The Green Bay Packers finished 15th in points scored, 17th in yards per play and 12th in scoring percentage during the 2019 season. The offense was great at avoiding turnovers and converting in the red zone, but the entire operation was too inconsistent in its first year under coach Matt LaFleur, leaving room for major improvement next season.
Here are the three stats the Packers need to improve in 2020:
Third down conversion percentage: Third down was a problem all season long. The Packers converted just 36 percent of third downs, good for 23rd in the NFL. Matt LaFleur said it wasn’t up to the team’s standard. The offense too often failed on early downs and set up third-and-long situations, and the group wasn’t good enough in the passing game to consistently convert. Aaron Rodgers completed just 54 percent of passes on third down, and he actually threw more incompletions on third down (67) than completions that gained first downs (61). He also took 18 sacks (fourth-most) and turned 14 scramble attempts into just three conversions. Avoiding self-inflicted mistakes on first and second down and getting a difference-maker at receiver or tight end could lead to immediate improvement next season. Rodgers must be better, too. He proved in the playoff win over the Seahawks that he can still get it done on the money down.
Completion percentage: Rodgers completed just 62.0 percent of his passes in 2019, despite cutting down on his throwaways and throwing more passes to running backs. Rodgers still threw away 31 passes and receivers dropped 24 of his passes, but a new offense designed to make his life easier failed to result in an uptick in completions. In fact, his completion percentage fell marginally compared to last season. Third down, as noted above, was a problem area. He completed just 54 percent of passes on third down, ranking him 26th among starting NFL quarterbacks. His 62.0 completion percentage in 2019 was the second-lowest in a season since he took over as a starter in 2008. He finished 21st in the NFL in completion percentage, and his bad throw percentage of 21.2 percent was the highest among qualified quarterbacks. Rodgers has completed 65 percent of his passes in just one of the last five seasons (2016). His accuracy to all areas of the field waned at times this past season, especially late in the year, but adding playmakers in the passing game and continuing to get more comfortable in the offense should help drive improvement in 2020.
Yards after catch: Davante Adams, Aaron Jones and even Jamaal Williams gave the Packers production after the catch in 2019, but the offense needed a lot more individual creation from the secondary options in the passing game. Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the rest of the receivers behind Adams accomplished little after the catch. The offense will become more efficient and consistent when there’s another receiver on the roster capable of turning a catch two yards downfield into a 15-yard gain. According to Pro Football Reference, Allison, Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow combined to create exactly three broken tackles in 2019. Getting a creative player who is difficult to tackle should be high on the checklist for GM Brian Gutekunst. Several draft-eligible receivers fit the bill.
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