Five days ago, the Green Bay Packers had a pulse. But after a crushing Thursday night loss to the Tennessee Titans, they are back to flatlining, and a come-from-behind win over the Dallas Cowboys looks like nothing more than a flash in the pan.
Sitting at 4-7, the Packers’ season could very well be over. There appears to be too much ground to make up in a crowded NFC playoff picture where winning the division is out of the question and winning out still might not be enough.
“We’re not in a very good position right now, that’s for sure,” head coach Matt LaFleur said to reporters postgame. “Like I told the guys, there’s no margin for error, period.”
Green Bay looked nothing like the team that took the field last Sunday when the offense and defense complemented each other with two touchdowns off turnovers and mounted a 14-point comeback in the second half before pulling off an overtime win. However, there was almost no complementary football from the Packers in their 27-17 loss to the Titans, leaving LaFleur almost at a loss for words.
“I don’t even know what to say. It was nothing like a few days ago, and that’s why you’re only as good as your last game, and every time you step out on that field, you’ve got to go out and do it.”
One player that didn’t perform up to his standard was quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who completed 24 of 39 passes for 227 yards with two touchdown passes but missed some key throws that could have kept his team in the game.
“I’ve got to throw the ball better than I did tonight,” Rodgers said. “Not a lot of margin for error for us and definitely not against a team that gives you some opportunities. We’ve got to have those plays.”
During the fourth quarter, Green Bay had two chances to cut it to a one-possession game and somehow squandered both. First, they wasted an interception by Rasul Douglas by going three and out on the ensuing drive after Rodgers couldn’t connect with a wide-open Sammy Watkins across the middle on third down.
It was more of the same when the Packers’ offense took over again with less than seven minutes remaining. On third down, Rodgers overthrew Allen Lazard on a deep crosser that could have picked up a good chunk of the 37 yards needed to score. Instead, it set up a fourth-down attempt that saw Rodgers throw a Hail Mary when only three yards were enough for a first down. The pass fell incomplete, nowhere near an unsuspecting Lazard who had given up on the route.
While the offense resorted back to the same befuddlement during their five-game losing streak, the defense looked almost equally discombobulated. They came equipped to stop Derrick Henry the runner but failed to account for Henry the receiver or Henry the passer.
The NFL’s leading rusher averaged only 3.1 yards per carry but had two receptions for 45 yards and added a three-yard touchdown throw to tight end Austin Hooper.
However, Henry wasn’t the offensive MVP for Tennessee. That honor went to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who picked apart Green Bay’s secondary for a season-high 333 yards while throwing a pair of touchdowns. To add insult to injury, the Titans entered the game with the 31st-ranked pass offense.
Eleven weeks into the season, coverage breakdowns and communication issues are still plaguing this defense that is performing well below expectations. If the Packers can’t stop Tannehill and the Titans’ rag-tag receiving corps, they probably aren’t going to stop very many teams the rest of the way.
And for those reasons, Green Bay’s season looks like a lost cause. Another defeat would presumably put an end to all playoff hopes, and their next opponent is the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles.
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