The Green Bay Packers enter their bye week with a record of 2-1-1. The could have easily been 4-0, but sloppy play and key mistakes, especially on special teams, cost them a loss and a tie in the last two weeks. So far, the Packers have improved in some areas so far this season and have concerns in others. Here are three observations on the 2025 Green Bay Packers the bye week in no particular order.
Number One: The Drops Have Dropped
The Green Bay Packers were one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2024 at holding onto passes. This shortcoming cost the offense throughout the season. Drives were disrupted and the offense was unable to produce consistently as a result.
Nearly every receiver on the roster had some issues with dropped passes. The biggest offenders were Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed. Wicks dropped nine passes in 2024 and had a drop percentage of 11.8. Doubs dropped seven passes and had a drop percentage of 9.7. Reed dropped nine passes and had a drop percentage of 12.0. These statistics are courtesy of pro-football-reference.com.
This year, however, the numbers have improved drastically. Wicks this year one drop in 16 targets. Doubs has zero drops in 19 targets. While Reed has only played limited snaps due to injuries, he has no drops yet this season in the two games he has played in.
This improvement has helped the offense become more consistent. There are still other issues that haven’t been solved, such as pre-snap penalties, but the issue of dropped passes has been improved, and the offense has benefited.
Number Two: The Defense Misses Devonte Wyatt
There were serious questions about the defensive tackle position after the Packers traded Kenny Clark to the Cowboys in the Micah Parsons deal. Colby Wooden has stepped up and played surprisingly well against the run. But the interior pass rush has been primarily provided by Devonte Wyatt. The former first-round pick out of Georgia was among the leaders in pressures by defensive tackles before his injury according to Pro Football Focus. He also had two sacks and five quarterback hits before his injury.
While the blocked extra point which led to a three-point shift in the scoring was certainly a turning point in the game against Dallas, the injury to Wyatt was another major factor. After Wyatt left the game, Dak Prescott had a lot more time to throw and the Dallas offense began to move the ball consistently. Even though the Packers were getting pressures from their edge rushers, Prescott was able to step up into the pocket and throw the ball downfield because of a lack of pressure coming from the interior pass rushers. Without Wyatt and Clark in the lineup, the interior rush declined significantly.
Head coach Matt LaFleur announced that Wyatt was “week-to-week” with a knee injury. It remains unclear if he will miss any games after the bye as a result of this injury. Wyatt truly made an impact on the Green Bay defense, and his return will be important. Jeff Hafley will have to scheme up some pressure until Wyatt returns to the lineup.
Number Three: Problems Do Persist
Pre-snap penalties and special teams remain a persistent problem for the Packers. In four games, the Packers have had 35 penalties accepted against them. That ties them for the third most in the NFL. Too many of these are mental errors like lining up offsides, ineligible man downfield penalties, illegal formation penalties.
These mental errors have been a problem for the Packers for the past several seasons. They do not seem to be improving. Yes, the Packers have the youngest roster in the league for the third straight season, but if coaching is teaching, then the coaching staff needs to clean these issues up. They don’t seem to be able to accomplish this.
In addition, the special teams continue to hurt the team. The two blocked kicks are obvious. But the Packers kick coverage and punt coverage continues to struggle. The 45-yard kick return late in the fourth quarter against Dallas was a major reason the Packers gave up the go-ahead score late in the game because it gave the Cowboys a short field.
The team also cannot seem to get punt returners or kick returners who can make good decisions about when and where to field the ball to maximize field position.
Rick Bisaccia’s group has yet to improve and continues to make fundamental errors despite the presence of a reliable kicker, a very good punter and a consistent long snapper.
The Packers have to clean this up or it will cost them in a key game later this season.