The Green Bay Packers entered Sunday's matchup against the upstart New York Giants looking to improve to 4-1. But most people would probably agree that the Packers did not look like a very good football team this year. They were hammered by the Minnesota Vikings on opening day and it took overtime to beat the Bailey Zappe led New England Patriots team at home last week.
Nevertheless, the start is eerily reminiscent of last season when the Packers were crushed Week 1 and still finished as the top seed in the NFC. Sunday morning, the Packers jumped out to a 17-3 lead but they failed to hold it. They were beaten by the Giants 27-22 in London as the second half was terrible once again for Green Bay.
Before looking ahead to next week again the New York Jets, let's take a look at the 4 Packers takeaways from their Week 5 loss to the Giants.
4. Packers ground game is not elite
The Packers knew coming into this season that without Davante Adams, they were going to need to rely on the running game. They have the horses to do it with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. It was believed that Green Bay would possess one of the most potent rushing attacks in the NFL. That has not come to fruition through five weeks.
On Sunday, Aaron Jones did a decent job picking up 63 yards on 13 carries. However, once again Dillon struggled on to get going. He finished the game with just 34 yards on six carries. The combined 19 carries for 97 yards sounds nice on paper. But situationally, the Packers have struggled to run when they needed it.
Because of that, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers decided to go away from the ground game late. They face a 3rd and 2 and 4th and 2 in the final minutes and Rodgers threw two incomplete passes. After the game, Jones had some choice words for the play-calling.
Aaron Jones on #Packers passing 3rd & 2, 4th & 2 nearing one minute left at the 6-yard line down a touchdown.
"I'd put my money on giving me or AJ Dillon two downs to get two yards, I'd put my money on it." pic.twitter.com/FL1sLZqYzi
— Cody Krupp (@CodyWKrupp) October 9, 2022
Both plays were RPO's (run-pass options) and Rodgers decided to pass. Both were batted down at the line of scrimmage. The Packers QB clearly didn't have as much faith as Jones did.
3. Packers defense not as good as advertised
As much as Green Bay's offense was expected to struggle early this season, the defense was supposed to carry the day. Once again, it let them down.
The Giants offense is not completely inept like the Chicago Bears. But they are not barn burners either. You know coming into this game that their game plan would be to run the ball with Saquon Barkley and use play action off of that. Giants QB Daniel Jones was hobbled and unable to be effective as a runner. That should have made things even easier.
Instead, the Giants moved through the Packers defense like a hot knife through butter in the second half. Jones completed 13 of 14 passes for 136 of his 217 yards. Barkley rushed for 70 yards and a score on just 13 carries, an average of over five yards per carry.
I don’t know how much is coaching and how much is execution, but the Packers’ defense has so much individual talent and gets so little out of it far too often.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 9, 2022
Darius Slayton of all players led the Giants in receiving with 79 yards on six catches. Both sides of the ball are culpable in the loss, but the defense is the unit that was not expected to struggle.
2. Packers, Aaron Rodgers should stop throwing deep
An important aspect of any good football team is to know what it does well. The Packers don't seem to have a grasp on that yet. They run the ball well, but not at an elite level. They have the two-time reigning NFL MVP in Rodgers, but he can't carry an offense devoid of talent.
The Packers continue to try and force the ball downfield, to their detriment. In the first half Sunday, Rodgers routines checked the ball down and threw underneath. The Packers moved it at will and built a 14-p0int lead.
In the second half, Rodgers was looking for the bomb downfield a number of times. He did not complete any of those passes. In fact, the Packers QB completed just 47 percent of his passes in the second half, with no touchdowns. In the first half, he completed 75 percent of his passes and two touchdowns.
The Packers are struggling to find their identity. Throwing deep though is not going to be the answer.
1. Green Bay is in more trouble than meets the eye
After Sunday's loss, the Packers fell to 3-2. That's not bad. But they are a game behind the Vikings, who already beat them once. The offense still does not look good. The Packers' two-headed monster on the ground has not taken over games like expected. The defense is not nearly as dominant as it should be. The decision-making at times is highly questionable.
All of this to say that the Packers better figure it out soon. After a couple of heavily-favored games against the New York Jets and Washington Commanders, Green Bay faces a very difficult stretch.
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