
1
scullyitsme's picture

December 27, 2021 at 11:27 am

It’s concerning, the good news is this year gute did what he hasn’t In the past and brought in some mid level free agents to fill spots instead of always going young. The bad news is our quality starters are hurt and even though every week for a month everyone keeps saying they’ll be back I haven’t heard one definite timeline on any of them. Cobb, Meyer’s, smith, Alexander, bakt, turner. If we are going to a Super Bowl I’d say we need ar least 3 of those back, at least.

3 points
3
0
packer132's picture

December 27, 2021 at 04:58 pm

I agree that Packers need most of the 6 injured to return in order to be in the Super Bowl. LaFleur gives away nothing in his pressers, though some players are a couple of weeks away. I read between the lines that Myers and Turner could be playing in the playoffs and Z Smith has played his last down as a Packer. I would be surprised to see Cobb, Bakh, or Alexander play anymore. I hope I am wrong.

3 points
3
0
Grandfathered's picture

December 27, 2021 at 10:07 pm

My own guesses:

R. Cobb will be only 11 weeks from a core muscle surgery at the time of the Super Bowl. He won't be back.
J. Myers had knee surgery in early Nov. He could be back by the Conference Championship - about a 13 week recovery.
Z. Smith would be 18 weeks from back surgery by the Conference Championship; 20 weeks to the Super Bowl. One of those games is my guess.
D. Bakh plays in the Wild Card or Divisional Round.
J. Alexander will be activated by Dec 31, and and plays against Detroit.
B. Turner plays against Detroit.

1 points
1
0
Hematite's picture

December 28, 2021 at 11:08 am

I whole heartedly agree with packer132!
I don't believe that Z Smith will ever suit up for the Packers again.

0 points
0
0
Qoojo's picture

December 27, 2021 at 11:30 am

Yep, 4 turnovers ratio and won by 2 points. Most QBs in the playoffs aren't going to be as giving. Nice to see Mayfield embrace the christmas spirit.

The defense made me a believer, and now I am back to "this is the standard packers defense" fielded most years. Maybe they can flip the switch back to decent? First step has to be improving tackling. Good tackling is one thing that stood out during the 3 game stretch.

The OL injuries + broken toe does limit the offense at times. Third down drops kill offensive momentum. It seems like every week that the offense has to re-learn that they are best when they run a balanced offense and run more.

6 points
6
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Packfer's picture

December 27, 2021 at 04:58 pm

I have to wonder if the coaches are intentionally keeping things simple and safe, playing soft coverage, basic route running, etc.
And will add the true complexity come the playoffs.

-1 points
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2
Packfer's picture

December 27, 2021 at 04:58 pm

I have to wonder if the coaches are intentionally keeping things simple and safe, playing soft coverage, basic route running, etc.
And will add the true complexity come the playoffs.

0 points
1
1
packer132's picture

December 28, 2021 at 01:00 pm

I don't think coaches are holding back plays, waiting for the playoffs. They are dealing with a patched up line, and various players have missed games, like Clark, MVS, Lazard, EQ, Aaron Rodgers,King, Keke. Packers need to put together two solid games with all 3 phases, and get some steam going. You still see confusion on a few players where someone is not lined up correctly, and penalities on 3rd and long. They probably have a trick play or two that no one has seen, but not saving much for the playoffs.

1 points
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