Green Bay Packers narrowly lost to Philadelphia Eagles on 6th Nov, by score of 7 to 16 on Monday Night Football. Quarterback Jordan Love was notably downcast about the team’s performance, admitting that his play has been “not good enough.” The Packers have struggled offensively throughout the season, scoring only 10 points against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 and 13 points in a loss to the Carolina Panthers. Given the offense’s current struggles, Love said the team has to score more.
In the first meeting with the Eagles this season, Love threw for just 176 yards. His 4.9 yards per attempt was the lowest of his NFL starting career. His lack of success is a microcosm of a bigger problem within the Packers offense which has not been able to take advantage of defensive slip-ups. Even Coach Matt LaFleur knew the offense was in trouble. He didn’t provide concrete rationale as to what went wrong for the unit’s inability to stop the Eagles.
“You feel like as an offense you’re letting the defense down,” – Jordan Love
LaFleur, who serves as the team’s offensive playcaller, mentioned that the Packers aimed to establish the run game to build momentum. But unfortunately, this game plan didn’t come to fruition all that well during the game against the Eagles. The team’s defense has performed commendably, holding opponents to 16 or fewer points in multiple losses this season, yet the offense’s inability to score has left them in a challenging position.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs was saying the same things Love was about the offense’s inconsistency. He told them they needed to be creative in their solutions.
“We’re midway through the season, we can’t just keep saying, ‘All right, we’re going to address it,’” – Josh Jacobs
Injuries are another factor that has hurt the Packers this season. More recently, tight end Tucker Kraft has already been lost for the season with a knee injury. This recent injury deepens the challenge of that offensive approach for the Wave. In sports, key players sidelined from the lineup can make a drastic impact on a team’s success. LaFleur must face these challenges directly as he searches for answers.
Even though LaFleur was on the hot seat to improve the offense, when asked about his job security due to the growing pressure, he didn’t bite. He noted that he would not comment on whether he is coaching for his job but acknowledged the need for better results moving forward.
“I’ll leave that for everybody else to decide,” – Matt LaFleur
And though it may be early in the season, the heat is rising on both LaFleur and Love to get the ship righted. In addition, LaFleur is on his last year of his contract. Fans, scouts and analysts alike will be intently focused on how he adjusts to try and improve an attack that has been woefully under-performing.
Leave a Reply