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With the season nearly one-quarter of the way done, the Green Bay Packers have reason to believe they possess a championship-caliber offense and defense.<\/p>\n
Special teams? That\u2019s a different story.<\/p>\n
Breakdowns in the area of the game the Packers call \u201cwe-fense\u201d have helped cost them victories each of the last two weeks. Those special-teams issues help explain why the Packers (2-1-1) fell out of the NFC North lead heading into their bye week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI think if we can just clean up those catastrophic errors \u2014 which, you know, that\u2019s a big \u2018if\u2019 \u2014 we\u2019ll be in a lot better spot,\u201d Packers coach Matt LaFleur said this week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Green Bay\u2019s traditional struggles in special teams started well before LaFleur\u2019s arrival in 2019, but a couple of big plays the last two weeks have made the issue more glaring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Packers led the Dallas Cowboys 13-0 on Sunday when Brandon McManus\u2019 extra-point attempt was blocked and returned to the opposite end zone, turning a potential 14-0 lead into a 13-2 margin. The game ended in a 40-all tie.<\/p>\n
One week earlier, the Packers were tied with the Browns when McManus had a 43-yard field goal blocked in the final minute, setting the stage for Cleveland to win 13-10 on Andre Szmyt\u2019s 55-yard kick as time expired.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cPoints are at a premium in this league,\u201d McManus said after the Cowboys game. \u201cEvery time I go on the field, I expect to make it. It sucks it happened again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Green Bay\u2019s special-teams issues were apparent even before those two blocks. The Packers committed multiple penalties on special teams against the Browns and in a 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia noted that the nature of special teams makes penalties more impactful.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get a penalty on offense, you\u2019re going to get another down to make up for it,\u201d Bisaccia said before the Cowboys game. \u201cYou get a penalty on defense, they\u2019re going to move it a little bit but you\u2019re going to get another down. For us, you get a one-play mentality. You get one shot at being good at what you\u2019re asked to do so it becomes a bigger penalty, usually, within the course of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Packers also haven\u2019t gotten big plays from their return units, where they\u2019ve been relying on youth with punt returner Jayden Reed on injured reserve and two-time All-Pro kick returner Keisean Nixon focusing more on defense as the team\u2019s No. 1 cornerback.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden has returned a team-high six punts this season for an average of just 4.7 yards. Rookie third-round selection Savion Williams has averaged 24.4 yards on his seven kickoff returns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Golden said he had never returned punts at any level before this season, though he\u2019s confident in his ability to handle the assignment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good back there just because if I can get the ball in my hands, I know I can make something happen,\u201d Golden said last week. \u201cIt\u2019s all about making smart decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
LaFleur said he feels good about the potential both rookies have as returners. He noted how well they have done in practice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI get it, a game\u2019s a little bit different than practice,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cEspecially when you\u2019re catching kicks because in practice nobody\u2019s going to blow you up and then in the game. \u2026 We\u2019ve got a lot of confidence in both those guys and belief that they\u2019re going to continue to get better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Green Bay\u2019s special-teams concerns are particularly notable because they\u2019ve looked like a Super Bowl contender in just about every other facet.<\/p>\n
The offense was bad at Cleveland but otherwise has been exceptional. Green Bay\u2019s defense had a major letdown against Dallas, but it didn\u2019t allow a touchdown before the fourth quarter in its three other games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But the offense has been playing without Reed, wide receiver Christian Watson, guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom due to injuries. The defense has lost tackle Devonte Wyatt, who is week to week after hurting his knee at Dallas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
That reduces the margin for error on special teams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Green Bay does have a major weapon in Daniel Whelan, who ranks third in the league in punting average. And McManus showed his reliability Sunday by kicking a 53-yard field goal at the end of regulation and a tying 34-yarder on the game\u2019s final play.<\/p>\n
Now it’s a matter of providing better protection on McManus\u2019 kicks. LaFleur believes the Packers may have found a way to fix things after that extra-point block.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m confident that we shuffled around some personnel,\u201d LaFleur said, \u201cand it looks a lot cleaner right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the season nearly one-quarter of the way done, the Green Bay Packers have reason to believe they possess a championship-caliber offense and defense. Special teams? That\u2019s… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-bay-packers"],"yoast_head":"\n