Despite a pick-six and several other opportunities for more turnovers on Sunday in Washington, the Green Bay Packers still only managed one takeaway and were once again unable to win the turnover battle.
It’s becoming a troubling new trend for Matt LaFleur’s struggling football team. Through seven games, the Packers have lost the turnover battle three times and tied four times, with zero wins.
Last season, the Packers lost the turnover battle just three times and finished 11-0 in the regular season when getting at least one takeaway.
Since hiring LaFleur, the Packers are 30-0 when winning the turnover battle. In the 30 wins, the Packers created 64 takeaways and turned it over just nine times.
On Sunday, De’Vondre Campbell’s interception return for a touchdown was cancelled out by Amari Rodgers’ muffed punt return, creating a 1-1 tie in takeaways.
Missed opportunities will haunt the Packers defense. According to Pro Football Focus, Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke finished the game with five “turnover-worthy plays,” but he was intercepted just once and didn’t have a lost fumble.
Last season’s 26 takeaways from the Packers ranked in the top 10 of the NFL. Through seven games in 2022, the Packers have just five, tied for the third-fewest.
Simply put, a defense capable of creating so much pressure on the quarterback combined with an experienced and talented secondary should be creating more takeaways, especially when considering the quarterbacks faced this season.
During the three-game losing streak, the Packers have just two giveaways (one on Rodgers’ muffed punt, and one on a fumbled exchange between Aaron Rodgers and A.J. Dillon), but the defense has just the one takeaway.
Another fun fact: Campbell’s pick-six was the first time the Packers have scored off a turnover all season.
This is a team that absolutely needs game-changing plays, and nothing can change a game faster than a well-timed takeaway. The offense, stuck in neutral or reverse for big chunks of most games these days, could use the short fields and the jolt of energy often created by a takeaway.
The margin for error in terms of winning and losing has rarely been this thin in the Aaron Rodgers era, but turnovers could be one part to getting this thing turned around. A team once so easily capable of winning the turnover battle now hasn’t won the battle in seven tries this season. Protecting the football will always be key in Green Bay. Now it’s time for Joe Barry’s defense to start taking the ball away at a considerably higher clip.
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