I think it’s fair to say that this is not where we expected the Packers to be heading into the bye week.
After shocking everyone — I’m actually still in shock — with the Micah Parsons trade, I figured the Packers would cruise to a 4-0 record and back up the bloated expectations that many had for them.
Things started off good, even after the Packers looked sloppy in a home win against the Commanders. Then sloppiness turned into carelessness which sounded warning bells. Now after allowing 40 points in a lucky tie to an average team, the Packers should be grateful that they aren’t going into the bye week under .500.
Granted, I think this team is still really good. Romeo Doubs has shown that he can be a WR1, even though many have predicted that he will not be on the roster when the 2026 season arrives. Josh Jacobs has had to scratch and claw for every single yard he’s had. Jacobs has rushed for a grand total of 266 yards and 238 of those are after contact. That not only shows that Jacobs is a top tier running back, but it shows glaring holes in Green Bay’s run blocking scheme.
“It’s hard to win without reliable offensive line play,” said Packers offensive line coach Luke Butkus this past August.
He’s right. Poor line play cost the Packers in the NFC Wild Card last year as Green Bay fell to Philadelphia.
Then there is the low hanging fruit. The special teams. But is it even worth talking about the special teams anymore? I mean, the special teams have been so bad in Green Bay that it’s almost not worth mentioning — it’s more or less an expectation. According to Rick Gosselin’s special teams rankings, the Packers were 29th in 2020, 32nd (dead last) in 2021, 22nd in 2022 and 29th in 2023 and 29th in 2024. Those numbers aren’t even average, they are downright terrible. It just tells me that problems aren’t getting fixed or they are overlooking problems altogether. The perfect meme for the Packers special teams is the dog sitting in a fiery room with the words “This is fine.”
Even if Packers coach Matt LaFleur cuts ties with the highest-paid special teams coordinator in the NFL — which won’t happen — who is he going to replace Rich Bisaccia with? It’s not like the Packers can exactly plug and play success on special teams. They had first round pick Matthew Golden as a returner, which was a horrible decision if he had to miss time as a wideout because of special teams.
That might be why LaFleur plays so close to the vest all the time. He knows that anytime the special teams has a chance to make a play in a big spot, they invariably won’t. Whether it’s a blocked field goal, a blocked extra point, weird and unnecessary penalties or terrible decision making.
LaFleur needs to take this time over the bye to get this team back. He’s too afraid to make a mistake. As the clock slowly melted away in Dallas, LaFleur was beside himself because there was no sense of urgency from any of the Packers 11-member offensive unit. With under 30 seconds left, it just seemed like there was no direction and almost no clear understanding of what needed to happen in overtime to win the game.
LaFleur has always gone to bat for Love, which is admirable. But after two straight hiccups, it’s time to take the kid gloves off. It’s OK to criticize the $55 million man. This is his sixth year in the league and his third year as a starter.
The locker room doesn’t need a soft voice anymore. This is the youngest team in the league. They need to know when they’ve made a mistake, so it doesn’t get repeated.