You can't commit dumb penalties away from the play, and move the ball. It saps too much out of your offense. Discipline is what matters. The Packers lack that at times, with what could be called stupid penalties that should never have happened.
Josh Jacobs did a great job, until his injured ankle was so bad he couldn't make cuts, or from what it appears, hardly stand on that foot. He's a gamer, and essentially carried the team for much of the first half. Then Love decided to pretend he didn't belong in the NFL, by offering up an easy pick 6. It totally destroyed any momentum the Packers would have for the rest of the game.
To be honest, the coaching staff should have decided during the week that this was the game for Willis to play, because of Love's injury.
Love decided, for some reason, that he was once again, not going to be throwing the ball in the direction of Doubs. I don't get it with him. Doubs could be primary, and coming open, and he looks off, and fires to someone for a longer pass that's contested. This needs to be addressed.
Evan Williams, and Bullard, both need to be on the field with McKinney. The three of them work magic. Instead we saw a heavy dose of Nixon because of the Williams injury. Ii think Hafely got the message. In two weeks, we're going to see that 3 headed monster on defense out there, with no Nixon.
Does anyone else realize that Love seems to be leading the NFL in INtS? That is not a stat we want to see. He had already shown that he didn't mind too much having it happen last year, but this year it's becoming an issue. They aren't happening because of 50/50 balls, most of them are happening because he's firing fast balls that are a little behind the receivers, and end up deflected. That's on him, not the receivers, because with a little more finesse on those throws, they haul them in.
Favre was a fireballer too, but his throws were a little more on target, leading the receivers, not behind them. That's a huge difference, and dramatically changes how the receiver can handle the ball.
Drops! When I was in HS, I dropped a pass thrown right at me, and fumbled once during a game. The coach "ordered" me to carry a football with me every minute, of every day, when I was awake, to remind me that was unacceptable. Living on a farm, let me tell you, that ain't easy. I had to cheat a lot, putting it down to do chores. But I even slept with it, and had it beside the tub when I took baths. Guess what? I didn't drop another pass, or fumble again, the rest of the season. Somehow, they have to drill it into the receivers heads that they need to use their hands to catch the ball, not catch it against their body. It bounces off way too easily, especially if someone hits you when you're in the process of making the catch. Of course, if it wasn't a 100 mph fastball from Love it would help too.
I can't knock the Packers defense yesterday. They were hamstrung by an offense that didn't do squat. Love was a disaster, and it showed. With Josh's injury, the run game wasn't nearly as effective. With him in there, they load the box, and he still gains yardage. With him out, they slide back more into pass coverage, and don't get burnt.
The keys to the success for the rest of this year? The 3 headed defensive secondary I mentioned, with good play from a pair of CBs. The defensive line, despite having a shortage in numbers, has played surprisingly well, and they get pressure from their 3 and 4 man rush, which proves the point. Don't expect gaudy sack numbers from any of them, because we don't blitz enough to create that situation, but they still get pressure on the QB, and that's important.
On offense, we need Josh Jacobs carrying the mail. He's probably the best RB we've had in a long time, and he's proving he's worth every nickel they paid him in free agency. Without him, we'd be lucky to compete against anyone. We also have two young RBs who weren't even a blip on the radar before the season started. Imagine the competition when our high draft pick RB actually takes to the field.
Our offensive line was dealing with some problems due to injuries yesterday. With Myers out, Jenkins played center. His snaps, to the left, should not have been a problem, except Love needs to have his left foot so far forward that it makes handling that snap difficult. After it happened twice, Love did nothing to change his stance. He should have. All he had to do was keep his feet more parallel, and they would have been easy to handle.
Regardless of how much we think Love offers, he still needs a lot of work to be an elite QB in this league. But, he does show a lot of promise. It's going to take coaching to get him there.