Usually cheese gets better with age, but somehow the Packers offense has gotten worse every week this season and it arguably bottomed out during Green Bay’s stunning 27-10 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. .
Aaron Rodgers may want to consider taking his insult at an ayahuasca retreat because whatever this group is doing right now isn’t working.
Almost as soon as the game started, the Packers attack seemed lost almost every time it hit the ball. On their opening possession, the Packers went three-and-a-half, and things only got uglier after that. Here’s what happened to their next nine possessions after the three-and-out: Punt, punt, blocked field goal, punt, fumble, downs, field goal, punt, blocked point TD.
That’s something you’d expect from the Jets of yesteryear, but certainly not from the Packers. One problem for Green Bay is that Rodgers doesn’t seem to trust his receivers. Last season Rodgers had Davante Adams and when a play broke, he just dumped it to Adams. This season, when the opposing team pressures Rodgers, the game is essentially dead because he has nowhere to go and the Jets are definitely putting pressure on him in this game (they’ve fired Rodgers four times).
It also doesn’t help that Rodgers hasn’t been as accurate as he has been for the past two years. Against the Jets, Rodgers missed throws he would normally make, including the pass below, which was undermined about 10 yards.
In all, Rodgers completed just 26 of 41 passes against New York, and he also lost a fumble that led to a Jets field goal.
One thing that may add to his accuracy issues is that Rodgers appears to be dealing with an injured thumb. He slapped his finger last week and it certainly still bothered him on Sunday.
If that’s an injury that doesn’t heal quickly, it won’t be easy for the Packers to recover from their offense.
If the Packers can’t throw the ball, their offense can usually still function thanks to Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, but now teams expect it to. The Packers’ opponents seem well aware that the passing game is over, so they are ready to stop the run.
Here Jones is hammered for a loss by Quinnen Williams.
That tackle was Green Bay’s ground game in a nutshell on Sunday. The Packers averaged just 3 yards per carry against the Jets.
For once, the Packers could really be in trouble. At 3-3, the Packers have now scored 15 or fewer points in three of their six games and there is no easy way to fix the foul. If Green Bay can’t fix it soon, the team’s three-year reign atop the NFC North will come to an end.
Okay, let’s get to the numbers for each week 6 game. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the Commanders’ 12-7 victory over Chicago played on Thursday, click here.
LA Chargers 19-16 over Denver in OT (Monday)
Broncos-Chargers Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Jets 27-10 over Green Bay
Jets-Packers Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Cincinnati 30-26 over New Orleans
Bengals-Saints Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 28-14 over San Francisco
49ers-Falcons Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Indianapolis 34-27 over Jacksonville
Jaguars-Colts numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Giants 24-20 over Baltimore
Ravens-Giants Numbers by Jordan Dajani (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Pittsburgh 20-18 over Tampa Bay
Buccaneers-Steelers Numbers by Bryan DeArdo (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
New England 38-15 over Cleveland
Patriots-Browns Numbers by Tyler Sullivan (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 24-16 over Miami
Vikings-Dolphins Numbers by Shanna McCarriston (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let her know on Twitter.)
LA rams 24-10 over Carolina
Panthers-Rams Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 19-9 over Arizona
Cardinals-Seahawks Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Buffalo 24-20 over Kansas City
Bills-Chiefs Numbers by Cody Benjamin (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 26-17 over Dallas
Cowboys-Eagles Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)