Matt LaFleur deserved all the accolades and coach-of-the-year talk for the Packers’ previous two wins, and then wiped it all away by his horrendous decision to play Jordan Love against the Vikings. Don’t be misled by the 31-29 score; until the last 10 minutes the game was a non-competitive beatdown, made possible by putting Love back on the field too soon.
This is not hindsight. I wrote after last week’s game that it would be a mistake to play Love against Minnesota. Medical clearance doesn’t mean a player is back to 100 percent, and Green Bay’s coaching staff had to know that anyone with Love’s injury — and such little recovery time — would be limited in lateral mobility. Not to mention seeing it in practice all week. The result was a quarterback who could not roll out, could not scramble effectively and struggled to evade pressure, all while playing the league’s hottest team that also happens to be the most successful at getting after opposing QBs. Love’s partial recovery also meant he could not fully plant his front foot when throwing, leading to passes that were often floated, under-thrown or behind his receivers.
By playing Love, LaFleur limited the Packers’ offense, giving the best defensive coordinator in the NFL a reason to smile and salivate. Brian Flores might not have known it going into the game, but it took one series to show him and the world that Green Bay was going to try to get by with runs or passes from the pocket. By not playing Malik Willis, Lafleur sacrificed having a running QB who could greatly complicate matters for the Vikings, keeping drives alive and moving the sticks with his legs. Willis certainly isn’t a healthy Love, but it’s not as if he displayed major liabilities in beating the Colts and Titans, including in the passing game.
Also head-scratching was the decision to abandon the heavy pre-snap motion and misdirection that helped make the previous two starts by Willis successful. Why minimize that when you are going with a quarterback who is having trouble moving in and out of the pocket and who can’t manage RPO?
I can understand hoping your best shot in an important game against a division rival is to play your franchise quarterback. But Willis clearly showed he isn’t Sean Clifford, or Tim Boyle, or one of the many other no-name, cheap backups the Packers have always rolled the dice with. This was simply a terrible call, and the only silver lining is that Love didn’t suffer further injury from all the hits he took.
LAME CALLS
These come first this week, because there are plenty to go around and few strong positives to mention:
Brayden Narveson — Annoying as it is, I’m staying in “I told you so” mode because this is getting ridiculous. Narveson’s unreliability has surpassed that of Anders Carlson, and by waiting this long to address it the Packers have left themselves precious few options. Some people will look at Narveson’s two misses — one from only 37 yards out — and blame him for the loss. Playing Love and several other things accounted for that, but the errant kicks sure didn’t help, and if Brian Gutekunst doesn’t make a move this team will lose games as a direct result of this problem. At this point, Mason Crosby walking with a cane would be an upgrade.
The defense — It’s hard to come down too hard on Jeff Hafley, who had to make the best of it without Jaire Alexander and #3 corner Carrington Valentine, and some bad field position from turnovers by the offense. But the Packers being thin at corner is hardly a new issue, and it bit them, hard. Meanwhile, Minnesota ran up 28 on Green Bay before anyone finished their first beer, as Aaron Jones relished reminding the Packers and their fans that he remains a top-tier running back, and Jordan Addison seemed open on every down. Yes, the defense tightened up in the second half, but the hole was too deep by then. My biggest ongoing concern remains Hafley’s apparent allergy to blitzing. If ever there was a quarterback vulnerable to intense pressure it’s Sam Darnold, and Hafley has to stop assuming the Packers can replicate what a four-man rush did to Tennessee, whose O-line is a turnstile. When Hafley finally did unleash a true blitz Sunday, Quay Walker got to Darnold for a sack in a key spot.
Lack of focus — Mental errors in all phases cost the Packers. Pass drops (some because of Love’s bad throws, but how about a ball hitting Dontayvion Wicks in the shoulder pad that would have been a touchdown? Or Romeo Doubs’ miss through his hands that was intercepted?) Isaiah McDuffie missed an easy interception early in Q1, and in the second half a Vikings returner fielded a punt and split two Packers’ gunners who were many a foot away. Or how about Tucker Kraft not going out of bounds to stop the clock on a key late drive and fumbling instead. It was a total team effort. And of course penalties, which while not as voluminous as in previous games, often came at critical moments.
UNSUNG HERO
Eric Stokes — He comes the closest. Even before this week teams have clearly been avoiding him and trying to exploit others. Stokes kept a decent lid on Justin Jefferson, not an easy task.
GAME BALLS
Jayden Reed — Number 11 just continues to be one of the best players in a Green Bay uniform. He runs good routes, catches the ball, scampers with burst and never seems out of place. He finished the day with seven catches for 139 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. 🏈 🏈 🏈 🏈 🏈
The offensive line — It was hardly a perfect day, but the line opened up some nice running lanes for Josh Jacobs, while keeping Jordan Love from multiple sacks. Love was under frequent pressure, but Brian Flores didn’t blitz as much as usual and fortunately the rush rarely got all the way home. 🏈 🏈 🏈 🏈.
Daniel Whelan — Again. Whelan is hitting big punts when the team needs them, including one that travelled 60-plus yards. 🏈 🏈 🏈.
FINAL WHISTLE
On top of everything else, Green Bay lost Devonte Wyatt and Christian Watson to injuries, the severity of which have yet to be determined, but they didn’t look good. Both are important contributors.
Next up is a trip to Los Angeles against Sean McVay’s Rams, which is never easy even when they are as banged up as they are. It’s hard to imagine LaFleur backtracking on playing Love, so we’ll just have to hope his leg takes a big leap forward this week. GPG.
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Jonathan Krim grew up in New York but got hooked on the Packers — and on hating the Cowboys — watching the Ice Bowl as a young child. He blames bouts of unhappiness in his late teens on Dan Devine. A journalist for several decades who now lives in California, he enjoys trafficking in obscure cultural references, lame dad jokes and occasionally preposterous takes. Jonathan is a Packers shareholder, and insists on kraut with his brats. You can follow Jonathan on twitter at @Jkrim.
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