The Green Bay Packers earned a second consecutive win without Jordan Love under center on Sunday in Tennessee and could now be in a position to welcome back their starting quarterback for a big-time showdown with the Minnesota Vikings next week at Lambeau Field.
Love can thank the playcalling genius of Matt LaFleur, the calm and cool demeanor of Malik Willis and a swarming defense coordinated by Jeff Hafley for salvaging what could have been a nightmare start to the 2024 season. Instead of starting 1-2 or 0-3, the Packers are 2-1 and swelling with confidence after taking care of business against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans in back-to-back weeks. And Love could be back next week for a visit from the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Titans:
The Good
Defensive dominance: For the second consecutive week, the Packers defense stepped up to the challenge of helping a backup quarterback win a football game. On Sunday, Hafley’s defense delivered eight sacks, three takeaways, a pick-six and a fourth-down stop, and the Titans were held scoreless on nine of 11 possessions. The Packers stuffed the run early, built a lead and then harassed Will Levis for seven sacks in the second half.
Malik Willis on third down early: The Packers knew they needed to make a few more plays in big spots against a testy Titans defense, and Willis delivered, especially in the first half. He hit Christian Watson for 30 yards on 3rd-and-6 on the first drive, ran for a pair of first downs on third down to set up a field goal and delivered strikes to Romeo Doubs and Watson to convert third-and-longs on a field goal drive before the half. That’s 13 points off big conversions from Willis. The Packers won by 16.
Even more interceptions: Jaire Alexander produced his first-career pick-six, and Xavier McKinney grabbed an interception for the third consecutive game to start his Packers career. Alexander’s touchdown gave the Packers a 17-7 lead in the first quarter, McKinney’s pick sealed the deal late. The Packers now have seven picks in 2024, matching the team’s total from 2023.
Winning with a backup: The Packers did all the things required of playing winning football with a backup quarterback. No turnovers. Win the line of scrimmage. Explosive plays from playmakers. Defensive dominance. Takeaways. The Packers are winning with a formula that works regardless of who is playing quarterback.
The Bad
Red zone: The Packers are still having issues turning red-zone trips into touchdowns. With just one touchdown on three trips on Sunday, the Packers are now 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) to start 2024. Green Bay had 1st-and-goal from the 2-yard line on their second possession but ended up settling for a 21-yard field goal. Late in the first half, the Packers got to the Titans 13-yard line with 1:27 left but ended up kicking a 26-yard field goal as time expired following a third-down sack of Malik Willis. Margins on thin in the scoring area, and the Packers haven’t executed well enough, especially in the run game. Willis did score a 5-yard rushing touchdown on the first drive. The Titans, meanwhile, converted both of their red-zone trips into touchdowns.
The Ugly
Yellow flags everywhere: The Packers were penalized 10 more times on Sunday, and that’s not even counting a few offsetting or declined penalties. Rasheed Walker was flagged for a pair of penalties on one drive, Elgton Jenkins had two holding penalties negate successful runs and Zach Tom got dinged for a procedural penalty. On the Titans’ first scoring drive, Preston Smith was offsides on 3rd-and-8, negating what would have been a drive-ending sack from Rashan Gary. The Titans converted given a second chance and scored a touchdown soon after. The special teams also had a pair of penalties, including one on a punt that ended up costing the Packers 20 yards in field position. The Packers finished with 75 penalty yards, compared to just 15 yards on two penalties from the Titans. Matt LaFleur’s team now has two games in three weeks with 10 penalties.