Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers dispelled worries about his inconsistent offense and noted the value of being able to “win ugly” in the NFL, but several others involved with the Packers offense recognized the need for more as a 10-win team races toward the postseason.
The Packers jumped out to a 14-0 lead over the Washington Redskins in the first quarter on Sunday but managed only six more points the rest of the way while holding on for a 20-15 win.
“We’ve got a lot to clean up in order to move forward to get to where we want to get to,” coach Matt LaFleur said Sunday. “We’ve got to take a look at the film critically and clean up wherever we need to clean up and make sure our plan is tight and that our guys know what to do when they’re out there and we’ve got to get better.”
The Packers made five trips into Washington territory in the first half but scored only the two touchdowns. Rodgers missed a potential touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham on one series and fumbled away another possession late in the first half on a first-down sack.
Overall, the Packers managed 167 net passing yards and converted 5-of-13 third-down opportunities. Rodgers took four sacks and was largely ineffective as a passer from the second quarter on.
LaFleur said the performance wasn’t up to the team’s standards.
Right tackle Bryan Bulaga agreed that the Packers need to be playing at a higher level, especially with important divisional games on the horizon.
“I mean, it’s definitely going to make it difficult to beat those teams, let’s just put it that way,” Bulaga said Sunday. “I think you’re going into division play and all these guys…we all know each other so well. We’re going to need to be better and it starts this coming week against Chicago. And we’re going to have to be better and perform better and just go back to work and clean things up.”
After 13 games, the Packers rank 13th in the NFL in points scored and 17th in yards per play – stats befitting a struggling offense with the potential for so much more.
Winning ugly against bad teams is fine. The Packers just needed to get through a two-game stretch against the Giants and Redskins without a loss. Getting to 10-3 was the goal, and they accomplished it, regardless of style points.
But now the real tests are coming: The Bears’ swarming defense is headed to Lambeau Field on Sunday, and the next Monday the Packers will go to Minnesota to play Mike Zimmer and the Vikings. They can’t expect to win ugly in the postseason against well-rounded teams like the 49ers, Seahawks and Saints.
It’s hard to say if we’ve learned anything about the Packers the last two weeks, but we’ll certainly learn a lot about LaFleur, Rodgers and this offense over the next two games.