{"id":7999,"date":"2024-12-26T12:14:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-26T12:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=7999"},"modified":"2024-12-26T12:14:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T12:14:06","slug":"why-the-packers-with-nfls-hottest-offense-still-arent-satisfied-as-playoffs-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=7999","title":{"rendered":"Why the Packers \u2014 with NFL\u2019s hottest offense \u2014\u00a0still aren\u2019t satisfied as playoffs approach"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"GREEN\"Why<\/p>\n

Pretend you\u2019ve lived under a rock for the past month and a half before reading the following three quotes from Green Bay Packers players after Monday night\u2019s win over the New Orleans Saints. After you\u2019re done, guess how many points per game Green Bay has scored over the last five games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think there\u2019s a lot more points out there for us, a lot more big-time plays,\u201d quarterback Jordan Love said. \u201cStill just some stuff that we\u2019re not hitting on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everybody probably has a play or two that they wish they had back,\u201d wide receiver Christian Watson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe probably should\u2019ve had like two or three more (touchdowns) today,\u201d running back Josh Jacobs said.<\/p>\n

That sounds like 20 points per game, right? Maybe 24 for a couple guys who reasonably expect more?<\/p>\n

Well, as anyone who has watched the Packers knows, they\u2019ve actually scored 30 or more points in five consecutive games.<\/p>\n

Told that Monday night, Jacobs\u2019 response?<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the longest active streak in the NFL. It\u2019s the second-longest such streak all season behind the Buffalo Bills\u2019 eight-game run that ended last Sunday after a 24-21 win over the New England Patriots. It\u2019s the second-longest streak of scoring 30 or more in franchise history, too, trailing only to the 1963 Packers, who did so in seven straight games.<\/p>\n

Since Week 12, when the streak began with a 38-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Packers rank second to the Bills in points per game (32.6). Yet they still feel they\u2019re leaving meat on the bone, which head coach Matt LaFleur said recently was exciting but frustrating as his offense tries to unlock its full potential with the playoffs approaching.<\/p>\n

LaFleur was asked after Green Bay\u2019s 34-0 win over the Saints this week what\u2019s the next step for an offense lighting up the scoreboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cScoring every time you possess the ball,\u201d he said. \u201cScore touchdowns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such is the quest for perfection for an offense that might have to score well into the 30s to win a playoff game in Detroit, Minnesota or Philadelphia. The Packers scored 29, 29 and 31 against the Eagles, Vikings and Lions this season, respectively, but lost each game.<\/p>\n

Is it realistic to expect touchdowns on every drive? Of course not. But there are easily preventable plays from the past five weeks that have hindered the Packers from hitting their offensive peak, and that must be rectified before games become win-or-go-home.<\/p>\n

In the 38-10 win over the 49ers, Watson saw a perfect deep ball from Love slip right through his hands at the end of the first half on first down. It would\u2019ve been a 49-yard touchdown, but the Packers eventually punted on the drive.<\/p>\n

In the 30-13 win over the Seahawks, Jacobs lost a fumble at the Packers\u2019 49-yard line after a 6-yard run on second-and-10. It was his first fumble in 14 weeks. Not only that, but LaFleur might\u2019ve cost the Packers four points at the end of the first half by botching the clock management before the Packers settled for a 21-yard field goal to go up 20-3.<\/p>\n

In the 34-point shutout of the Saints on Monday, Love had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage to slow two second-half drives, one that finished with a field goal and another that ended with a punt. On another field-goal drive, wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks dropped a third-down pass that would\u2019ve moved the chains.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly some things that were frustrating in the second half,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cI thought they did a good job of getting to Jordan when we decided to throw the ball \u2026 they played a little bit more man coverage in the second half and made it a little bit more difficult just to get explosive plays, but ultimately, it was one of those where you felt pretty comfortable with a lead and you weren\u2019t going to get too crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/p>\n

The Packers\u2019 offense exploded over the last five games because of several factors. They rank eighth in the league in rushing yards per game (142) during that span and have the fourth-lowest percentage of rushes for zero or fewer yards (14), according to TruMedia. They rank 20th in passing yards per game, but Love hasn\u2019t thrown an interception after throwing 11 in his first eight appearances. They rank second in red-zone touchdown percentage (78.3) after ranking 27th (48.7) from Weeks 1-11. Love has been sacked only three times and the Packers\u2019 2.3 sack percentage allowed is second-lowest in the NFL.<\/p>\n

The Packers have won four of the five games during the streak, the lone exception being a 34-31 loss to the Lions. Any time you score 30 or more and lose, the blame primarily rests with the defense, but LaFleur first lamented the offense\u2019s inability to start fast in his postgame press conference that night. The Packers went punt, punt and Watson fumble after a long catch-and-run on their first three drives in Detroit and found themselves in a 10-0 hole.<\/p>\n

They likely can\u2019t afford such listless starts in the playoffs or really any stretches of offensive futility if they want to beat the NFC teams that have already topped them this season, or maybe even their current first-round matchup in the Los Angeles Rams. That probably demands near-flawless execution, but the hottest offense in the NFL might just be capable of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all just trying to chase perfection,\u201d running back Chris Brooks said. \u201cThat\u2019s the mindset we\u2019re going to have week in and week out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Injury report<\/h3>\n

The Packers didn\u2019t hold a formal practice on Wednesday, so their injury report ahead of Sunday\u2019s visit to the Vikings included only estimations.
\nThere were nine players listed. Estimated non-participants were Watson (knee), linebacker Quay Walker (ankle), safety Evan Williams (quad) and linebacker Ty\u2019Ron Hopper (ankle). Estimated limited participants were safety Javon Bullard (ankle), tight end Tucker Kraft (hip) and tight end Luke Musgrave (ankle). Estimated full participants were cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and cornerback Corey Ballentine (knee).<\/p>\n

The most notable statuses on that list belong to Bullard, who hasn\u2019t practiced since injuring his ankle in Week 14 but figures to return on Thursday; Watson, who injured his knee Monday night but \u201cpotentially\u201d could play Sunday, according to LaFleur, and Alexander, who hasn\u2019t played since Week 11 but again seems set for a full week of practice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Packers travel to Minnesota this weekend for a crucial matchup against the 13-2 Vikings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-7999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-bay-packers","tag-green-bay-packers"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy the Packers \u2014 with NFL\u2019s hottest offense \u2014\u00a0still aren\u2019t satisfied as playoffs approach - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=7999\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why the Packers \u2014 with NFL\u2019s hottest offense \u2014\u00a0still aren\u2019t satisfied as playoffs approach - 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