The Green Bay Packers Refuse to Learn From Their Biggest Mistake
Week 1 was an offensive disaster for the Green Bay Packers. We can chalk up part of that ugly loss to the Minnesota Vikings to quarterback Aaron Rodgers having little chemistry with a new and young crop of receivers.
In Week 6, that excuse is no longer valid. Green Bay’s 27-10 home loss to the New York Jets is worse than the opening-day blowout. Rodgers has had five weeks now to develop a rapport with his group, but worst of all, the Packers haven’t learned from their biggest mistake.
The Green Bay Packers were embarrassed at home by the New York Jets
For the first time in the Matt LaFleur/Aaron Rodgers era, the Packers lost back-to-back games in a season. The Jets made it all possible when they came into Lambeau Field on Sunday and pushed around the Packers. One week after blowing a second-half lead to the New York Giants in London, the Packers fell to 3-3.
Let’s not take anything away from the 4-2 Jets. They put together their third straight win and are rolling since the return of quarterback Zach Wilson. Jets coach Robert Saleh gave credit to his team’s offensive line, which gave Wilson plenty of time to throw and opened gaping holes for rookie running back Breece Hall, who finished with 116 yards on the ground, including a 34-yard touchdown run.
“Just keep giving them body blow after body blow after body blow and just keep hitting them,” Jets coach Saleh said, per ESPN. “Just keep hitting them in the mouth. O-line just keep pushing and leaning on them. And we felt like if we could just keep taking them down the deep water, they’ll find out they can’t swim. It was just a mindset.”
It wasn’t just the offense. New York’s defense sacked Rodgers four times and held Green Bay to three first-half points. The Jets’ defensive line had its way with the Packers’ offensive line from start to finish.
“I feel like a lot of people expected that it would be a surprise if we won this game, but we expected to come in and win this game,” Saleh said.
The Packers left Aaron Jones out of the offense — again
Outside of Rodgers, Aaron Jones is Green Bay’s best offensive player. A dual threat out of the backfield, Jones makes the offense go as a runner or a pass catcher. The problem for Green Bay is that Jones seems to be a forgotten man.
In Sunday’s loss, Jones touched the ball four times in the first half. The Packers scored three points.
This isn’t the first time it’s happened.
In the season opener, Jones carried the ball five times. He had eight touches all day. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur addressed that issue after the game.
“Any time Aaron Jones comes out of the game with eight touches, that’s not good enough,” LaFleur told reporters in Week 1. “That’s not good enough.”
LaFleur and the Packers made the same mistake Sunday. Jones finished with 12 touches in the Packers’ 13 possessions.
The Packers are sitting at a very unimpressive 3-3. They have wins against the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that just lost to the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers. While there doesn’t appear to be a quick fix in sight, putting the ball in Jones’ hands a little more would be a start.
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