It was yet another disappointing performance by the Green Bay Packers that resulted in their third straight loss. At 3-4, the 2022 season is barely hanging on, and feels like it could be on the verge of spiraling out of control.
If you’re up for it, let’s go Behind the Numbers with the stats and figures you need to know from the Packers’ performance against Washington.
0/7
The only time we saw the Green Bay Packers move the chains on either third or fourth down was when Washington committed a penalty. Otherwise, the Packers were a combined 0-for-7 in those situations. A lack of success on early downs put Green Bay behind the sticks against one of the best third-down defenses in the NFL. This inability to pick up a first down led to a massive discrepancy in time of possession and the number of plays ran, with Washington holding the ball for nearly 15 more minutes while running 72 offensive plays compared to the Packers’ 47.
9
Green Bay had been one of the least penalized teams in the NFL prior to Sunday’s contest, but they would end up being flagged nine times for 69 yards against Washington, including one penalty that took a defensive touchdown away. After the game, I said that this offense has to crawl before it can walk, and what I meant by that was it doesn’t much matter what adjustments Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers make; if the Packers can’t do the little things right, it doesn’t matter. Penalties, drops, turnovers, inaccurate passes, wrong routes, and not lining up correctly have all been issues at one point or another this season.
1
The Packers’ makeshift offensive line allowed only pressure against a robust Washington defensive front; however, they were greatly aided by the quick passing game and tight end chips. Rodgers’ average time to throw was just 2.13-seconds, his fastest time since Week 3 of the 2021 season, according to PFF. The play calling very much felt limited as the Packers tried to protect their offensive line.
4
Not terribly worried about the Packers’ offensive line, the Commanders rushed just four players for essentially the entire game. This allowed Washington to drop seven into coverage, which contributed to the Packers’ issues in the passing game. Overall, Rodgers threw for only 194 yards, a figure that is inflated by the last two possessions and averaged only 5.5 yards per pass. Wide receivers not named Allen Lazard combined for five catches, three drops, and 54 yards – 28 of which came on one play to Sammy Watkins.
29
PFF credited the Packers’ pass rush with a whopping 29 pressures on Sunday – a massive amount. However, Green Bay was oftentimes just half a step slow, converting only one of those pressure opportunities into sacks. Taylor Heinicke also deserves a lot of credit for hanging in the pocket, staring this pressure down, and delivering a few key passes.
0
The Green Bay Packers still have not won the turnover battle in a game this season. While De’Vondre Campbell did come away with a pick-six, a few other opportunities were missed, and a scoop and score was called back due to a penalty. Under Matt LaFleur, the Packers are 30-0 when they win the turnover battle, and winning it can also help hide some of the deficiencies on offense. The Packers are currently minus-four in turnover differential this season.
73
Jaire Alexander wanted to be matched up with Terry McLaurin, and that’s what Joe Barry did. Unfortunately, it was McLaurin who got the best of Alexander, totaling 73 yards on five receptions, including a 37-yard touchdown and a third-down catch that basically ended the game. It was a matchup between two premier players at their respective positions, and sometimes, the other really good player wins.
12
Green Bay ran the ball 12 times to Rodgers’ 35 pass attempts. Moving the ball on the ground wasn’t easy by any means behind this offensive line and against that Washington front, as the Packers averaged only 3.2 yards per rush. However, Green Bay has to strike a better balance. This passing game is nowhere near good enough to be relied upon that heavily, especially with how Washington was defending them. By no means is an average of 3.2 yards great, and it’s not going to look pretty, but even at that clip, it can help the offense stay even with the sticks, which hopefully leads to some manageable third downs – although doing that would require consistency. As Rodgers said afterward, the Commanders sat in their Cover-2 shell with seven defenders in coverage for much of the game, some success and also consistency on the ground could have forced Washington to deviate from this plan, potentially opening up the passing game a bit
3
Amari Rodgers put the ball on the ground for the third time this season, and it resulted in the Commanders putting three points on the board. Who knows how this game would play out if Rodgers simply catches that punt, but in a game where the Packers lost by two, that was one of the key moments. Just like a week ago when it felt like Royce Newman’s time as a starter was up, it feels the same way for Rodgers as a punt returner. A few names to watch include Keisean Nixon, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, and Christian Watson.
6
As Zach Kruse pointed out, if the Packers are going to make the playoffs, they likely have to win a minimum of six games moving forward, which would put them at 9-8. This won’t be easy because of how poorly they are playing, but Green Bay also has to face Buffalo, Dallas, Philadelphia, Tennessee, and Minnesota, among others.