The Packers had opportunities to win in New Jersey on Monday night. A chance to make a statement to a national audience that they had arrived. At the final whistle, the statement was more of a “Maybe Next Year”. Penalties that backed up the offense.
Errant throws by Jordan Love, especially on third down. A first half replay of earlier losses in the season. Then two turnovers on consecutive drives in the first half. The first, a fumble by Jordan Love on a designed run. An ugly play that did not fool the Giants. The next series it was Love with a really poor pass that hung up for the Giants to intercept.
The Packer defense was having a good night early despite the turnovers by the offense. They were holding the Giants Saquon Barkley to minimal gains. Unfortunately, they did not blitz rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito perhaps thinking they could get to him with four rushers. That plan failed.
DeVito escaped the rush time and again. Outside linebackers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith kept rushing outside and DeVito found lane after lane open to him and he took advantage. DeVito had 71 rushing yards averaging over 7 yards a clip. The Packers ended the game with no sacks. Still, at the end of the first half the Packers held a narrow 10-7 lead.
In the second half the Packers tried to give the game to the Giants. Keisean Nixon was the hero last week. His two worst plays Monday night really hurt the Packers.
The Packers were leading 10-7 and held the Giants, forcing a three and out to start the third quarter. Nixon fumbled the punt, an inexplicable double fumble, that gave the Giants the ball on the Green Bay 31-yard line.
The defense again could not stop DeVito, who took the ball around Enagbare who was clearly focused on Barkley, allowing a 26-yard run to the 1-yard line. Next play, touchdown Barkley. The new score, 14-10 Giants.
Give credit to Jordan Love for leading three straight drives that should have scored points. Ok, he got help from the Giants who tried to give the game away twice. First, the Giants gave up a fumbled punt. That led to a 32-yard field goal from Anders Carlson.
The Packer defense then gave up a ten play 75-yard drive and seven points. Score: 21-13 Giants. On that drive the defense had New York initially in a third and nine.
They did not blitz. They played coverage that allowed the Giants tight end, Daniel Bellinger, to catch a short pass. Nixon was the closest defender but instead of sprinting to get in front of the first down marker, Nixon came up deliberately, and did not make contact until Bellinger was over the line. But that was not Nixon’s second worst play.
Love and the offense battled back. A twelve play, 48-yard drive that looked promising was sabotaged by an attempted misdirection-reverse that New York blew up.
The scenario of wrecked trick plays and end arounds to Reed putting the Packer offense in repeated long down/distance occurred multiple times down the stretch of the game. Packer fans had to wonder why LaFleur kept calling it. The 12-play drive ended in a sack of Love and a 45-yard miss by Carlson.
Love was not finished. The defense held, forcing a punt. His next drive, 7 plays and 54 yards. On the final set of downs in that possession, Love tossed a bomb to Toure in the end zone that was tipped away at the last second by the Giants defender that had been initially beaten on the play. This gave Carlson a chance at redemption, hitting a 48 yarder straight through.
Then, just when you thought New York had beaten the defense, they tried to hand the Packers the game again. Saquon Barkley got loose in the secondary, was tripped by Darnell Savage, took 4 steps, stumbled and fell to the ground, the ball popping out as he hit the ground.
Carrington Valentine then picked up the loose pigskin and ran through and past a number of players on both sides that thought the play was over. By the time the dust settled over the replay camera, the Packers had the ball and another chance.
This time Love threw two touchdowns, both to Malik Heath. The first was knocked away after the catch but Heath clearly had possession and took two steps in the end zone. Replay refs said…nope, not going to get caught in controversy giving the Packers another victory two weeks in a row.
Love shrugged it off and threw another pass at the pylon to Heath. This time Heath would not be denied, making a spectacular catch and lean with the ball to the marker. After the ref Heath bowled over in the process finally signaled touchdown, the celebration was on for Heath and the Packers.
But it was premature. LaFleur called another end around to Reed on the two-point conversion attempt which was stuffed. The Packer lead was only one point. The defense could not hold. Nixon let his man get open for 32 yards and the field goal sailed through with no time left on the clock.
While there are good signs to take away from this game, it will leave fans frustrated, questioning the defensive strategy of not blitzing a rookie quarterback who had taken 28 sacks. The Packers need to disrupt the opponent’s quarterback and play smart football. That did not happen Monday night. An opportunity missed. Next week the Packers have a short week to prepare for Tampa Bay. Another good test for this young team.
Good Ol Joe Barry. easiest Game winning drive, Play everyone 20yds off ball let BUM QB go right down field. HOW MANY jet sweeps Lafluer gonna run???? 1 worked other 30 lost yds. INCOMPETENT HC. Better pump brakes on Love as franchise QB, dude sails everything, inaccurate and 2 weeks in row he takes sack to make FG Longer, throw it away. GIANTS Suck & we blew it to another bottom feeder.
Carlos, you are correct!!!!!
I couldn’t care less about making the playoffs this year. I’ve said this over and over, this season is about finding out if Jordan Love is a franchise QB. And what did Jordan Love show us in situational football down 8 in the 4th quarter? With his team struggling, on the road, without his best WR and RB, Jordan Love leads his team to a FG and a TD to take the lead with a 90 seconds left in the game. That makes Jordan Love a gamer in my book. I said after the loss to Pittsburgh, if Love continues to play like this we’ll be fine. And we have been.
If you want to bitch about the defense, fine. Just remember you’ve got Carrington Valentine, a great story and excellent find in the 7th round, starting at one corner. And undrafted FA Corey Ballentine at the other corner spot. Then you’ve got special team player Keisean Nixon having to play way too much as your slot DB. You’ve been able to hide your inexperienced secondary with a strong front 7 play. But eventually they’re going to be exposed. We need Alexander and Stokes back.
We look to be close. We’ve got our QB. We need another corner, a safety, and at least one, possibly two RB’s. And depending on what you do with Zach Tom I’d throw in a LT. We’ll have the draft capital to get what we need. Add all that to another year of experience for the league’s youngest roster. Come next season, look out NFL…
Then WTF do you care bout?? Its all about making Play-Offs, winning Super Bowls. Even Troy Aikman pointed out how bad Loves throws were. The defense isn’t any better with starters in! Not sure if Barry has to go or There all 1st rd busts??
Packer front office SUCKS. We had Greatest QB in Rodgers for 16yrs and won 1 SB, because Geriatric Ted & Fatboy Gutty refused to give him talent on Defense and skilled positions.
Nope, you are wrong!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7fjDS0jKiE
If there is a concern about Barry’s end of game defensive strategy (legit concern), then as the Head coach you should be more in tune with the game clock, situation, and your time outs.
The Packers were in hurry up after the Barkley fumble. The hurry up makes sense if you think your offense may only get a field goal and needs another possession. I believe, no matter what LaFleur was going to go for it on any fourth down on the final Packer drive. The Packers were going to either score a TD or turn the ball over on downs. So the hurry up should have slowed down taking more time of the clock. In addition it was a rookie mistake for Reed to run out of bounds on the 8 yard line (first down) with around 1:55 to go. You at least make the Giants use a TO. I think the Giants would have taken the time out, but with only one time out left I think the Packers would have defended the sideline more on the Giants final series.
I heard LaFleur say yesterday that he did not like how far off the DBs were playing on the Giants game winning drive, and there would be a discussion this week regarding the problem. You have 2 time outs, it is on the head coach if he doesn’t like something to call a TO, and get the shit straightened out. LaFleur messed up just like he did when he didn’t call a time out against TB in the NFCC game, and left King on an island at the end of the half for a TD. LaFleur knew the Packers were in the wrong defense/technique in both of the instances and failed to act.
Good point about blitzing Paul. One thing I noticed about Devito in previous games is when pressure comes he will drop his head/eyes from down field. He almost looked like Hundley under pressure. Even if the blitz didn’t get to Devito, I believe his eyes, for the most part would have went away from finding receivers down field.
You are correct, also!!!!
If the Packers could only be a well run organization like the Jets. Ya know Carlos, Aaron Rodgers hand picked the Jets bringing his entourage of players and coaches to the promised land! How’s that working out? Who won that trade?
Sure Carlos, let’s see how many games you win with a 7th round staring corner, a FA starting corner, and a wavier wire starting slot DB. I’m guessing not too many. I bet you’ve got a hard on for stats too. Thru 13 games in their first year as a starters Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers have virtually the same stats. With Rodgers benefiting from veterans Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Chad Clifton, and a healthy Ryan Grant. While Love has had to make hay with rookies, second year players, and no run game. Mechanics you can clean up. The byproduct of setting on the bench for three years. Not having a clue what’s going on out there can’t be fixed. See Brett Hundley and DeShone Kizer. Jordan Love is no Hundley or Kizer.
Sometimes you have to play the long game Carlos. Rodgers didn’t go to the playoffs the first year as a starter and things turned out just fine. I’d rather know we’ve got our guy and miss out on a one and done playoff appearance. Then sneaking in on false pretenses pretending everything is just fine and dandy.
For this team to have any real shot at a playoff run you’d have to have not only Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Aaron Jones, Christian Watson back from injury but they’d all have to play like they were in their prime. Not likely. At 29, Aaron Jones is now past his prime as a RB. After two devastating injuries and now a hamstring, Eric Stokes may never be the player he once was. And they’ll take things nice and slow with Alexander and Watson. Personally, I’d rather live to fight another day. But if you want to get all emotional and go balls deep, have at it my friend….
“Thru 13 games in their first year as a starters Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers have virtually the same stats.”
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😂😂😂😂 Look who’s using STATS to make a point. The same guy who has been preaching for years that stats are totally worthless in an attempt to downplay a former QB. Now he’s bragging about Jordan Love’s stats only weeks after telling us that the Packers need to tank the rest of the season to get in on the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
We were told that stats meant absolutely nothing and that Rodgers only won multiple league MVP’s because he was an egotistical stat whore. But now that Jordan Love has similar STATS to Rodgers’ rookie season we’re all supposed to be impressed. So in a nutshell, when Rodgers puts up stats they are never impressive. It’s only when someone else not named Rodgers puts up similar stats are they allowed to be considered impressive. Got it.
Since talking your language doesn’t work by appealing to your love of all things statistics Cheese. Let’s consider this. This defense has kept us in virtual every game this season save one. Games in which just average QB play would have won the day. And, the one game in which the defense didn’t play well. Detroit, first meeting, the defense came back and dominated on Thanksgiving.
Here’s what we know about Jordan Love after 13 games. He’s maddeningly inconsistent. When he has time to set his feet he can play with the best of them and win games. When his footwork is sloppy, so are the games. Yet there’s undeniably something there with the big kid from Utah State. He’s far more than just a game manager or a system QB. His inconsistency looks like a correctable problem with coaching and continued play. I can guarantee you there are offensive coaches in the NFL that would love to have Jordan Love as their QB. If Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield can get second chances, so would Jordan Love if the Packers went in a different direction.
The 17 game NFL season is a war of attrition. Last man standing. The Giants didn’t have their starting QB and we didn’t have a run game or a starting secondary or our best WR. That’s life in the NFL come the dog days of December. With little chance of getting a viable secondary and run game in the weeks ahead, along with the maturation process for our first year starter a QB. I take a more pragmatic approach regarding the playoffs. If healthy, and with more consistent QB play, I’d be far more agreeable. But I’m not seeing it. I do however, see enough to give Jordan Love another year as starter. In other words, I wouldn’t draft JJ McCarthy with my first round pick. We still get a blue chip prospect in the 15 to 20 range of the draft. With playoff teams draft in the 20’s what you’re really getting is second round talent on a first round contract. Missing the playoffs isn’t the end of the world. I do think we’re close. It’s just not going to happen this year.