Too little, too late for the Packers

Packers offense doesn’t show up for three quarters

The Green Bay Packers stagnant offense woke up too late and could not complete the comeback losing to the division rival Minnesota Vikings 27-25 bringing their NFC North record to 1-4. QB Jordan Love had one his roughest games as a starter finishing 19/30 with 185 YDS (45 at halftime) and 1 TD. RB Josh Jacobs finished with 69 YDS rushing on 17 carries with 1 TD and a fumble. WR Romeo Doubs lead the team with 7 receptions for 58 YDS as untimely offensive penalties were a theme through out the game. Rookies S Javon Bullard and LB Edgerrin Cooper lead the team with 11 tackles.

You can find out how it all unfolded in our latest game recap.

Gut Reactions to Packers 27-25 loss to the Vikings

Aaron chats with Packers fans worldwide after Green Bay's disappointing 27-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Vikings 27, Packers 25: Game Balls / Lame Calls

It might be that the Minnesota Vikings are better than the Detroit Lions, and will secure the top NFC seed next week. What is certain, after the Vikings smoked the Packers 27-25 on Sunday, is that the Packers belong in their third spot in the NFC North.

Yes, smoked, despite some too-little, too-late drama in the last five minutes. On both sides of the ball, the Packers were out played, out muscled and out coached, in addition to hurting themselves with drive-killing, point-subtracting penalties at key moments. Minnesota had 441 total yards to Green Bay’s 271, and dominated time of possession. For the past few weeks the chatter has been all about how the Packers have beaten everyone they’ve played except three teams with a combined seven losses. The corollary is that the Packers appear unable to beat those teams, including losing twice to the Lions and Vikings.

It would be nice if we could chalk up Sunday to one bad game, but this was a litmus test of where Green Bay stands in the NFL pecking order, and they proved that as a franchise they are a tier below the top teams. The Vikings have more top-shelf talent and exposed long-standing Packer deficiencies: A middling pass rush, inadequate coverage in the middle of the field and an offense that relies too heavily on high-variance plays to win consistently when the explosives aren’t there.

The Packers can certainly play better than they did Sunday, and strange things can happen once the post-season starts. But it sure looks like this team has to be nearly perfect to beat the best teams, which is not a recipe for a deep playoff run.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: Packers vs Vikings

Aaron Nagler hands out the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Green Bay Packers 27-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Packers Snap Counts Vs. The Vikings: Week 17

The Packers elevated Safety Omar Brown from the practice squad. Apparently, the Packers were not sure whether Bullard would be able to play. Quay Walker, Christian Watson, Jaire Alexander, Evan Williams, and Andre Dillard were all inactive due to injury. Omar Brown was a healthy scratch. Note that Zayne Anderson and McKinney were the starters at safety. Malik Willis and Jacob Monk were active but did not play.

Find out who did play and how much in this week’s Packers Snap Counts.

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The Lass Word: Not in the same class

There are three teams in the NFC that have better records than Green Bay.  The Packers have had five games against them.  They’ve lost all five.  That is what you call a ceiling.  After sixteen games, we now have a pretty good handle on who these Packers are.  They are good enough to beat bad teams.  They are good enough to beat good teams, if the good teams are decimated by injuries.  They are not in the same class as the best teams. 

They are good enough to make the playoffs.  But they certainly haven’t shown any evidence of going very far in them.  They are not Super Bowl contenders.  They are a nice, young team that is four or five players away from being able to hang with the elite.  They need a star pass rusher, better corners, a number one receiver, a blue chip tackle, and a quarterback who doesn’t need three and a half quarters to warm up. 

Of course, every team needs these things.  They are not easy to find.  Especially when you are drafting toward the bottom of the draft every year.  But until Green Bay can add a few more playmakers, we are going to have to be satisfied with a team that is just pretty good.  Their record is 11-5.  That’s pretty good.  There are about eighteen other fan bases around the league that would trade places with us.  But the name on the marquee is Titletown.  If championships are the only thing that make you happy, this team is a few years away….

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