Usually cheese gets better with age, but somehow, the Packers offense has gotten worse with each passing week this season and it arguably reached rock bottom during Green Bay’s stunning 27-10 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers might want to think about taking his offense on an ayahuasca retreat, because whatever this group is doing right now, it’s not working.
Almost as soon as the game started, the Packers offense looked lost nearly every time it touched the ball. On its opening possession, the Packers went three-and-out and things only got uglier after that. Here’s what happened on their next nine possessions following the three-and-out: Punt, punt, blocked field goal, punt, fumble, downs, field goal, punt, blocked punt TD.
That’s something you might expect to see from the Jets of old, but certainly not the Packers. One problem for Green Bay is that Rodgers doesn’t seem to trust his receivers. Last season, Rodgers had Davante Adams and whenever a play broke down, he would simply dump it off to Adams. This season, when the other team gets pressure on Rodgers, the play is essentially dead because he has nowhere to go and the Jets definitely put some pressure on him in this game (They sacked Rodgers four times).
It also doesn’t help that Rodgers hasn’t been as accurate as he has been the past two years. Against the Jets, Rodgers was missing throws that he would normally make, including the pass below, which was underthrown by about 10 yards.
Overall, Rodgers completed just 26 of 41 passes against New York and he also lost a fumble that led to a Jets field goal.
One thing that may be contributing to his accuracy issues is that Rodgers seems to be dealing with an injured thumb. He banged the finger up last week and it was definitely still bothering him on Sunday.
If that’s an injury that doesn’t heal quickly, it’s not going to be easy for the Packers to fix their offense.
When the Packers can’t throw the ball, their offense can usually still function thanks to Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, but now, teams are expecting that. The Packers’ opponents seem to be well aware that the passing game is off, and because of that, they’re prepared to stop the run.
Here’s Jones getting hammered for a loss by Quinnen Williams.
That tackle was Green Bay’s ground game in a nutshell on Sunday. The Packers averaged just 3 yards per carry against the Jets.
For once, the Packers might actually be in trouble. At 3-3, the Packers have now scored 15 or fewer points in three of their six games and there’s no easy way to fix the offense. If Green Bay can’t fix it soon, the team’s three-year reign atop the NFC North is going to come to an end.
Alright, let’s get to the grades for every game from Week 6. If you’re looking for a deeper dive on the Commanders‘ 12-7 win over Chicago that was played on Thursday, be sure to click here.
L.A. Chargers 19-16 over Denver in OT (Monday)
Broncos-Chargers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
N.Y. Jets 27-10 over Green Bay
Jets-Packers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Cincinnati 30-26 over New Orleans
Bengals-Saints grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 28-14 over San Francisco
49ers-Falcons grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Indianapolis 34-27 over Jacksonville
Jaguars-Colts grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
N.Y. Giants 24-20 over Baltimore
Ravens-Giants grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Pittsburgh 20-18 over Tampa Bay
Buccaneers-Steelers grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New England 38-15 over Cleveland
Patriots-Browns grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 24-16 over Miami
Vikings-Dolphins grades by Shanna McCarriston (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let her know on Twitter.)
L.A. Rams 24-10 over Carolina
Panthers-Rams grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 19-9 over Arizona
Cardinals-Seahawks grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Buffalo 24-20 over Kansas City
Bills-Chiefs grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 26-17 over Dallas
Cowboys-Eagles grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)