2019 Green Bay Packers Season Thread

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

San Fran gets to go to Baltimore this weekend. I think they'll get handled there.

 

That's going to be a terrific game. Really the only QB who has played very well against the Niners this year has been Kyler Murray. Jackson is definitely a step up from Murray.

 

I have a hard time seeing the 49ers getting much going on offense against that Baltimore D though.

[Zad Fnark]

Yeah, I can legitimately see Baltimore taking the Super Bowl this year.

[pacopete4]

Won't shock me to see Belichek shut down Baltimore in a playoff matchup.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Me neither. That they kind of dominated them the first time doesn't seem to bode well for Baltimore. New England seems kinda flakey though. They're scraping by some mediocre teams and really have no wins over anybody good but they haven't played anybody too good outside of Baltimore. I know they're 10-1 but I feel like they could be one and done this season with a bad matchup. I guess nothing they do would surprise me.

[brooks_quichenick]

Nijman promoted from the Practice Squad to the Active Roster

[CheezWizHed]

Martinez is really dropping the ball in his FA year. His weaknesses are really getting highlighted. And he is great at tackling players... 6 yards downfield. MLB and DL have serious upgrade needs here.

[nodakfan17]

The game against Chicago in 2 weeks is looking a little more difficult than it did a month ago. Chicago plays on TNF this week, which means they’ll play the Packers on extra rest.

[adambr2]

You never really know what's going to happen in divisional games anyway. I certainly don't consider the Bear game a sure thing. Should win, but...

[adambr2]

Martinez is really dropping the ball in his FA year. His weaknesses are really getting highlighted. And he is great at tackling players... 6 yards downfield. MLB and DL have serious upgrade needs here.

 

He's AJ Hawk without the top 5 pick price tag. Thus why he was over-appreciated until this year while Hawk was always the opposite.

[adambr2]

Playoff chances can be summed up as follows with 3 games remaining:

 

3 wins - Guaranteed first round bye, need help for HFA

 

2 wins - Guaranteed division championship, need help for first round bye

 

1 win - Guaranteed playoffs, need help for division championship (unless 1 win is against Minnesota)

 

0 wins - Need help for playoffs

[homer]

If you want one reason why an otherwise mediocre-looking team has 10 wins, look no further than turnover differential. Packers are third in the league at +11.

 

Top 10 TO Diff:

New England

Pittsburgh

Packers

Saints

Seahawks

Ravens

Chiefs

Niners

Vikings

 

Pack only has 9 turnovers on offense this year. Only New Orleans is better at 8.

[nodakfan17]

If you want one reason why an otherwise mediocre-looking team has 10 wins, look no further than turnover differential. Packers are third in the league at +11.

 

Top 10 TO Diff:

New England

Pittsburgh

Packers

Saints

Seahawks

Ravens

Chiefs

Niners

Vikings

 

Pack only has 9 turnovers on offense this year. Only New Orleans is better at 8.

The yardage differential is alarming, but in addition to the TO margin, they’ve been efficient in the red zone. And when they’ve had to settle for FGs, Crosby has hit them.

[nodakfan17]

At 11-3, this team has exceeded my expectations for 2019. They may leave a lot to be desired, but winning > losing.

[adambr2]

My biggest team issue right now is their offensive performance when they get on the edge of scoring range. They do very well protecting the football and reasonably well moving the football but cashing in on scoring opportunities has left a lot to be desired. When they get on the edge of FG range, they've got to start tailoring their plays to the situation a little better. They're pulling points off the board by not doing that.

 

The situation where we took our one sack yesterday was an 8 point one possession low scoring game where points are at a premium, with 5 minutes left in the game. You are already in position for a 44 yard FG to give you an 11 point lead and essentially seal the game.

 

Your choices there are to either run the ball in a manageable 3rd and 4 and at least be left with a reasonable FG attempt if you fail to convert or to call a quick designed, 3 step drop pass play. To even put yourself in a position to take an 11 yard loss and lose the FG attempt is unforgivable especially when it takes you potentially from a 2 possession game to a 1.

 

I won't even get into the playcalling and clock management near the end of the first half at the same spot on the field.

 

The area of the field between the red zone and the opposing 40 yard line has really been a problem area that needs to be improved. A lot of times it can just be chalked up to bad execution but in addition to that, the playcalling and time management in fringe FG territory were horrendous yesterday.

[Fear The Chorizo]

My biggest team issue right now is their offensive performance when they get on the edge of scoring range. They do very well protecting the football and reasonably well moving the football but cashing in on scoring opportunities has left a lot to be desired. When they get on the edge of FG range, they've got to start tailoring their plays to the situation a little better. They're pulling points off the board by not doing that.

 

The situation where we took our one sack yesterday was an 8 point one possession low scoring game where points are at a premium, with 5 minutes left in the game. You are already in position for a 44 yard FG to give you an 11 point lead and essentially seal the game.

 

Your choices there are to either run the ball in a manageable 3rd and 4 and at least be left with a reasonable FG attempt if you fail to convert or to call a quick designed, 3 step drop pass play. To even put yourself in a position to take an 11 yard loss and lose the FG attempt is unforgivable especially when it takes you potentially from a 2 possession game to a 1.

 

I won't even get into the playcalling and clock management near the end of the first half at the same spot on the field.

 

The area of the field between the red zone and the opposing 40 yard line has really been a problem area that needs to be improved. A lot of times it can just be chalked up to bad execution but in addition to that, the playcalling and time management in fringe FG territory were horrendous yesterday.

 

Agreed on game management issues hampering this team on the scoreboard, no doubt. Both that sack and the play where Rodgers got called for intentional grounding at the end of the first half cost them chances for 6 points. These issues have happened enough to notice, and they are a big reason why the team seemingly can't seem to ever bury an opponent even if they control the game throughout. Some of it is clock management and playcalling by the coaching, but I think alot of it has to do with Rodgers not being near as good in end of half/late game situations as he once was. He's got to play better in those spots to take advantage of those scoring situations, even if it means not being able to score a touchdown. It also seems like the team takes its foot off the gas offensively when they get up by a couple scores - maybe that's just personnel limitations, but it may also be the playcaller getting cut by remaining close to the vest to avoid putting too much on tape for future opponents and being conservative to avoid turnovers that can quickly flip a game.

 

I've been more of an optimist of this team's chances in January than alot of posters here, because for whatever reason I think they can find a way to eliminate these issues that won't cost them a playoff game. To me the key to that is Rodgers, and I guess I still have trust in him to make better decisions when the lights are really on in the postseason.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I have trouble believing they can snap out of it because it's kind of been that team for 15 weeks. If I could sum up the frustrations with the Packers in a nutshell it would be that I haven't really seen them get better at anything as the season has gone on. No second WR ever really stepped up, saying Lazard did is a stretch, but expecting a whole lot more out of him is not reasonable.

 

Minnesota, who I'm not sure is any better than the Packers, if at all, has at least blown out a lot of teams. Maybe Rashan Gary is about to be unleashed? I don't know. But I just see the same offense I've seen all year.

 

However, it's within the realm of possibility that getting to the NFCCG means beating the Saints at home in the 2nd round. That doesn't seem too far fetched. If you can get past that and then you're talking one well played game to the Super Bowl, and it's football. Anything can happen.

 

I think Monday night should tell us if this team has made any strides. It's going to be the most hostile place they've been all year vs. a team that's much better than they were in the first game.

[homer]

I feel like the run defense has gotten better.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I have trouble believing they can snap out of it because it's kind of been that team for 15 weeks. If I could sum up the frustrations with the Packers in a nutshell it would be that I haven't really seen them get better at anything as the season has gone on. No second WR ever really stepped up, saying Lazard did is a stretch, but expecting a whole lot more out of him is not reasonable.

 

Minnesota, who I'm not sure is any better than the Packers, if at all, has at least blown out a lot of teams. Maybe Rashan Gary is about to be unleashed? I don't know. But I just see the same offense I've seen all year.

 

However, it's within the realm of possibility that getting to the NFCCG means beating the Saints at home in the 2nd round. That doesn't seem too far fetched. If you can get past that and then you're talking one well played game to the Super Bowl, and it's football. Anything can happen.

 

I think Monday night should tell us if this team has made any strides. It's going to be the most hostile place they've been all year vs. a team that's much better than they were in the first game.

 

Having to stomach watching alot of Vikings football while living near MPLS, I'm not sure why the Vikings are assumed to be much better than they were when they first played Green Bay...Seattle had them whipped until giving up a couple quick scores late and went up and down the field against that defense. They were down 20-0 against the Broncos at home at the half and only won that game because the Broncos turtled. The lost at KC with Matt Moore as their QB. Yesterday's game at the Chargers completely turned on that Rivers fumble leading to a scoop/score right at the end of the first half - wound up being a blowout due to the turnover frenzy and some late scores when the Chargers had long since packed it in...they've racked up alot of wins that were "meh" overall as well. They can definitely score points and have an explosive enough offense to generate bigger victory margins when their defense plays well, but their defense isn't what it's consistently been over the past few seasons. Also, Cook is dealing with multiple shoulder issues and their backup RB is also struggling with a balky ankle.

 

It will be a tough game, no doubt - but heading into it I don't see this one as Green Bay being the inferior team.

[LouisEly]

At 11-3, this team has exceeded my expectations for 2019. They may leave a lot to be desired, but winning > losing.

In the history of the Packers, MLF is the first head coach to lead them to the playoffs in his first year.

 

The Packers aren't perfect, but they've done a lot of things right in 2019.

[stalton]

For what its worth, the Packers are 2nd overall and 1st in the NFC in red zone TD%

[homer]

For what its worth, the Packers are 2nd overall and 1st in the NFC in red zone TD%

 

Yeah for whatever reason they literally bend and don't break. They are now 2nd in the NFL in turnover differential. Those two things plus health are why they have 11 wins.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Minnesota's offense sucked at the start of the season, that is where it comes from. You can't cherry-pick a game they won by 30 and say it turned on one play and hold it against them, c'mon. The fact is they've beaten the crap out of some teams, sure most of them bad, but I'm still waiting on the Packers to do it to anyone. Oakland maybe?

 

I'm not sure they're significantly better than GB for the simple reason they look horrible for entire halves of games. It's a wildly inconsistent team and yes, the defense is not what it has been...but it's still better than ours. And their offense is too. They just have more playmakers. As much as it stinks to admit, and whatever cause we can blame, Cousins has been more efficient than Rodgers this year. The stats look fairly similar until you see he's got a 70-63 completion percentage advantage, but the bigger tell is the full yard more per attempt. And Thielen has missed a lot of time.

 

The Cook injury is significant though, that's the most dynamic player they've got, and if he's not there it certainly makes things easier.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

What's also telling is they're 2nd in differential despite having good but not really great takeaway numbers. The Steelers have 12 more and Seahawks have 9 but still sit behind them. They're 5th in INTs, but there's not a lot of league-wide separation there with a bunch of teams clustered between 10 and 15. It's really almost entirely Rodgers never turning the ball over, the thing people scream about when he gets sacked or tosses it out of bounds. In their one blow out loss, he fumbled early inside the 10.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Minnesota's offense sucked at the start of the season, that is where it comes from. You can't cherry-pick a game they won by 30 and say it turned on one play and hold it against them, c'mon. The fact is they've beaten the crap out of some teams, sure most of them bad, but I'm still waiting on the Packers to do it to anyone. Oakland maybe?

 

 

They scored an average of 29PPG in their first 6 games that weren't against the Packers - and that includes a 6 point road loss at Chicago which was the one game their offense really sputtered to even put up yards. The Viking offense didn't suck early this season, just against the Packers and Bears. They put up 400+ yards against GB but managed only 16 points, with two touchdowns of that total coming off huge plays (75 yard Cook run and 50yard Diggs TD catch).

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Yes, they scored 6 on the Bears and 16 points on the Packers in the first 4 games. That's sucking at the start of the season, the first 1/4 of it. That's the cut off point, because it was after the loss to Chicago that Thielen took a thinly veiled shot at Cousins about deep balls, and that's when the tide started to turn. Even in their opening win Cousins threw like 12 passes. The passing offense is much different than it was in the first 1/4 of the season, not averaging 185 yards anymore.

 

I'm not sure anybody is saying the Packers are a vastly inferior team or that they can't win. But I would take Minnesota's talent at the skill positions and their playmakers over ours. If both teams are clicking on all cylinders, I do think they are better.