The Green Bay Packers improved to 3-1 on the season with their Week 4 victory over the New England Patriots. However, it wasn't without suspense, as the Packers needed every second of the overtime period to pull out a 27-24 win over a beat up Patriots team. A win is a win, but this certainly wasn't a very encouraging performance from the Packers.
The Patriots were quickly down to their third-string quarterback in Bailey Zappe after their second-stringer, Brian Hoyer, was forced out of the game after New England's second offensive series with a concussion. Despite that, New England managed to go toe-to-toe with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers all game long, and they very nearly pulled off an upset victory here.
Green Bay won't complain about their win, but it's clear they have some things to work out moving forward. Whether or not they can fix their issues could determine whether or not they are actually a Super Bowl contender this season. Let's take a look at three big takeaways from the Packers Week 4 win over the Patriots and see what they could mean for the team moving forward.
3. The Packers run defense needs some serious fixing
Green Bay's run defense had been an issue early on in the season, and it seemed like this could be big a game for them considering the Patriots were without their starting quarterback Mac Jones. It was clear to everyone who knew anything about football that New England was going to run a lot in this one, meaning the Packers could load up the box and throw everything they had at the Pats running backs.
Instead, Green Bay got trampled by New England's running back duo of Damien Harris (18 CAR, 86 YDS, 1 TD) and Rhamondre Stevenson (14 CAR, 66 YDS) all day long. Add in Kendrick Bourne's lone carry for 15 yards, and the Packers allowed the Patriots to pick up 5.1 yards per carry on the day.
Considering the Patriots were playing with Hoyer and then Zappe for the majority of the game, that's not a great look. The Packers knew New England was going to lean heavily on their running game, and they couldn't stop it. It ultimately didn't come back to bite them here, but Green Bay is going to go up against better quarterbacks than Zappe in future games, making this a big issue the Packers defense needs to figure out.
2. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers passing attack simply may not be good
Much has been made about the Packers passing game after they traded their top wide receiver in Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. Green Bay didn't really do much to replace Adams, leaving Rodgers short of top-tier receivers heading into the season.
Early on in the season, the passing attack has looked disjointed. Rodgers had a miserable first half against the Pats, and while he was able to turn things around in the second half, he never looked truly in control of this game. The Patriots secondary isn't bad, but Jalen Mills, their top cornerback, wasn't even playing in this game. Heck, Jack Jones, who was starting the first game of his career, made Rodgers look like a fool on his pick-six to close out the first half.
Rodgers final line is solid (21/35, 251 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT) but again, it leaves a lot to be desired, especially against a beat up Patriots secondary. Allen Lazard had a solid game (6 REC, 116 YDS) but other than that, it was more of the same from Green Bay's passing attack in this one. Through four games, they don't look great, and maybe that's just how it will be this season.
1. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon need to be more involved in the Packers offense
While Rodgers may not have many top-end targets at his disposal, he has arguably the best running back duo in the league working alongside him. The problem is that they aren't being used in the best way to help Green Bay win games. Jones and Dillon should be the focal point of this offense, rather than Rodgers. They should take a play out of the Patriots book and follow their game plan.
Both Jones (16 CAR, 110 YDS) and Dillon (17 CAR, 73 YDS) were extremely effective on the ground, and helped keeped Green Bay's offense alive throughout the day. Yet their 33 carries still came in behind Rodgers 35 pass attempts. Given the build of this offense, that should never be the case, even with how good Rodgers is.
The Packers offensive attack needs to revolve around getting a lead early, and letting Jones and Dillon feast. Instead, Matt LaFleur seems to be living in the past. This offense cannot win in the way they had won in previous seasons by letting Rodgers air out the football; they don't have the personnel to do so. Until Green Bay figures this out, their offense won't reach their top gear, and it could result in a wasted season if it keeps up.
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