Tag: good bad ugly

The Green Bay Packers finished the 2024 regular season with a thud. Jordan Love and Christian Watson both exited with injuries, the Chicago Bears got a game-winning field goal as time expired and Matt LaFleur’s team dropped a second consecutive game entering the postseason with a 24-22 defeat at Lambeau Field in the season finale.

The loss snapped the Packers’ 11-game win streak over the Bears, who won at Lambeau Field for the first time since 2015. Green Bay is now locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs.

The loss stings, and the injuries add salt to the wound. Love should be fine, but Watson — a playmaker in the passing game — is unlikely to be available as the Packers prepare to play the 14-3 Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round next weekend.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Bears:

The Good

The defense: Although the finish late marred the performance overall, the Packers defense otherwise played well. The Bears finished with only 224 total yards, and seven of Chicago’s 24 points came via a punt return touchdown in the first quarter. The Bears averaged 3.9 yards per play, 4.5 yards per pass attempt and 3.2 yards per run attempt, and the Packers forced two turnovers, including one late to set up the go-ahead field goal. This was a winning performance from Jeff Hafley’s defense. The other two phases of the game — offense and special teams — failed the Packers on Sunday.

The Bad

Jordan Love’s passing game: Love completed only seven passes across five possessions with the No. 1 offense before exiting with an injury. The Packers passing game is in a funk, and a reckoning must happen before going to Philadelphia in the NFC Wild Card Round. Can this team go on a run without Love getting super hot in the postseason? It’s hard to imagine.

The finish: In so many ways, the Packers finish to the 2024 season raised red flags. One year after winning their way into the postseason, Matt LaFleur’s team limped into the playoffs losing back-to-back games against divisional rivals. Green Bay ended the year 0-5 against the Eagles, Vikings and Lions and 1-5 against the division. On Sunday, the Packers had a chance to put away the Bears on multiple occasions late and failed. LaFleur’s ill-timed timeout before Brandon McManus’ field goal saved the Bears previous seconds, and then the Packers gave up an explosive play on 3rd-and-11 to create the opportunity for Cairo Santos to win the game on the final play. The margins are so thin in the NFL, and the Packers are losing on the margins to end the 2024 season. But it’s a new season when the playoffs start next weekend.

The Ugly

Injuries: Losing isn’t fun, especially to a rival at home, but the Packers had so little to play for — the difference of one seed in the postseason field — that the only thing that could have truly made Sunday’s season finale a big defeat was suffering a costly injury or two. Well, that’s exactly what happened. Christian Watson suffered a non-contact knee injury, and it appears his 2024 season is over. Four plays later, Jordan Love fell hard on his right elbow, lost feeling in his throwing hand and missed the rest of the contest. On just one series, the Packers lost a huge playmaker on offense and then saw the quarterback suffer a right arm/hand injury. Love is confident he’ll play next week, but he’s been dealing with injury all season and needed to be healthy entering the postseason. We’ll see next week if there are any other injuries coming out of this loss for the Packers.

The Green Bay Packers dropped to 11-5 entering the season’s final week after losing 27-25 to the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The Packers took an early 3-0 lead but trailed by 10 at halftime and twice trailed by 17 in the second half before scoring 15 straight points in the fourth quarter to make the final couple of minutes interesting.

A couple of completions from Sam Darnold — who finished with a career high 377 passing yards — finished the deal on the final drive.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Vikings:

The Good

The late fight: The Packers fell behind 20-3 and 27-10 but never folded. During a three-possession stretch, the Packers went touchdown-stop-touchdown to turn 27-10 into 27-25 with just over two minutes to go. Unproductive for three quarters, Jordan Love completed 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. But it was too little, too late. The Packers couldn’t get another stop to give Love a chance to win it on the final possession. The Packers can’t expect to sleepwalk through three quarters and beat one of the NFL’s best teams, especially on the road.

The Bad

The passing defense: The Packers gave up 33 completions and produced only one sack on 44 dropbacks from Sam Darnold, who shredded Green Bay’s injury-riddled pass defense. The Vikings quarterback consistently navigated the pocket and found big plays over the middle of the field. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor combined for 19 catches, 242 yards and two touchdowns. The Packers finished with only five quarterback hits. Combine with a secondary missing two starters with a pass-rush struggling to disrupt the pocket and a good passing offense likes the Vikings is going to take advantage every time.

The Ugly

The second and third quarters: The Vikings dominated the middle quarters, outscoring the Packers 27-7. Minnesota scored five times in six possessions and only gave up seven points after Sam Darnold’s third-quarter interception. The Packers gave up three points on a long field goal as time expired in the first half and then a touchdown to the Vikings on the opening drive of the second half, turning a 10-3 game into a 20-3 deficit. Thanks to a big advantage created in the second and third quarters, the Vikings were able to survive a late rally.

The Green Bay Packers are 11-4 and playoff bound are dominating the New Orleans Saints in a 34-0 primetime win on Monday night at Lambeau Field.

Matt LaFleur’s team scored on three straight possessions to create a 21-0 first half lead and Jeff Hafley’s defense did the rest, producing the NFL’s first shutout of the 2024 season with two takeaways and two fourth down stops.

A huge betting favorite, the Packers did what was expected: Dominated a shorthanded opponent from start to finish.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Saints:

The Good

The start: The Packers produced touchdown drives of 63 yards, 96 yards and 67 yards to open the game. Josh Jacobs was dominant, Jordan Love created explosive plays and the Packers offense consistently converted on third or fourth down and in the red zone. This was the Packers at their very best. For the second straight week, the Packers scored on three or more straight possessions to open a game and opened up a three-score lead.

The defense: Jeff Hafley’s group didn’t allow a point or even a trip into the red zone against nine Saints possessions, creating the first shutout of the 2024 season and the first from the Packers since 2021. And while the Saints were shorthanded on offense, the Packers were missing four preferred starters. New Orleans finished with 196 total yards and only 67 rushing yards.

Another playoff berth: The Packers will be in the postseason for the second straight year under Jordan Love and for the fifth time in six years under Matt LaFleur. Is this the year that the Super Bowl drought comes to an end in Titletown? The Packers are 11-4 overall but will have to do it the hard way as a wildcard team in the loaded NFC. This looks like a well-balanced football team that can win in multiple ways and is starting to play its best football late in the season.

The Bad

Love’s start to second half: The Packers passing game cooled off in a big way to start the second half. Love completed just two of his first seven passes for six total yards before hitting Jayden Reed for a 37-yard gain with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Despite a strong start, Love finished 16 of 28 passing for 182 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t have a turnover, but the Saints dropped a pick on a batted ball. Love’s passer rating was just 88.1, snapping a five-game streak at 100.0 or better.

The Ugly

Christian Watson’s injury: Watson injured his knee at the end of a run in the first half, and he had to exit the game after briefly returning and trying to play through the issue. Coach Matt LaFleur admitted there is concern over the severity of the injury but more testing is required on Tuesday. Watson rushed twice for 23 yards and was open several times on Monday night. Losing him before the postseason would be a big blow to an offense that has caught fire with Watson producing explosive plays since the bye.

The Green Bay Packers improved to 10-4 with a dominant 30-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Sunday night.

The Packers led 7-0 early and never trailed. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith exited the game with a leg injury in the third quarter with the Packers leading 20-3, and backup Sam Howell managed only three net passing yards (24 passing yards, -21 yards via sacks) over the final quarter and a half.

The Packers scored 30 points for the fourth straight game, and Jeff Hafley’s defense was disruptive and productive.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Seahawks:

The Good

The start, and the finish: The Packers jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the game’s first possession, scored again a drive later to make it 14-0 and mostly dominated the first half, taking a 20-3 lead into the break. The Packers gained 235 yards, scored on four straight possessions and got an interception from Carrington Valentine in the end zone to end a scoring threat in the first half. While a lull in the second half allowed the Seahawks to cut the lead to 23-13, the Packers finished with a fury, using an interception from Edgerrin Cooper and a 22-yard touchdown catch from Romeo Doubs to put the game away.

The disruptive defense: The Packers defense finished with seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, two interceptions and four pass breakups. Edgerrin Cooper and Kingsley Enagbare combined for three sacks and five tackles for loss, and Cooper’s interception all but sealed the deal. The Seahawks finished with only 208 total yards and 13 points — both the second lowest of the season for Seattle.

The Bad

Missed opportunities in second half: The Packers went up 23-6 in the third quarter but then labored through four missed opportunities to turn the game into a true blowout that stretched into the fourth quarter. The Packers went three-and-out, lost fumble setting up a touchdown, three-and-out and turnover on downs. Among the misses was Jordan Love’s poor throw targeting Romeo Doubs before Josh Jacobs’ fumble, and Jayden Reed slipping down on what would have been an easy third-down conversion before Jacobs got stuffed on fourth down. The 30-13 result feels fitting, but the Packers still squandered too many drives in the second half.

Run game in second half: Josh Jacobs rushed for 73 yards in the first half but could find next to nothing over the final 30 minutes. He finished with only 21 yards in the second half, and his yards per carry ended up at 3.6. The Packers haven’t run blocked consistently enough since the bye. All that said, the Packers still finished with 140 total rushing yards.

The Ugly

A few mismanaged situations? Matt LaFleur admitted he didn’t have enough urgency to end the first half, which resulted in the Packers having to settle for a field goal from the 4-yard line with four seconds left. A little more aggression as the drive entered Seahawks territory could have saved time and set up more chances at a touchdown. Also, LaFleur lost another challenge and is now 0-for-6 challenging calls this season, and he passed on going for it on 4th-and-3 from midfield in the second half. Small things in a 30-13 win, sure. But he’s been uncharacteristically conservative at times this season. To be fair, nothing truly “ugly” stood out from this victory.

The Green Bay Packers fell behind early, made a big run to start the second half but ended up squandering a pair of leads and giving up the game-winning field goal as time expired in a hard fought but disappointing 34-31 defeat to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night at Ford Field.

Now 9-4, the Packers’ dreams of making a run in the NFC North are all but over. The Lions are 12-1 and cruising toward the top seed in the conference with four games to go.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Lions:

The Good

Quick second half strikes: The Packers needed all of three minutes and 45 seconds to erase a 17-7 deficit and take a 21-17 lead to start the second half. Jordan Love hit Christian Watson on a 59-yard bomb, Tucker Kraft caught another red-zone touchdown, Keisean Nixon picked off his first pass of the season and Josh Jacobs rumbled in for a touchdown during the first four minutes of the third quarter. This was an impressive response by the Packers to a lackluster first half.

The fight: Despite an ugly start on the road in a hostile environment, the Packers held a pair of second-half leads and would have had a third lead late in the fourth quarter if not for a questionable OPI penalty on Christian Watson. The Lions are damn good, even with all the injuries on defense, but the Packers held their own at Ford Field and had plenty of chances to make the winning plays late. The NFC North race is over for Matt LaFleur’s team, but at least they know they can go on the road and play with anyone.

The Bad

First-half start vs. division rival: For the third straight game against the Lions or Vikings, the Packers fell behind big early and had to claw back from behind. This one wasn’t as bad as the others — only 10 points at half after trailing by 21 to the Vikings and 14 to the Lions earlier in the season — but it was still a tough start. Playing from behind — especially on the road — isn’t easy against top teams. The Packers need to reduce the difficulty level on these games and start faster.

High leverage spots: The Packers’ one stop on fourth down ended up setting up a touchdown, but the Lions converted four other fourth downs, including two for touchdowns. Time and time again, the Packers lost high leverage situations, including on third down with the ball in their hands. Overall, the Lions converted 11 third or fourth downs. The Packers? Just one (1-for-5).

The Ugly

Covering screens and digs: The Lions tore the Packers up with screens to running backs and dig routes to the middle of the field. Per Next Gen Stats, Jared Goff was 14 of 17 passing for 157 yards and two touchdowns on in-breaking routes on Thursday night. And running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery caught 11 passes for 63 yards. Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams all had a catch of at least 10 yards on a quick screen. One of the back-breaking plays was a deep dig from St. Brown against the coverage of Keisean Nixon. It’s possible cornerback could be a fatal flaw for this team.

The Green Bay Packers took control early, minimized the damage of a mini-run in the second half and got a few big plays late to finish off a mostly comfortable 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving Night at Lambeau Field.

The Packers led by at least two scores for the final three quarters and held a three-score advantage for long stretches. The Dolphins piled up passing yards in the second half but it was mostly hollow production, especially when the Packers produced a big fourth-down stop in the red zone in the fourth quarter.

Matt LaFleur’s team is now 9-3 ahead of next week’s mammoth trip to Detroit to play the Lions in primetime.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Dolphins:

The Good

Jacobs, Reed and Kraft: Playing in the cold against one of the NFL’s worst tackling teams, the Packers needed to find ways of getting the ball to their top tackle-breakers. Mission accomplished. Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft turned 29 touches into 242 total yards and three scores. Jacobs had 74 receiving yards and 117 total yards, Reed caught two touchdown passes and had a 23-yard run, and Kraft caught six passes for 74 yards. The Dolphins had issues tackling the trio all night.

Quay and McDuffie lead the way: Linebackers Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie combined for 20 tackles and three tackles for loss. Walker had a game-changing play on a fourth-down sack, while McDuffie fought through an ankle injury to produce a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. They played fast and physical and were a big reason why the Dolphins ended up averaging only 2.8 yards per rush.

Special teams: Keisean Nixon opened the contest with a 43-yard kickoff return, the game turned early on Robert Rochell’s recovery of a muffed punt, Brandon McManus connected on all three field goals and all three extra points, and Daniel Whelan put three of four punts inside the 20. Dolphins returner Malik Washington was a non-factor. Another good night for Rich Bisaccia’s unit.

The Bad

Procedural penalties: Unbelievably, the Packers were flagged four different times for offsides or lining up in the neutral zone, including one negating a sack and another on a field goal attempt. This has become a recurring issue over the last few weeks. The Packers finished with seven penalties, including six procedural or pre-snap penalties. Elgton Jenkins’ unnecessary roughness penalty came in the red zone in the fourth quarter.

The Ugly

Middle of the field coverage during the second half: Tua Tagovailoa missed a few throws to the middle of the field in the first half, but the Dolphins stuck with their bread and butter and eventually got rolling offensively in the second half. Tagovailoa started throwing with anticipation and accuracy on in-breaking routes, often off play-action, and the Dolphins found themselves one yard away from potentially making it a one-score game in the fourth quarter. The stats don’t tell the whole story, but Tagovailoa finished completing 37 passes for 365 yards — by far the highest totals allowed by the Packers this season.

The Green Bay Packers got game-changing performances from Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney, scored 21 points off turnovers and easily dispatched the reeling San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The win — a comfortable 38-10 victory — improved the Packers’ record to 8-3 after 12 weeks.

A short turnaround is up next. The Packers must evaluate this win, put it bed and then recover and prep for Thursday’s visit from the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving Night.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the 49ers:

The Good

Dominant win over short-handed foe: Facing a team without their starting quarterback, future Hall of Fame left tackle and top edge rusher, the Packers grabbed an early lead and never really looked back. While the 49ers cut the lead to 10 and were threatening a run to start the second half, the Packers still led by two or three scores for nearly the whole game and finished with a 28-point win. This was a dominant, commanding win — just what you’d expect from a contender playing at home against a reeling, undermanned opponent.

Free agent signings: Josh Jacobs rushed for 106 yards, scored three touchdowns and set a new season-high in the NFL for missed tackles forced. Xavier McKinney broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Christian McCaffrey and snagged his seventh interception of the season, providing the second-half turning point. Where would the Packers be without Jacobs and McKinney?

Maligned first-round picks: Rashan Gary, Quay Walker and Lukas Van Ness haven’t been the dominant players most expected in 2024, but each first-rounder made a big play on Sunday. Gary had a strip-sack ending a drive, Walker delivered two tackles for a loss and Van Ness created a game-sealing turnover in the second half. This defense would look a lot different if Gary, Walker and Van Ness start consistently making disruptive plays.

Red zone success: The Packers scored touchdowns on all five trips inside the red zone, and even overcame a penalty on the first trip. Progress! If the Packers start consistently scoring inside the 20, this offense is going to get red-hot down the stretch. Josh Jacobs and Tucker Kraft were the red-zone stars on Sunday.

The Bad

Covering Kittle: 49ers tight end George Kittle had his way with the Packers defense. He caught all six targets for 82 yards, including a touchdown from Brandon Allen and a 31-yarder in the second half. Kittle is a tough cover, to be fair, and his back-shoulder catch was a terrific individual play.

The Ugly

Watson drop: No two ways around it — Christian Watson’s drop was an inexcusable play from a receiver coming off his best game of the season. Watson used his elite speed to get deep and was wide open for what would have been a 49-yard touchdown to end the first half, but the ball clanked off his hands and fell harmlessly to the Lambeau Field turf. The drop didn’t end up costing the Packers, but it kept the game close going into the half. Watson is supremely talented, but consistency remains his biggest hurdle. This drop was all too reminiscent of his first play from scrimmage as a rookie.

The Green Bay Packers scored a touchdown on their opening possession and final possession of Sunday’s back-and-forth showdown with the Chicago Bears, but it still took a blocked field goal from Karl Brooks to secure a 20-19 win over their NFC North rivals at Soldier Field.

The dramatic finish — Brooks got a few fingers on Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired — sent the Packers to an 11th straight win over the Bears, a record streak in the rivalry.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Lions:

The Good

Christian Watson and Josh Jacobs: The pair combined for 284 yards and five explosive plays. Watson produced a career-high 150 receiving yards, including catches of 27 yards and 60 yards setting up touchdowns. He also had a conversion on third-and-long and a contested catch downfield for 48 yards. Jacobs was once again productive, turning 21 touches into 134 total yards and a score. The veteran running back had a season-high 58 receiving yards, including two catches over 20 yards. Jacobs has six straight games with 90 or more total yards and three straight with 100 or more.

Karl Brooks: What a play to save the day. The 2023 sixth-round pick fired off the ball, beat his block and got just enough of the ball to kill the field goal attempt as time expired. It could be a season-changing play. The difference between 7-3 and 6-4 with a 0-3 mark in the NFC North is huge.

The Bad

Another Jordan Love interception: Make it eight games in a row with an interception for Love, who sailed a throw to Tucker Kraft on third down in the red zone. It was his worst throw of the day by a substantial margin, but it was a huge turning point in the game. Instead of the Packers taking a 10-3 or even 14-3 lead, Love threw a pick inside the 20-yard line, and the Bears proceeded to march down the field and take the lead before the half.

Red zone: While the Packers scored three touchdowns inside the 20, they also had two empty red-zone trips and a failed a two-point conversion. Love threw a pick inside the 20 in the first half, and the Packers also had a turnover on downs from the 6-yard line in the second half. The two-point attempt had no chance but got stuffed. The Packers are still leaving way too many points on the field each week.

The Ugly

Third and fourth down defense: The Packers could not get off the field. The Bears converted nine third downs and three fourth downs on their way to a commanding advantage in plays run (68-43) and time of possession (36:21-23:39). Caleb Williams twice scrambled for first downs on third-and-long, out-running Edgerrin Cooper to the corner each time. Quay Walker had a chance to end two different drives and failed on tackles in big spots. On every Bears scoring drive, the Packers allowed multiple third or fourth down conversions. And on the final drive, the Packers had the Bears backed up at 3rd-and-20 but allowed a conversion — opening the door for the late dramatics on the field goal. It should have never come down to a blocked field goal.

After an encouraging opening possession that featured an effective run game, the Green Bay Packers fell apart inside a wet and rainy Lambeau Field — giving up 24 straight points while committing too many penalties and dropping too many passes in a 24-14 defeat.

The Packers are now 0-2 inside the division to start 2024, and both losses came at home to the top contenders inside the NFC North.

The only good news is the Packers are still in a playoff spot at 6-3 and now have a chance to get healthy and regroup during the bye.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Lions:

The Good

Run game: Josh Jacobs rushed for 95 yards on only 13 carries and had five carries of at least eight yards and three over 10. Emanuel Wilson had a 19-yard run on third down and a 2-yard touchdown. Chris Brooks even produced a 9-yard run in the red zone. By success rate, 12 of the Packers’ 20 attempted runs were successful — including a 61.5 success rate for Jacobs. The Packers ran the ball well early — especially on the opening drive — but fell behind late in the second quarter and all but abandoned the run game. Jacobs received only three attempts in the second half. With a better game script, the Packers could have pounded away at the Lions front. Instead, a big deficit — which erupted from seven points to 21 in the blink of an eye — made the Packers one-dimensional and essentially took Jacobs out of the game.

The Bad

More penalties: The Packers finished with 10 penalties. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the opening kickoff ruined good field position. An encroachment penalty on fourth down on the Lions’ final drive made the conversion a little easier. A false start turned a 3rd-and-3 into 3rd-and-8 and a punt in Lions territory. Kamal Hadden’s holding on punt return cost the Packers 10 yards of field position. Jordan Morgan was flagged for holding. Keisean Nixon extended the Lions’ first scoring drive of the second half with a holding penalty on third down. And a false start from Zach Tom on first down eventually created third-and-long. Overall, the Packers had four false start penalties. Matt LaFleur’s team has the sixth most penalties in the NFL, and they are now one of five teams with three games of 10 or more penalties in 2024.

The Ugly

The pick-six: A truly awful play and the game’s obvious turning point. Down 10-3, the Packers had the ball and a chance to go cut into the lead or tie the game before the half. Instead, Jordan Love threw a terrible pass under pressure and Kerby Joseph returned the interception for a back-breaking touchdown. Love attempted to dump the ball to Josh Jacobs, but he missed badly inside, and Joseph made the leaping pick. Jordan Morgan, who was making his first career start, gave up the pressure that led to the pick. Just a disastrous play.

More drops: The Packers dropped as many as six passes, and the big drops came in big spots. Chris Brooks dropped a likely first-down conversion on third down in the red zone on the first drive, potentially costing the Packers four points. Tucker Kraft dropped a likely third-down conversion before Brandon McManus’ missed field goal. Dontayvion Wicks dropped a sure-fire third-down conversion on the Packers’ first drive of the second half and a would-be touchdown on third down one play before Josh Jacobs was stuffed on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Sunday plays out in drastically different fashion if the Packers just catch the football. The rain can’t be blamed because the Lions had no issues making catches for Jared Goff.