Vikings 31, Packers 29: Lame Calls and More Lame Calls
Close score belies mistake-filled effort, starting with playing Jordan Love.
Matt LaFleur deserved all the accolades and coach-of-the-year talk for the Packers’ previous two wins, and then wiped it all away by his horrendous decision to play Jordan Love against the Vikings. Don’t be misled by the 31-29 score; until the last 10 minutes the game was a non-competitive beatdown, made possible by putting Love back on the field too soon.
This is not hindsight. I wrote after last week’s game that it would be a mistake to play Love against Minnesota. Medical clearance doesn’t mean a player is back to 100 percent, and Green Bay’s coaching staff had to know that anyone with Love’s injury — and such little recovery time — would be limited in lateral mobility. Not to mention seeing it in practice all week. The result was a quarterback who could not roll out, could not scramble effectively and struggled to evade pressure, all while playing the league’s hottest team that also happens to be the most successful at getting after opposing QBs. Love’s partial recovery also meant he could not fully plant his front foot when throwing, leading to passes that were often floated, under-thrown or behind his receivers.
By playing Love, LaFleur limited the Packers’ offense, giving the best defensive coordinator in the NFL a reason to smile and salivate. Brian Flores might not have known it going into the game, but it took one series to show him and the world that Green Bay was going to try to get by with runs or passes from the pocket. By not playing Malik Willis, Lafleur sacrificed having a running QB who could greatly complicate matters for the Vikings, keeping drives alive and moving the sticks with his legs. Willis certainly isn’t a healthy Love, but it’s not as if he displayed major liabilities in beating the Colts and Titans, including in the passing game.
Also head-scratching was the decision to abandon the heavy pre-snap motion and misdirection that helped make the previous two starts by Willis successful. Why minimize that when you are going with a quarterback who is having trouble moving in and out of the pocket and who can’t manage RPO?
I can understand hoping your best shot in an important game against a division rival is to play your franchise quarterback. But Willis clearly showed he isn’t Sean Clifford, or Tim Boyle, or one of the many other no-name, cheap backups the Packers have always rolled the dice with. This was simply a terrible call, and the only silver lining is that Love didn’t suffer further injury from all the hits he took.
LAME CALLS
These come first this week, because there are plenty to go around and few strong positives to mention:
Brayden Narveson — Annoying as it is, I’m staying in “I told you so” mode because this is getting ridiculous. Narveson’s unreliability has surpassed that of Anders Carlson, and by waiting this long to address it the Packers have left themselves precious few options. Some people will look at Narveson’s two misses — one from only 37 yards out — and blame him for the loss. Playing Love and several other things accounted for that, but the errant kicks sure didn’t help, and if Brian Gutekunst doesn’t make a move this team will lose games as a direct result of this problem. At this point, Mason Crosby walking with a cane would be an upgrade.
The defense — It’s hard to come down too hard on Jeff Hafley, who had to make the best of it without Jaire Alexander and #3 corner Carrington Valentine, and some bad field position from turnovers by the offense. But the Packers being thin at corner is hardly a new issue, and it bit them, hard. Meanwhile, Minnesota ran up 28 on Green Bay before anyone finished their first beer, as Aaron Jones relished reminding the Packers and their fans that he remains a top-tier running back, and Jordan Addison seemed open on every down. Yes, the defense tightened up in the second half, but the hole was too deep by then. My biggest ongoing concern remains Hafley’s apparent allergy to blitzing. If ever there was a quarterback vulnerable to intense pressure it’s Sam Darnold, and Hafley has to stop assuming the Packers can replicate what a four-man rush did to Tennessee, whose O-line is a turnstile. When Hafley finally did unleash a true blitz Sunday, Quay Walker got to Darnold for a sack in a key spot.
Lack of focus — Mental errors in all phases cost the Packers. Pass drops (some because of Love’s bad throws, but how about a ball hitting Dontayvion Wicks in the shoulder pad that would have been a touchdown? Or Romeo Doubs' miss through his hands that was intercepted?) Isaiah McDuffie missed an easy interception early in Q1, and in the second half a Vikings returner fielded a punt and split two Packers’ gunners who were many a foot away. Or how about Tucker Kraft not going out of bounds to stop the clock on a key late drive and fumbling instead. It was a total team effort. And of course penalties, which while not as voluminous as in previous games, often came at critical moments.
UNSUNG HERO
Eric Stokes -- He comes the closest. Even before this week teams have clearly been avoiding him and trying to exploit others. Stokes kept a decent lid on Justin Jefferson, not an easy task.
GAME BALLS
Jayden Reed — Number 11 just continues to be one of the best players in a Green Bay uniform. He runs good routes, catches the ball, scampers with burst and never seems out of place. He finished the day with seven catches for 139 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. 🏈 🏈 🏈 🏈 🏈
The offensive line — It was hardly a perfect day, but the line opened up some nice running lanes for Josh Jacobs, while keeping Jordan Love from multiple sacks. Love was under frequent pressure, but Brian Flores didn’t blitz as much as usual and fortunately the rush rarely got all the way home. 🏈 🏈 🏈 🏈.
Daniel Whelan — Again. Whelan is hitting big punts when the team needs them, including one that travelled 60-plus yards. 🏈 🏈 🏈.
FINAL WHISTLE
On top of everything else, Green Bay lost Devonte Wyatt and Christian Watson to injuries, the severity of which have yet to be determined, but they didn’t look good. Both are important contributors.
Next up is a trip to Los Angeles against Sean McVay’s Rams, which is never easy even when they are as banged up as they are. It’s hard to imagine LaFleur backtracking on playing Love, so we’ll just have to hope his leg takes a big leap forward this week. GPG.
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Jonathan Krim grew up in New York but got hooked on the Packers — and on hating the Cowboys — watching the Ice Bowl as a young child. He blames bouts of unhappiness in his late teens on Dan Devine. A journalist for several decades who now lives in California, he enjoys trafficking in obscure cultural references, lame dad jokes and occasionally preposterous takes. Jonathan is a Packers shareholder, and insists on kraut with his brats. You can follow Jonathan on twitter at @Jkrim.
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Comments (104)
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 07:59 am
"Matt LaFleur deserved all the accolades and coach-of-the-year talk for the Packers’ previous two wins, and then wiped it all away by his horrendous decision to play Jordan Love against the Vikings. "
I completely disagree with this. If he is medically ready to play you play your star QB. While Love was not great, and definitely had rust he made 2 really bad throws/decisions. The one to Watson that ended up getting him hurt and the one to Wicks that he just threw up and got intercepted on. His other interception was intended for Doubs, and Musgrave leaped to catch it and tipped it, which then goes off of Doubs hands. That is not on Love.
Early on his accuracy wasn't good, but some of that was likely due to rust and figuring out how to play with the knee. But the first drive Wicks drops at least a 1st down and what looked like probably goes in for a TD. That changes the game. Later he throws a beautiful deep throw to Wick and he dropped it at the endzone. Now he was hit early and it should have been DPI, but he still should have caught it. Those are 2 TD plays that Wicks dropped.
LAME CALLS
Brayden Narveson —
I want someone to tell me if there is anything wrong with the operation. I'm talking about snap, hold and placement. That is the first thing that i want to know. Next I want to know why are all of his kicks going to the right. If I remember right last year that was Carlson's issue early. He missed everything to the right. So is there something with the ball placement? Put a golf ball on a tee and move it in your stance. if its off it can make the ball go off. Next question, how do the winds swirl in there? The one kick that went right. The flags on the goal posts were going left. But the kick went straight. So were they anticipating the wind to push it left?
The defense —
"It’s hard to come down too hard on Jeff Hafley, who had to make the best of it without Jaire Alexander and #3 corner Carrington Valentine"
Are we not sure that Valentine is our 2nd best CB? The way Valentine played his last game I think he maybe our 2nd best CB.
The defense lack of pressure really hurt this team. But I get that he was a bit handicapped without 2 of his best CB's. I think the defense needs to start sending more blitzes.
Officiating -
First LaFleur got the penalty for having demonstrative behavior? They don't call the timeout when he asks for one, and he blows u because of it, and then they throw a flag on him. Like WTF.
How the hell do they mess up 3 of 4 reviews. The only review that they got right was the Jefferson pass. The first completion that they ruled incomplete, I don't care what they say. There was not 100% indisputable video evidence to overturn it. Sure it looks like the ball may have moved, but there was not 100% evidence of it. And with the call on the field being a catch that should have remained. And then the next play when you can clearly see Wicks had his hand under the ball, but they said he used the ground to catch it, What??? And hell they fucked up the McKinney interception. I don't know how they called that a catch.
I hated the DPI on Stokes when Jefferson is pushing off also. To me that should have been a non call.
GAME BALLS
Jayden Reed —
He was so damn good. He is our best WR. He makes plays that the other WR's don't make. He looks like the fastest guy on the field a lot of times.
Daniel Whelan —
They have their punter. Talk about game changer. Holy crap. I was hoping so much that the drop kick onside kick was going to work. It would have put the frosting on the cake.
BONUS
I am adding a bonus. This game seemed like a complete lopsided blow out. Which is exactly how many people will take it. I view this as another game where the Packers beat themselves more then the Vikings beat them. First drive McDuffie drops an interception. Next drive Wicks drops what should have been a TD. And it derailed after that. BUT. Even being down 28-0. They made a good comeback. They brought this game to within 6 points with 10 minutes left. They made a game out of this. They just couldn't get out of their own way in this game. They finished this game losing by 2 points. They outscored the Vikings 22-3 in the 2nd half. If anything goes right for GB in the first half this could have been a completely different game.
So what I like is while they made mistake after mistake, they never quit. They fought until the end of the game!
PackEyedOptimist
September 30, 2024 at 08:28 am
Wow.
RC, You literally said EXACTLY the same things I thought about everything!
My only difference was in starting Love, but that was completely dependent on me not seeing Love's practices. Based on how he played, I'm fine that LaFleur started him.
Even so, I don't think it would have been a mistake to start Willis and bring in Love if things weren't going well.
Starrbrite
September 30, 2024 at 09:53 am
Yes—in another post I said the officiating was incompetent and a few said I was acting like a Bears fan blaming the refs. You fully articulated how lousy they were—thanks!
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 10:41 am
The worst part about the reviews is they had the ability to see all this stuff. McKinney definitely didn't catch it before going out of bounds. The 2 catches they took away were both bad calls.
The first one I don't care what they say. They could not see if it was 100% clear. That is how it is supposed to work. You have clear evidence to overturn the call. The 2nd one I thought it was clear that Wicks had his hand under it. The only review they got right was the Jefferson play.
I did not like that they called Stokes for DPI when both players were fighting, but later in the game Wicks gets hit before the ball gets there and they don't call it. I don't like the inconsistency.
But the worst to me is LaFleur tries calling a timeout when the clock is ticking down, and they don't pay attention. Then they throw a flag on him because they weren't paying attention to him.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 11:00 am
I rewatched all the reviewed catch plays. I learned that I no longer know what a catch is or why it isn’t. This rule is a farce.
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 11:23 am
I truly don't get it.
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 10:34 am
Look at it this way. Love battled through the injury, and rust. Lets not forget that he played the first week and hasn't played since. This game was almost like his first game. There was some rust to wear off. To me i thought it was important that he finished the game. I thought outside of the bad int in the endzone, he was playing really well overall in the 2nd half.
I love what Willis did for us, but going with Love was the right choice once they knew he was able to play.
I would like to see some sort of package with Willis brought in though.
Racingdad
September 30, 2024 at 10:40 am
The int in the end zone may have been more on wicks slowing down and not looking for the ball till it was too late ?? But in hindsight j love should have thrown away instead of trusting his wr to anticipate the throw ???
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 11:00 am
Yeah I also thought maybe if he threw it outside more rather then up the seam he could have had a better chance at it.
I don't know who to blame necessarily on it.
I will say that I think Wicks needs to understand what the play is, what everyone's role is on it and if they have a free run to the QB he needs to get up field and find the ball. Now that being said, Love needed to throw it away.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 04:55 am
It was always going to be a difficult call of when to play JL10 again. He would always have some difficulties getting back, especially at first; no matter how long he was out.
Personally I was leaning towards the idea of continuing the Malik Willis experiment at least to start the game, and benching him if / as needed before getting into too deep a hole. My main concern was of course if MN was able to get to JL10 immediately and just tee off, which didn't happen. Instead, MN got to him more effectively as the game went on because their coaches did this thing that's unknown to GB offense called "in game adjustments;" whether this is also a foreign concept to GB defense or not is less certain but that didn't seem to happen much in this game.
Putting JL10 in the game if/as needed could be seen as using him as the backup QB which I expected would never happen but the OP article is off by suggesting anything about this was an easy or automatic decision. It's perfectly justifiable to play your QB who's the more effective field General, to call pre-snap adjustments against a very crafty defense.
Even with JL10 back and 100% after the injury (he's not yet) this team is riddled with injuries that change expectations for the season:
1) Tucker Kraft tore his pec and now his shoulder is messed up. That kinda matters.
2) Our C has had two good shoulders for how many of the last 10 games? 2 or 3 at the most? This might be a factor in his play, which necessarily reduces the effectiveness of the entire O line. Meanwhile our first round draft pick is injured, and what about Monk?
3) Christian Watson doesn't have hamstring issues, but a high ankle sprain is no joke. Anyone who doesn't know, look into the anatomy of that ...
4) I dislike the current use of the word "healthy" by the league, but Dontayvian Wicks has a sickness this season of the dropsies even if he's injury free.
5) Our injury designation list this past week had 11; even those who could play were not 100%.
6) Ja. He was back, until he wasn't.
7) Carrington Valentine. Justin Jefferson was fairly well contained even so, but we didn't have enough left to also take Jordan Addison out of the game, and it's reasonable to speculate that this benefitted Aaron Jones. Who's playing the best football of his career.
14-3 was doable with our full roster at 100%, but now? At week 5 the entire league is not this beat up. I like our depth but our coaches prefer playing people who are injured. Green Bay's reputation as being conservative with injuries is undeserved at this point. I don't know how many of our players are hanging on by a thread and being subjected to risk of more serious injury. The idea that anyone is going to heal during the season and come back at 100% is scoffed at by ex-players, which certainly factors in.
While I like the fact that the team didn't quit, this doesn't seem to be the way to build a dynasty. You also have to play to win each game.
It's a tough business.
WD
September 30, 2024 at 10:00 am
I don't really understand why people are shocked that Wicks is dropping passes. That was the knock on him coming out of college. Reed, Watson, Doubs and Melton not only have better hands but they are faster. I did not see any of the Viking receivers drop passes. Just sayin.
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 10:42 am
Wicks is really mimicking Adams 2nd season, with the drops.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 11:04 am
The surprise was that he didn’t last year. This year he has dropped catchable passes regularly in 3 of 4 games. Blaming that on the QB is to completely miss the point. Its not like every pass was perfect last year.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 11:10 am
The knock on Doubs, coming out in the draft, is that he dropped balls. And he dropped his share as a rookie. Wicks has very good speed and is a good runner after the catch, and you have to hope he'll improve with age and practice. 10,000 hours.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 12:58 pm
Doubs has been Mr reliable with his hands. Early on he had an issue with contested catches but since, he’s been very good. I’d have to go watch to see if that 3 for 1 claim is legitimate.
Houndog
September 30, 2024 at 10:09 am
Wow, RC,
IMO you pretty much nailed it throughout, and your last sentence kinda' says it all!
They played like shit, made a shitload of mistakes, and if not for two (easy by NFL standards) missed field goals they would have won it. Without deserving to win it!
There's a lot of lessons for a lot of people to be learned from this game, let's hope they're paying attention!
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 10:47 am
I look at it, yes they missed the FG's. Ones they needed. At least 1 of the 2. But at the same time, If Wicks doesn't drop the first pass and it goes for a TD, it changes the game completely. Also if McDuffie doesn't drop the interception, that changes the game completely.
Both the Eagles game and this one I feel like we beat ourselves more then they beat us. To many "If we did this, we would have won".
We need to start capitalizing on opportunities.
We are the youngest team in the league. There will be some growing pains along the way. But i feel much better after the game then i did during the game.
Minniman
September 30, 2024 at 03:04 pm
Daniel Whelan
I've often said that the Packers would benefit from some consults from a Rugby kicking coach. Admittedly, the balls are different shapes and sizes - so project differently - but being able to generate hang time on those onside kicks would at least make it a 50:50 contest........ possibly advantaging the kicking team if they stack the landing zone with TE's and Receivers (who would be the ones in motion - not the defenders).
google "nrl short drop out videos" to see some examples of an attacking 10 yard kick if anyone's interested
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 04:55 pm
Drop kicks are notoriously unpredictable and more so with a football, they died out after the ball got lighter and pointier. In rugby, they aren’t used to gain height over length, so short distance long hang time either. I thought it was an interesting idea as you can sometime get them to spin on landing. It looked like that’s what he was trying to do by under kicking (hitting through the lower half of the ball). It just didn’t bounce kindly
Minniman
September 30, 2024 at 05:15 pm
CW, thanks for the response.
The short attacking kick is absolutely making a comeback in Rugby for a couple of reasons.
1) Synthetic balls allow a more predictable bounce and flight path
2) Turf and field conditions are better (also allowing for a more predictable bounce)
3) Defenders don't train enough (or at all) to defend these
4) Kicking teams can flood the landing zone a clear out potential catchers
5) Kicking the ball for height (hitting under the ball as you said) actually imparts backspin on the ball - making it track back to the kicking team after bouncing
6) For all the above reasons, there's now value in practicing and getting good at kicking these kicks
Anecdotally, for goal-line drop-out situations (like an onside kick) it's now turned these into a 50:50 (or better) possibility for the kicking team
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 08:35 pm
The author was right, Love wasn't ready and they could see that in practice. LeFleur is a pussy but he does get it, Willis aint a QB and those dink passes wouldn't have fooled the Vikes.
If you so right that means Loves passing is shit. Get used to it.
This fn game wasn't close and if you think narveson is a kicker I got oceanfront property in az for you
majik7
September 30, 2024 at 08:07 am
I commented last week that it would be better to start Malik this week since he was doing so well and provides an added dimension to our offense going up against a stout D like the Minnesota's. "Medically ready," should not be the standard for playing your star. Sorry. The reasons were obvious - Love had no mobility and his range was limited. Does anyone really think we'd be down 28-0 (or 28-6 if our K was not horrible) at halftime with Malik in there?
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 04:15 am
Suggesting that Malik Willis is a better QB than Jordan Love is pretty ridiculous.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 08:22 am
Lost me at horrendous. The guy was healthy enough to throw 4 TDs
T7Steve
September 30, 2024 at 09:27 am
Yes, he's got to work the kinks out sometime and it would have been a hard task to put on a backup and expect good results. MLF needs to work with Love in games too, to start to get things working and see what's best. The receivers have to get game timing with Love down too. They started getting dialed in and making plays.
dblbogey
September 30, 2024 at 10:35 am
And 3 interceptions. And several throws at receivers feet. He's not a threat to run and is limited in moving around the pocket. He's obviously not 100% and against this team, they would have been better off with Willis.
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 11:01 am
2 were his fault for sure. The other one was intended for Doubs, and would have been there but Musgrave interfered with it, and it still hits Doubs in his hands.. Can't blame Love on that one.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 12:54 pm
Sometimes the deflection just severs eye contact. Looks like Doubs lost the flight of the ball completely. It’s possible the sun played a factor too at that point. It’s a shame, because good pass, in the right place and so was the WR.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:15 am
Hopefully Musgrave learns from this mistake and never does that again. I missed it and hope to see at least a replay if not film breakdown. At the same time I can understand a TE trying to make a play on the ball, but he should know the playbook and the specific play called better than that.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 11:17 am
He made bad throws, he couldn't run. He looked limited,to me.
Hindsight is always 20/20. If somebody said "He'll throw 4 TD passes",people would have said "Hellyes!" If somebody had said "He'll throw 3 picks", people would have said "Maybe we should go with Willis".
I think you put your best guy out there. If we hadn't fallen behind by 20 so early, it might have made sense to put Willis in, since the offense just wasn't moving at all and Love wasn't moving real well. But when you're down by 20, you have to throw, and that means Love.
More concerning to me is our complete inability to slow down the Vikings on their first three drives. We looked like the JV against the Varsity. 0-21 after the first quarter is not a good result.
Lphill
September 30, 2024 at 08:39 am
I have no problem with Love starting he needed the reps and improved as the game went on but for the defense to not step up is very disappointing as well as our kicker who I did not like from day 1 .
fireball
September 30, 2024 at 08:40 am
One good thing about watching the game was not having to see Aaron Jones making the Lambeau Leap.
hhsbaseball
September 30, 2024 at 08:49 am
Until after the game in celebrating a victory with the many Viking fans who were in attendance
mrtundra
September 30, 2024 at 08:53 am
We lost by two points. Narveson missed 2 FGs. Did the vikings score any points off of those two missed FGs? If so, if Narveson had made those FGs, any viking scores could have been negated, most likely. Wicks dropped a TD pass. I believe there was another pass dropped, in the end zone. Several dropped passes by our WRs and when reviewed, it did not go our way, ever. We did enough, in the 2nd half, to win this game. We did enough in the 1st half, to lose this game. We were tripping over ourselves all game long. We were penalized for 1 billion yards. Our OL looked like high schoolers out there, at times. They did, however, open some holes for Jacobs and Wilson, later. Love was rusty and it showed, early on. Our pass rush and pressure guys were no where to be seen, until Quay hit Darnold for a Sack. Minnesota is supposed to have a mediocre OL. That did not appear to be the case, yesterday. The vikings are not as good as we made them look. I hate losing to the vikings and really look forward to our game in Mpls. Hopefully we are all healthy, by then. It's hard to deny that there is no quit in this team. They fought hard in the 2nd half and could have pulled off a victory if things had gone our way, once or twice, in the first half. GO PACK, GO!!!
Rory P Scrotem
September 30, 2024 at 08:59 am
Jordan Love is a slow starter in "every" game he plays. It "always" takes him a bit to get going. "All" the Packers coaches should know this by now.
Secondly, I truly hope Jordan's sitting on the bench for 3 years watching Aaron Rodgers did "not" include favorable feelings on "hero ball" throws! There seemed to me to be quite a few of them yesterday.
Why in the World wasn't our defense doing the same thing as Brian Flores defense by disguising blitzes
and then dropping various players back into coverage. Quite evident that lack of pressure resulted in Jefferson, Addison, Oliver & all taking advantage.
I hate to say it but, I think the Packers got out-coached on this one!
Packerpasty
September 30, 2024 at 11:22 am
you dont have to "hate" to say it, its true...outcoached at least for a half...coaches didn't have this team ready for whatever reason..
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 08:55 pm
Flores said he had two defensive game plans ready, one for love one for Willis. Wow and we play one easy to pick apart pass d same thing every week. Does this team ever change anything. There just is a lack of inventiveness.
NFLfan
September 30, 2024 at 09:16 am
I just sustained my first knee injury (torn meniscus) and it is amazing how so many activities involve the knee-from pushing a grocery cart, to lifting everyday objects, to getting in and out of bed, etc. Jordan looked like he had to throw the ball without proper torque and power due to his compromised left leg. He couldn't push off.
I think we are all over-reacting as it was a divisional, important game and the Packers knew they would have their hands full with Flores's misdirection Defense. Malik would not have fared better as Flores had tailored a plan for him as well.
I do think we have deeper, 'non-Jordan Love' issues with the defense in particular. And I think Bissaccia's general lack of positive contribution needs to be addressed as well. (though it likely won't)
The Defense has been relying on interceptions and forced fumbles while continuing to tackle poorly and lack general discipline. I would say players R. Gary, P Smith, Q Walker,K. Nixon, McDuffie are either outmatched (Nixon, MacDuffie), not showing up effectively (Gary, Smith) or making repeated mistakes (Q. Walker).
The corner room has not been a strong unit from the beginning of the season. Nixon is not a cornerback, Jaire is talented @ interceptions but has not done well against strong receivers-AJ Brown, Jefferson (in the past) nor does he tackle consistently. Valentine is not a strong corner either.
My greatest overall concern is the lack of 'return on investment' on many first-round defensive picks. Repeatedly drafting poorly results in a lack of a foundation in which to build a strong D and siphons capital away from other positions.
I think McKinney is showing well but the 'draft-expensive', defensive first-round picks have not lived up to their draft status, particularly after being paid very well. (Alexander is talented but plagued with injuries and character issues) I would have to call into question Gutekunst's decision-making re: D draft picks.
** I do think he has done well with finding offensive 'diamonds in the rough', though.**
HawkPacker
September 30, 2024 at 10:04 am
I tend to agree on Nixon. I was shocked when he got the large contract.
I would have rather they give Aaron Jones the money and retain him. And I am not saying this because of this past game. I thought that originally.
Does anyone remember how far apart the packers and Jones were on negotiations? I was thinking 1 or 2 million? If so, they should have paid him especially since he took a pay cut the previous year!
Rory P Scrotem
September 30, 2024 at 10:11 am
As the trading deadline approaches, one has to wonder if Nixon will be traded? Might bring a nice 3rd or 4th round draft choice? Why the heck was he put back to field a punt? Whaddaya nuts?
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 01:04 pm
Hafley had him moving outside. He never takes him
Out of the slot and off the field. Maybe LaFleur should require it, but I don’t see him traded.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 10:34 am
I think that you have to have about 9 healthy DBs dressing out every game, for 17 games, and he's certainly one of our best 9. He's a vet, which means he isn't as easily fooled as an inexperienced player. He was one of our leading tacklers last year (when we were 9th in scoring defense), plays a lot of minutes, stays healthy enough to put on the field (unlike some other DBs).
We don't need Jones. Jacobs is plenty enough of a replacement, and as time wears on, it'll be more evident that this was a good move b y the organization.
A new DC. A premium FA Safety. #1 picks at both CB positions, plus Valentine and Nixon. Promising rookies in Bullard and Williams and KO. A top LB in the draft. Lots of talent on that DL.....Clark, Gary, VanNess, Wyatt,....all first round picks.
Why aren't we better on defense? Or is somebody going to explain to me that it's situational, and our yards per something average is actually better, according to pffdvoa? We are losing games where we score 29 points.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:23 am
#25 has played very well.
Re-negotiating to keep AJ33 and cut #25 is not an option.
dblbogey
September 30, 2024 at 10:38 am
"Malik would not have fared better as Flores had tailored a plan for him as well." We'll never know. Might have been nice to have a mobile QB who could pick up a few first downs with his legs.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 01:07 pm
Flores’ game plan didn’t look that impressive and nor do their yards totals. Hafley got whipped excruciatingly for over a half and deservedly.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 09:16 am
I agree with your comments on LaFleur, though I think the bigger disappointment was Hafley coming in with that game plan, essentially one Barry had proved would implode against a similar QB and these receivers. At least Hafley did eventually adjust, but does he not watch prior match ups, know what his players can and can’t do? Barry might as well have been DC till we were 28 points down.
A true HC would have known that from his own experience if they discussed strategy. It seems that’s not a LaFleur thing and that’s why he’s not a true HC in large part. He’s a great offensive pregame schemer. Sadly reality was exposed yesterday and the bulk of that was not the players, who, like early last year, showed they were better the further away they got from the original script.
I still think Hadley is an upgrade as he can adapt. I think he’s more timorous than he claims and I think he’s got a whole lot more to learn than we hoped. LaFleur continues to show he’s not a true HC. I fear that, when it matters most, that will continue to come back to bite us.
This team will get better with games. The O suggests it’s suffering from another poorly used preseason in particular. The talent is there. But we can’t afford to keep losing tactically or taking 6 plus games to be ready. I know the LaFleur fans will choke. Unfortunately, so did we. It’s time to distinguish between what he does well and wast he needs to if he’s going to fulfil this roster’s potential.
I’ve been a defender of giving Narveson a chance to prove himself. No more. LaFleur can say what he likes, but his 4th and 10 attempt in field goal range speaks louder. I don’t care if he likes the guy (that that’s a factor is actually a negative), he’s worse than Carlson. That’s all there is to it. We went from bad to worse. That’s on Gute. If you like Narveson enough, stick him on the PS for when and if he’s ready. Narveson had a much bigger impact than the 2 misses in that game.
HawkPacker
September 30, 2024 at 10:09 am
It has been mentioned somewhat jokingly to bring back Crosby. Well he probably can't kick it in the end zone any more but if he can kick it to the 5 yard line, that would be good enough based on today's rules. The other team can't get it to the 30 yard line.
If he can only kick fg's for less than 45 yards that would be fine by me because he will make most of them.
Then we know what we have. With Narvy, we don't know!
PeteK
September 30, 2024 at 10:35 am
Meanwhile Joseph kicked 5 FGs last Thurs.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 11:12 am
Last year he managed 71% conversion rate despite only 2 attempts over 40 yards. That ship has sailed.
It’s a pretty thin pool out there. Carlson aside, we are looking at the truly un tested, couple of vets that were ok but now mid 30s and coming off down years (Brett Maher,Riley Peterson, Randy Bullock) or oddities, like Carlson or Matthew Wright who was great in ‘21 and then has done nothing, literally. Theres always Chad Ryland, who was a 4th round pick and bombed, if you believe there were reasons now resolved (I’m not sure I could stand that).
My guess is that Matthew Wright or Randy Bullock are the best of a dubious bunch, a redemption project who was good or aging vet with a decent career till injury ended his season last year respectively. I just get the feeling Carlson won’t be an option and that they soured on him for more than his kicking. Thats one thing I get from the praise of Narveson’s character, despite his lesser performance.
Packerpasty
September 30, 2024 at 11:25 am
the last year he (Crosby) kicked he looked really bad like he was playing with a wooden leg and I seriously doubt he has gotten any stronger or has kept in shape...lets put "go get Crosby" to bed now".....
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 01:03 pm
I would point out that Carlson didn't miss a single FG under 40.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 01:10 pm
Just the extra points. Clearly LaFleur had enough of him by preseason end. Perhaps thats justified for reasons unknown (contrast his praise for Narveson’s mentality) or just a total foot-in-mouth head coach moment.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 01:22 pm
As you pointed out, maybe it was more than just the kicking. I'll never know. The point is, we got rid of a guy who was reliable from inside 40.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:42 am
Missed extra points were all from inside 40.
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 11:07 am
My only real complaint with Hafley was not sending more blitzes early. I get why he didn't without 2 of his top CB's. But I would have liked to see him send an extra rusher at least 1 or 2.
Later on they send Walker and he made a huge sack, which changed the drive. Another drive Nixon blitzed and had the sack fumble. I would like to see him being more aggressive!
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 01:07 pm
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. You're already playing backups at CB, and in order to blitz you have to sacrifice coverage.
The data is pretty clear on this: When you sacrifice coverage to get pressure, it actually INCREASES the likelihood of giving up a big play.
Pressure with 4, cover with 7. I thought we could get pressure with 4, but we couldn't. Obviously, the Minnesota Oline is pretty decent.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:44 am
Analyzing those same stats on that particular QB shows what? Hopefully that was part of the weekly planning.
CanPackFan
September 30, 2024 at 11:40 am
At the end of a game/season, the HC must take full responsibility for results, or lack thereof- just like the Captain of a ship. It may not be fair. But who said life was fair?
What bothers me is the Packer tendency to not make in game adjustments. As many have pointed out, they depended on a 4 man pass rush when clearly they needed more blitzing. Hafley will need to learn and adjust more quickly, but I'll take his style over Barry any day.
The lack of discipline- from players to coaches - MUST be corrected! MLF owns this. He must improve and be an example to his young players, and not another contributor of these penalty laden games...
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:46 am
Agreed, and I think this is a bigger issue than anything players can do.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:38 am
Strongly agree with your assessment of MLF; I put it that all his strengths are as OC, and all his weaknesses are as HC. That's not necessarily a knock on MLF either - can anyone do both as well as possible? Clock management, coach's challenge, in-game adjustments, player substitutions, AND playcalling?
Last off-season I was hoping MLF would delegate playcalling to someone else to focus on being HC. This off-season I was hoping he'd become OC, Stenavich would go back to O line coach, and Bill Belichik would be brought in as HC, even though I knew nothing like that would ever happen. (I'm still not sure Butkus shouldn't go back to Chicago)
I don't think any players can make up for issues like this. They shouldn't be expected to anyway. Hopefully we get proven wrong and MLF turns this all around? I'm not sticking a fork in the season, GB can still be "a competitive team," but real contenders? Doesn't look like it right now.
Boneman
September 30, 2024 at 09:17 am
There is a lot of 'lame' to go around from this game but with all of it, we came back to within one score with plenty of time left, all the momentum, the stadium rocking and what happens? Wash, rinse, repeat. Within a minute the defense let's the Vikes roll down the field for a score to put it back to two score lead and then the offense makes an inexplicable bonehead turnover. Why can't we get this situational stuff right? Very frustrating.
harleycops
September 30, 2024 at 09:23 am
This game was rubbish.
The defense was rubbish in not stopping throws to the WRs because once again they are wide open. So much for Hafley DB expertise. No rushes, no sacks, no stopping AJ. Why the heck we got rid of him is rubbish too. Looks to me like he's still got it both running and receiving. What did Jacobs do yesterday?
The offense was rubbish with flag after flag wiping big gains. Take the revolvers out of your holsters and stop shooting yourselves in the foot. 3 INTs - it's hard to win games when you give the opponent the ball.
H.C. Lafleuzy was rubbish screaming to the refs about a play that was correctly called upon review. The player can be in the end zone, but if the ball isn't, then it's not a TD.
Narveson was rubbish. He misses to the right. Well at least he's consistent. Problem is the ball has to go THROUGH the goal posts, not to the right again and again. I've had it with this lousy kicking game. How many more games will we come short on because the kicker can't kick a blasted FG? Oh BTW, remember kicker Joseph? He made 5 FGs with the Giants. We cut him and this is what we got left? Narveson should've been cut before he got butt out of the shower!
Sure, it was interesting to come back from 28. But there's no acceptable reason why we faced such odds. We score 29 points and LOSE? THAT'S RUBBISH!
EnemyTerritory
September 30, 2024 at 10:44 am
Time to pick up the phone and start dealing. Trade Love to Denver. We can maybe get Nix but we may have to throw in Reed and Xavier. We’ve got our guy in Malik. Fire Gutey, MLF, Hafley and Bisaccia. Must be a good HS coach we can bring in. Time to jettison JA and Jacob’s. Pure cuts. Let’s get the cap savings so we can draft better players when the draft is in GB. Geezus, the negativity after a loss is stunning. Yeah it was an ugly loss but seriously, the season is only a quarter or so over. The QB is wounded and hasn’t really had time to sync with the receivers; the CB room is depleted, and we played a very good team at nearly full strength who are in mid season form. 49ers, Eagles, andCowboys are also 2-2.
Narveson has to go tho…
NFLfan
September 30, 2024 at 10:58 am
@ET-I guess you have your tongue placed firmly in your cheek re: trading Love to Denver.
Denver won in spite of Nix-
We don't have a pass rush. These guys are either not able or not willing (Excluding Wyatt who has done well). Our linebackers are not up to standards.
Bissaccia is a problem and I anticipate a 2-3 year foot-dragging experience before he is finally let go.
Gutekunst does not draft D players well, IMO. He needs assistance.
Lphill
September 30, 2024 at 11:18 am
Grow up .
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:51 am
Learn to detect sarcasm.
RCPackerFan
September 30, 2024 at 11:09 am
"H.C. Lafleuzy was rubbish screaming to the refs about a play that was correctly called upon review. The player can be in the end zone, but if the ball isn't, then it's not a TD."
He was trying to call a Timeout and they didn't acknowledge him. So then he got pissed. I don't blame him and the reason he got the penalty was because he was overly demonstrative or something. Sorry but that is on the Refs. He is clearly trying to call timeout and they didn't give it to him.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:49 am
MLF wasn't screaming about the play, he had called timeout, TWICE, and all refs ignored him.
It was a "rubbish" call.
greengold
September 30, 2024 at 09:24 am
Jonathan, you said it all.
Rory P Scrotem
September 30, 2024 at 09:36 am
Riddle me this Packman...
A great deal of praise is heaped on Christian Watson for his ability to take off the top of Defenses with his speed. After going out of the game, Dontayvion Wicks is put into the game to take his place. Seems to me if Watson the speedster goes out, another speedster who can take the top off of Defenses should replace him? Wouldn't that be Bo Melton or, am I missing something?
I'm not necessarily advocating this. I'm just trying to understand the "taking off the top of Defenses" every time Christian Watson's name is mentioned?
Hitnhope23
September 30, 2024 at 06:43 pm
It's time to admit that another first round draft pick was wasted on Watson. He'll surely milk this injury for all it's worth. Clearly just here to collect a paycheck.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 05:58 am
I said No Melton should substitute for Christian Watson when he's off the field for whatever reason. The depth chart shows Wicks in that position instead. I think this makes life more difficult for JL10 than it needs to be; when #9 returns JL10 has not been able to connect with him for a while. #80 is not #9 but at least the speed is similar which could keep JL10 in tune with it.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 09:40 am
We missed two FGS, and that was six points. But we recovered a fumbled punt on t he 3. Doesn't special teams get any credit for that? Or is it all just "Special Teams Mistakes?"
All offseason I was skeptical of the new defense, but I figured we had added so much talent that the defense would be better, even if Hafley wasn't any better than Barry. I'm still skeptical. We've lost two games where we scored 29 points out of our first four.
Me, personally,I'd much rather give away some rushing yards and try to hold down the passing yards. Darnold threw 28 passes for 275 yards.....that's almost 10 yards per attempt. Rushing wise, they ran 34 times for 120 yards, only 3.5 yards/attempt. Some people might call that "stuffing the run"
10 > 3.5. Always has been,always will be.
Bitternotsour
September 30, 2024 at 10:08 am
29 points, and I'd argue it was an offensive fail. besides the 2 missed field goals the first half was a mishmash of awful. that minnesota defense was gettable and the LaFleur called offense let them off the hook. Love needed another week of practice. That's on LaFleur.
For as great as his game plans were in the two prior weeks, he spit the bit yesterday. That said, you can't make the playoffs in week 4.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 11:27 am
I think we left points on the field. That's how strong this offense is when it's working. Which it wasn't, for the first 3 quarters. Kind of like New Orleans last year....nothing, then full fury in the 4th quarter.
Long term, I think what we've learned in the first four weeks is that this offense can score points. We get guys blocked, and we've got some real good skill position players. We're going to be a top scoring offense this year, and those teams almost always make the playoffs.
I'm going to give some credit to Minnesota. They came out of the chute and executed three straight drives to go up 21-0. They protected Darnold and exploited our backup CBs. We'll see what happens next time we meet.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 06:04 am
This team needs to come out "full fury" from the first play, and STAY that way for the full 60 minutes.
HawkPacker
September 30, 2024 at 10:11 am
I believe things would have changed if we would have blitzed a bit more.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 10:57 am
Statistically, blitzing more would have resulted in more big plays against us.
Here's the deal: We had 4 turnovers, plus two missed FGs, which have the same net effect as a turnover. We also turned it over on downs, twice. That's 8 possessions. Normally, we only have about 11 possessions, but this game we had 15 possessions, so 8/15 is really bad.
This is a fact which overwhelms strategy, or personnel. It's why we lost yesterday. This was very atypical of the Packers, and I'm hoping/believing it'll be our worst game of the year in that regard. Usually, we do a better job of taking care of the ball than our opponent.
Defensively, after the first 3 TDs in the first quarter, the defense did a pretty good job of keeping the Vikings in check and getting off the field quickly.(Cue the Mrs. Lincoln jokes). They didn't allow the Vikings to burn the clock and that's why we had so many possessions. Without our starting CBs, we had to get pressure on Darnold and to the Vikings credit, we couldn't.
The Vikings get their biggest win of the season. We'll meet again. Statistically, they're probably a playoff team with a 4-0 start,unless it's a mega-collapse.
The road game in Minnesota becomes our most important remaining road game.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 06:00 am
It's not either ,/ or, you have to be able to play against BOTH the pass and the run to win championships.
Rory P Scrotem
September 30, 2024 at 10:05 am
I don't have an answer to this question...so please y'all...don't jump all over me!
If you take the Vikings starters and the Packers starters...player for player,
who has the better team. Maybe take 1/2 dozen of the back ups or role players
as well.
Then as smaller groups, take the rooms as we are always hearing about...the safeties
room, the db's room, tight ends, the kickers etc. Which team has the better rooms?
Next, I guess you might ask who has the better offense or defense team chemistry possibly
followed by who are the team leaders...not statistics but by how they lead.
I'm probably missing a few things but next, I think coaching needs to be considered...
and, not "just" the head coach.
Factor in luck...factor in who is taking advantage of opportunities.
Answer all these questions, then ask yourself...
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON THIS GAME?
NFLfan
September 30, 2024 at 11:08 am
@RPS-
I'll take a swing.
The Vikings D, many of whom are not household names, vastly outperformed against our 'first-round pick' D's
Our D-line had no answer for their o-line.
Brian Flores is heads and tails above Hafley. Hafley is not bad but Flores is a chess-master.
Our kicker is beyond bad but that is on Gutekunst-the kicker never played in the NFL!?
Vikings should have won the game and they will continue to do well. Good for them.
I appreciate competence.
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 09:08 pm
I did and told wife a pack fan, expect a beat down. The Vikes are the best team in the NFC period right now.
The packers are average, maybe slightly above.
We have a piss piss piss poor defensive pass scheme.
No kicker, poor pass rush.
Okay run game but no one is breaking it for a touch down run.
Starrbrite
September 30, 2024 at 10:12 am
I don’t agree with not starting Love—as Lombardi once said, players must play with hurts, etc. And how many are there playing 100% healthy?
I continue to say the officiating sucked—bad! They gave an unsportsmanlike to LaFluer for coaches behavior you witness every week. And their video reviews were especially lousy.
Jacobs needed more touches.
Hafley’s failure to blitz is a mystery? When you’re down three/four touchdowns, maybe you change your strategy… ?
Is Clark becoming Mike Daniels—disappearing?
Ok, nuff said—gonna throw a rock at my neighbors house—he’s a Viking’s fan
Go Packers!!!
packerskip
September 30, 2024 at 10:52 am
We can discuss all of the obvious issues all day long. The core issue in my opinion is that nothing will change until the culture in GB changes. This team is soft, especially on defense. It has been for a long time. The packers seldom control the line of scrimmage.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 11:06 am
The core issue is that we turned the ball over 4 times, plus two missed FGs, plus two failed 4th down conversions. That's 8 possessions that end up with a big zero to show for it, including one which put Minnesota in business at our goal line.
It was a very uncharacteristic performance. Love looked like he was shaking off rust, and the offense continues to make enough mistakes to stop themselves. I usually say the first four games are about discovering what you can do against live, first team opponents in a game that counts. Inevitably, some of the things aren't going to work, and you'll learn that, too.
Starrbrite
September 30, 2024 at 12:29 pm
I tend to agree with. There is no one on this D that you have to scheme around. Everyone is decent—not great. You need a Woodson or Matthews. McKinney has my attention, but he’s not Ed Reed, Nick Collins, or Polamalu. Maybe it’s coming?
Hitnhope23
September 30, 2024 at 06:46 pm
Amen! Truer words were never spoken.
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 08:52 pm
Soft? Soft? How can you say that they only let the Vikes more unfettered down field for 4 fn touch downs.
This is not a football team prepared or they are prepared and this is as good as it gets.
Any team with a passing game and online to give a qb time will pick these gb apart, with or without the loser Alexander.
I've said for years this pass d has has been crap before Capers. They don't draft talent.
NFLfan
September 30, 2024 at 11:11 am
Love had no lateral movement and could not push off his left leg. Yes, he was 'medically cleared' but his injury compromised him.
He was not at fault for the loss.
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 08:59 pm
He was at fault. Should have been honest that he wasn't 100% and not ready. He looked like shit against a top defense. Made mental and physical mistakes all game expect more of this. He was an interception machine in college
CanPackFan
September 30, 2024 at 11:11 am
To me, this was a repeat of Week one - another sloppy effort. Turnovers and penalties a plenty. I didn't feel that Love was ready for Week 1, and I didn't feel he was ready for Week 4. He only truly found himself in Q4 of Week 4. That final INT in the endzone is a ball that never should have been thrown. In hindsight, playing Willis might have been a smarter move and caused fewer turnovers. The lack of discipline by players and MLF must be corrected!
Starrbrite
September 30, 2024 at 12:30 pm
Yes—a good comparison.
Packerpasty
September 30, 2024 at 11:31 am
How come LVN still hasn't lived up to his lofty draft status?? This front four on D just cant get it done against good O lines....I thought our new D coordinator would fix things up...seems the same to me...
NFLfan
September 30, 2024 at 11:38 am
@PP-Hafley does't have the horses.
Strat
September 30, 2024 at 01:07 pm
"Until the last 10 minutes the game was a non-competitive beatdown." There's the truth right there. This D is never going to be what they've been saying it will be for how many years now? They're fooling themselves with their evaluation of the talent. It would've come together by now. I don't think it would matter who they brought in as DC. The players said they liked what Hafley was doing, it hasn't panned out. You're not going to play Will "Santa Claus" Levis with gift TD's every week. They need to address the kicking situation, but even with the missed FG's, you never know how the game is going to turn out. They had two drives at the end, stupid, ridiculous, throw it up for grabs interception and Kraft fumbling the ball away. Either one of those drives could've provided the extra 3 needed when it mattered to win. Yeah, it's only four games, but for a supposed super bowl contender, they should be executing a lot better.
MadJam
September 30, 2024 at 01:13 pm
Alright, here we go again, folks. Let’s talk about the Green Bay Packers—a team so good at making the wrong decision, you’d think they were auditioning for a reality TV show called *"America’s Got Football Fails."* And Matt LaFleur? Well, he’s the star of this sad little sitcom. One week he’s the Coach of the Year, the next he’s making decisions like he’s pulling plays out of a fortune cookie. “Play Jordan Love? Sure, why not! What could go wrong?”
Hey, newsflash, Matt: Medical clearance doesn’t mean, "Hey, this guy’s got Wolverine-level healing powers." It means, “He can limp his way back onto the field without a wheelchair.” And guess what? If you don’t have lateral mobility in the NFL, you’re a stationary target—like a deer staring at headlights, just waiting to get flattened. And LaFleur knew this, but decided to gamble on his franchise quarterback’s half-baked recovery against the hottest team in the league. That's like throwing a Chihuahua into a cage with a lion and expecting a fair fight.
Now, Brian Flores? That man’s out there with a grin on his face, drawing up blitzes and sending everything but the kitchen sink at Love. Oh, and Malik Willis? He’s standing there on the sidelines with a big ol' "Why the hell am I not in?" look. Because LaFleur would rather hobble around with a wounded quarterback than play the guy who, hey, *beat two teams* while not looking like a glorified tackling dummy.
But wait, there's more genius on display! The Packers abandoned the pre-snap motion and misdirection that made Willis successful. Oh, why use something that *works* when you can turn your offense into a low-budget version of what doesn’t? What is this, reverse psychology for football? “Let’s confuse ‘em by doing *everything worse.* That'll throw 'em off!”
And Brayden Narveson, the kicker that makes you wish your TV remote had a “skip” button for field goals. "Misses from 37 yards? No problem!" Might as well have a scarecrow out there kicking. And don’t worry, Gutekunst is all over it—like a kid deciding whether to take out the trash now or wait until it’s overflowing. Mason Crosby with a cane? I’d take it. Hell, I’d take Mason Crosby with a *walker* at this point.
And the defense? Oh, poor Jeff Hafley, gotta feel for the guy. Missing corners, missing focus—missing just about everything but a hope and a prayer. Aaron Jones is out there reminding Green Bay why they let him walk, and Sam Darnold is cruising like he’s in a Sunday afternoon pickup game. Here’s an idea, Hafley: ever heard of a blitz? It’s like putting pressure on the quarterback. Yeah, they’ve been doing it since the dawn of football. Maybe give it a try, instead of sitting back and hoping Darnold just, I don’t know, forgets how to throw.
And the mistakes—oh, the glorious mistakes. Receivers dropping balls, guys missing easy interceptions, and Tucker Kraft fumbling because apparently, *why not?* If you’re gonna screw up, might as well do it big, right? Go out of bounds to stop the clock? Nah, that’d be too sensible. Let’s make it entertaining.
The unsung hero, Eric Stokes. Yeah, the guy just doing his job quietly while the rest of the team’s busy auditioning for a blooper reel.
And hey, shout-out to Jayden Reed! One bright light in a sea of darkness. The kid’s catching everything thrown his way like he's the only one not completely asleep at the wheel. Offensive line? I mean, they tried. And Daniel Whelan, the punter—because when your *punter* is getting a game ball, you know things are rough.
So there we have it, folks. LaFleur, once hailed as a genius, now taking notes from the book of “Let’s See How Badly We Can Screw This Up.” And next week, it's the Rams. Maybe they'll finally use their brains, or maybe we’ll see more of this circus, with Jordan Love hobbling around like he’s one step away from needing crutches. Either way—strap in, 'cause it’s bound to be another episode of "The Great Green Bay Gamble." GPG, baby. God help us.
packanimal
September 30, 2024 at 01:25 pm
I strenuously disagree with this statement of Jonathan's: "Minnesota ran up 28 on Green Bay before anyone finished their first beer." I know that I'm not the only one who'd put away more than that before Minn. got to 28 points.
Jonathan.Krim
September 30, 2024 at 01:27 pm
Fair. My bad.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 06:40 am
They turned our first half score into a garbage time score though. I'm not sure I've ever seen that.
We all expected whoever got ahead first not to relinquish that lead.
DragonSilk
September 30, 2024 at 02:22 pm
I agree with everything the author said. That makes him an absolute genius!
Minniman
September 30, 2024 at 02:51 pm
Jonathan, I don't agree with you saying that there were no game balls to be given.
Jayden Reed - 7/8 targets for 139 yards was worthy
Josh Jacobs averaging 5.71 yards on 9 attempts was worthy (and his biggest run got called back, so the yards would have been more).... side note: what rule says when you are down 2 scores that you MUST abandon the run - sure, the clock runs, but has no-one heard of hurry up football!!!!!
The Packers coming from 28-0 back to 22-28 was worthy - and one of those TD's was a 2-pt conversion that looked almost easy!
With 6 1/2 minutes to go and the Packers on the march I honestly thought that the Packers were going to take this one (alas - an int) ... even again with 4 minutes to go they were on the march and not looking like being stopped (alas a fumble). With 2 minutes to go a 2 score swing was most unlikely, but they came close.
Yes - they absolutely got blown away in the first.... and yes, I can't argue that at 28-0 the Vikings possibly mentally clocked off.
BUT - an obviously hampered Jordan Love (and the team) got better as the game went on and I didn't see any Vikings answers.
To quote many of the long time regulars here " they played a stinker, chuck it in the bin and move on"
Eldoublek
October 01, 2024 at 02:08 am
I said it all week, as well. " play Willis" for 3 reasons. 1 : Love isn't fully healed and you risk further injury. 2: Malik is mobile and has proven to be effective within this system. 3: you can afford the loss. It's not a must win game.
For as amazing as MLF can be he also can be head scratching. If only we could get a consistent product week in and out.. I particularly like MLFs post game sarcasm. Like, dude, you are the coach; no matter how irritating the question is to you, if you win you don't get asked
SicSemperTyrannis
October 01, 2024 at 06:44 am
You play to win. Pretending a division game is inconsequential doesn't make sense.
Rhiller
October 01, 2024 at 01:18 pm
Love suffered a leg injury not a head injury. But his mistakes in the game, of which there were many, were primarily mental not physical. Many of the passes he threw should not have been made. Last season Love was extremely lucky. He made alot of bad decisions last year but he was fortunate that his bad throws were caught by Packers. That good luck is not going to follow him around forever. We are seeing the real Jordon Love. Get used to it.