Green Bay Packers v. Chiefs: Behind the Numbers
Here are the stats and figures that help define the Green Bay Packers' performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.
By Paul_Bretl
In what was a sloppy performance overall -- not including the defense, of course -- the Green Bay Packers fall to 7-2 after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Just as we do after every Packers game, it's time to go Behind the Numbers to take a look at the stats and figures that defined Green Bay's performance.
6/17 v. 13/17
Jordan Love's performance was really a tale of two scenarios--was he blitzed, or did he have time in the pocket?
According to ESPN Stats & Info, when Love was blitzed, he completed just 6/17 passes for 30 yards. However, when he wasn't blitzed and had time, he was 13/17 for 160 yards. So no, it wasn't all bad like some will want to believe.
From the get-go, it was clear that Kansas City planned to apply as much pressure to Love as possible, and it worked. He had his deer in the headlight moments, was inaccurate, and the offensive line didn't hold up well either. But as Matt LaFleur always does, he would take the blame:
“Ultimately, it comes down to myself, making sure we have a better plan to handle those pressures. Certainly we did not do that tonight,” LaFleur said via Packers Wire.
"If you call long developing plays, and you can't protect, you can't throw from your back," LaFleur would add.
9
At a minimum, this is how many points the special teams unit cost the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. And if you recall, they only lost by six.
Mason Crosby would miss two field goal attempts. On the first one, for whatever reason, Corey Bojorquez didn't spin the laces away from Crosby. The same thing occurred on the second attempt -- again, who knows why -- but it didn't much matter because it was blocked.
Then on a punt attempt that Amari Rodgers absolutely should have fair-caught, he let it go, and the ball hits Malik Taylor, giving Kansas City the ball in the red zone. They would eventually kick a field goal.
Unfortunately, there were other blunders, but these three plays cost Green Bay nine points.
0
The defense played exceptionally well -- I'll get to that shortly -- but they were unable to generate a turnover. In a game with a young quarterback where the offense was struggling to move the ball, any extra possession would have helped dearly.
Kansas City entered the game with the most giveaways in football with 19. Meanwhile, the Packers' defense had 14 takeaways, which was the third-most, and during their seven-game win streak, they forced at least two turnovers in six of those games.
3.8
The Kansas City offense averaged only 3.8 yards per play on Sunday--the Green Bay defense was downright dominant. For some context, the Green Bay offense averaged 5.0 yards per play.
The Chiefs would average only 3.1 yards per rush on the ground, while Patrick Mahomes completed only 54 percent of his 37 passes for just 166 yards--or 4.5 yards per attempt. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill had their moments -- which is going to happen -- but neither certainly took the game over. Kansas City was also just 6/16 on third and fourth down attempts.
"That was a championship-level effort, championship-level execution," LaFleur said of the defense via Packers.com. "I was really proud of those guys."
5.8
AJ Dillon was a difference-maker with the ball in his hands, averaging 5.8 yards per rush. However, the issue was that he had only eight carries the entire game.
Now, I know, the Packers were losing, so that is going to limit their opportunities in the run game, especially in the fourth quarter. But there were plenty of chances to get him the ball earlier in the game; however, they just didn't. In addition to the blame LaFleur took for his play-calling on blitzes, this is another critique.
A more well-balanced attack would have helped set up play-action -- where Love did find some success -- and overall, it would open things up the passing game while mitigating the Kansas City pass rush. In addition to Dillon's 5.8 yards per rush, Aaron Jones averaged 4.4 on 12 carries. Green Bay was running the ball very effectively.
2 more
Just as it felt like the Green Bay Packers were starting to get healthy, they sustained two more injuries on Sunday. During warmups, Eric Stokes would injure his knee going up for a ball and would miss the entire game. Then in the second quarter, Kenny Clark would exit with a back injury.
Hopefully, neither injury is long-term.
28
In terms of pressures allowed, according to PFF, this was by far the offensive line's worst performance of the season--and this rings particularly true for Lucas Patrick and Royce Newman. Green Bay had zero -- and I mean zero -- answers for the Kansas City blitzes.
For much of the game, Love had defenders right in his face as he was trying to throw the ball. As LaFleur said, "you can't throw from your back."
2/12
It goes without saying, but you aren't going to win many -- if any -- games going just 2/12 on third downs. And those two third-down conversions didn't occur until the fourth quarter.
Green Bay was able to move the ball when they found success on first and second down, but once the third-down arrived and the Chiefs sent pressure, the Packers stood almost no chance of moving the chains.
1
Try to keep in mind that this was only one game for Jordan Love. There are certainly areas to improve upon, but this one game is not an indicator of how his career will turn out, and Brian Gutekunst is not deciding his future based on that one performance either.
As Peter Bukowski pointed out, Aaron Rodgers' first extended action came in 2005 against Baltimore, where he was 8/15 for 65 yards with an interception. In 2006 against New England, Rodgers would go 4/12 for 32 yards. This is going to take some time, and patience is required.
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__________________________
Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl.
Comments (69)
packer132
November 08, 2021 at 11:11 am
You want to win every week, but this was the week to lose. No Rodgers, Bakh, Clark, Stokes, and Love's first NFL action. KC is an AFC team, and I would rather beat Seattle, Vikings, and Rams the next 3 weeks to go into the bye at 10-2. Defense played really well, and players are getting the scheme and knowing where to be to make plays. Special teams needs to figure it out, or find a coach that can teach them. Getting injured players back will help, and lots to look forward to in the second half of the season.
zoellner25
November 08, 2021 at 11:20 am
I don't know how any QB, much less a rookie, could have efficiently dealt with the OL play and the number of pressures Love faced yesterday. Did he play great? No. But when he had time, he did fine. LaFleur and the offensive coaches did a very poor job setting him up for success. The sky is not falling people.
PAPackerbacker
November 08, 2021 at 12:22 pm
Well said. It was his first start and he was under a lot of pressure from constantly being blitzed. It was a poor game plan for an inexperienced QB, hell even for an experienced QB. This loss is on the coaching staff.
jeremyjjbrown
November 08, 2021 at 12:26 pm
Justin Fields was pretty bad in his first start as well, 6/20 for 68 yards without a touchdown or interception and 9 sacks.
I wish someone would have reminded Troy A during the game what his first start was like.
murf7777
November 09, 2021 at 06:57 am
Not sure Justin Fields is a good comparison because I don’t think he will succeed in the NFL. Let’s say Peyton stunk it up his first whole year. Or MaHomes played as bad or Love without being blitzed as much. Yes, Troy wasn’t being fair, although to be fair to Troy it wasn’t his O play calling either. Mlf needs to call a better game with a rookie QB in a Loud, windy stadium. I thought Love did fine for his first outing considering all of the above.
Coldworld
November 08, 2021 at 11:29 am
What ever people want to think, this taught us little about Love and actually should probably raise more questions about LaFleur’s handling of a QB debut in terms of planning and calling. To me LaFleur’s inexperience was cruelly exposed.
That defensive performance was impressive and we seem to be consistently improving on D. Barry may have been a great hire. Who would have thought it? I certainly did not.
Conversely, hiring Mo Drayton looks like a terrible choice. From design to personnel choices he is clearly not up to the job. Great story, wanted him to succeed, but the botched LS switch combined with failings in pretty much every facet tells me that not removing him may be an even worse error by LaFleur. We don’t need greatness, we need adequacy and sound decisions. Mo has to go as soon as possible. He’s an exacerbating factor not an enhancing one,
Minniman
November 08, 2021 at 02:18 pm
"To me LaFleur’s inexperience was cruelly exposed"
(Some of) those wily old DC foxes can still deliver a game plan when they need to.
Like Bowles in the NFCCG, Spagnolo's exposure of the Right side IOL was masterful.
Barry also schemed up a good game too. They contained Mahomes well for all but the last play........ Chandon Sullivan will also learn from that play - he had Tyreek Hill covered for 90% of that play, then let his eyes drift to Mahomes scrambling (gawking at Gary running down Mahomes at the end of the play) and Hill got loose..... the rest is history.
Coldworld
November 09, 2021 at 08:11 am
True that DCs have football minds too. The real concern that I have is that, in this case we all predicted his strategy. I give him credit for the courage to risk it blowing up, but he simply bombarded the middle with rushers and moved his defenders to disguise coverage. New opposing QB tactics 101.
LaFleur ran personnel and calls throughout that seemingly ignited that during the scripted opening drives and continued to do so thereafter. That’s just a total failure to give your guy a chance. It seems like there was no plan to get Love settled at all and no adjustments. That’s really a stinging indictment.
We lambasted late era McCarthy for running out Hundley and expecting him to just win in a Rodgers system, but that was Mm in his system first, just beat your man era. That failed for him and to see LaFleur do no more and no better for Love is very concerning. That is definitely not good coaching. A good coach does his best to put his players in a position to win. Is LaFleur also falling victim to the delusion that his system is the magic ingredient too?
greengold
November 08, 2021 at 02:29 pm
100% spot on, Coldworld.
Matt LaFleur did Jordan Love absolutely NO favors. Two pass plays to one rushing attempt by Aaron Jones that actually gained 4.4 yds was no way to set the tone for what the Packers needed to accomplish in their first drive 3 & out. Just 20 carries by Jones/Dillon for the entire game was malpractice in game plan & play calling, given your starting QB was playing his first NFL game.
Let's not forget, we ALL saw it, KC's relentless pass rush, yet ZERO in-game adjustments by LaFleur to add an extra OL to keep the dogs off of Love. Not to mention, a heavier dose of run plays to provide a modicum of assistance in moving the chains, keeping drives alive, chewing up clock, and wearing out the KC front seven.
Mo Drayton must be replaced. STs have been a complete fail under his coaching. This is on LaFleur too. Adding just a competent ST Coach would be helpful.
Hats off to Joe Barry, and the Packers Defense. They were remarkable, playing short manned.
Alberta_Packer
November 08, 2021 at 03:25 pm
I do not dispute that Drayton has not cut the mustard this season. But from a humanistic perspective, I have some empathy for him. He was tasked on repairing a unit that has been chronically bad for over a decade. Both players and coaches have come and gone, but STs have remained consistently substandard. Rubik's cube is more solvable than the problem(s) of the STs. It is highly probable that Drayton will be fired at season's end - if he hasn't completely melted-down beforehand.
Coldworld
November 09, 2021 at 08:14 am
I meant it when I said I was pulling for Drayton with his story. It gives me no pleasure to be stating that the level of performance makes his continuing in that position inexcusable if LaFleur really is a leader.
jannesbjornson
November 09, 2021 at 06:54 pm
It should have been scrutinized over the Halloween break.
murf7777
November 09, 2021 at 07:10 am
CW…I would say it was a combo of Love, Oline and LaFleur regarding the ineffective O. I respect LaFleur for taking the blame. I would say he regrets not running the ball more, but to say that was the answer isn’t taking into consideration many factors of D scheming and down and distance. I watched the game Live so my comments are made without the advantage of replay and analyzing all 22.
Regarding Barry, I was a supporter of his hire after Leonard passed it up. Too many dissed him due to his record at Detroit and Washington. My debate on that is how many D-coordinators did well in Detroit. Washington just wasn’t good during his time there. In addition, I really liked his experience at LA and lastly, I believe people learn a lot from failing. One lesson he learned was don’t be a D-coordinator at a NFL franchise that is a consistent loser with a an incompetent owner such as the Lions.
Rebecca
November 09, 2021 at 01:01 pm
“To me LaFleur’s inexperience was cruelly exposed.” How many years does he get blaming himself until he learns the head coach position? Anyone with halfway knowledge of football knows that the opponent will attack your weaknesses until there’s pushback. LaFleur owns this loss. That was stupid to let his young QB get assaulted all game. We should start grading the head coach.
jannesbjornson
November 09, 2021 at 06:53 pm
When do we Grade the Fans??
jhtobias
November 08, 2021 at 11:30 am
Kenny Clark health should be the number one concern coming out of this game. I would say special teams but the field goal Unit is beyond repair and we are better off having cobb fair catch punts.
Lphill
November 08, 2021 at 11:36 am
Love played well enough to win , even with the interception.
Duneslick
November 08, 2021 at 12:04 pm
Not even close
jeremyjjbrown
November 08, 2021 at 12:28 pm
His TD would have tied the game if not for the missed field goals and would have been the go ahead score if the punt return team didn't have a turnover as well.
Thegreatreynoldo
November 08, 2021 at 05:08 pm
I suppose so, but the phrase has no meaning. Looks to me if using the same metric as though Patrick, Amari Rodgers and Wirtel/Bojorquez/Crosby all played well enough to win, if GB had indeed managed to win.
Coldworld
November 09, 2021 at 08:26 am
I think it is not unreasonable to say that, had STs performed to generic league average expectations, this game would have looked very different and possibly resulted in a win. We knew going in that a rookie QB in these circumstances was going to need a decent performance from the other phases.
The D exceeded expectations, LaFleur designed and called a head scratcher (your comment on very strange personnel groupings for a debuting QB was particularly insightful in my opinion) and special teams threw away 9 points and field position on multiple drives. In isolation, on generic averages, one would expect enough from a ST group to suggest an alternative result despite other failings.
NitschkeFromTheGrave
November 08, 2021 at 05:19 pm
Uhhh you were watching the packer against the Chief's game, right ?
croatpackfan
November 08, 2021 at 11:54 am
It was performance on the offense almost as DA was not ready for playing. MVS caught one pass and was targeted only on that pass. It looks like he was only few snaps in the whole game. Why? One deep ball behind the KC defense would brought them interesting doubt. Would they blitz or would they cover?
Mvs has speed to demand double coverage if you have DA on the other side. WTF is going on. It should not be that complicated.
I understand that game plan was tailored for O with AR and that you do not have time to completely change plan. But basic plays (almost college type plays) would help in preventing blitzes. Also, while Jordan is not Lamar, he is decent runner. Why not used few different RPO plays, just to keep D honest.
Jordan Love is the real deal. Give him another year and he will be at least very good QB.
Duneslick
November 08, 2021 at 12:06 pm
The farther you throw the ball the more accuracy comes into play. Long passes to mvs more interceptions than completions
canadapacker
November 08, 2021 at 12:18 pm
I dont know what you were seeing - I was seeing a guy who did not have good ball placement and was lucky that our guys fought off several interceptions and turned them into completions. There are not too many accurate guys like AR is on those deep balls and while I agree there was a lot of pressure = he still wasnt accurate on several of his completions. Even on a completion on a swing pass to Dillon was almost picked. So I didnt see much to make my thing that he is the real deal.
We cannot read too much into this game because - AR when starting in Dallas was into his 3rd year behind Favre and not only that he had 3 preseasons where Love has only had one. There was a lot of work done on AR's throwing motion during those OTA's etc. One final thing - even Mahomes has the ability to throw the ball on the run - Love doesnt seem to have developed that yet. And I am just talking about the rolling out and throwing hard - and accurately. And I am not sure that he can be at a place by the end of next year when a decision needs to be made for the 5th year.
PeteK
November 08, 2021 at 12:56 pm
He slung a few while scrambling that didn't look that bad as far as coordination.
SanLobo
November 08, 2021 at 06:55 pm
The decision on a 5th has to be made this year. New CBA changes this.
Thegreatreynoldo
November 10, 2021 at 04:30 am
But not until early May of 2022 (edit - oops, 2023, not 2022 - end edit). And the Packers and most teams will wait for the deadline, though now that most first round picks are fully guaranteed to begin with, this is less of a concern.
PeteK
November 08, 2021 at 01:04 pm
Why not take a shot, even a close incompletion would give Spagnola some pause.
Minniman
November 08, 2021 at 02:38 pm
Love said as much in his presser Pete - if they'd have connected on a couple then the rush would likely have abated.
Love proved that he couldn't throw an accurate deep ball under pressure ( in this game) and the D dined out on it.
Like Deguara last week - time for Love and him to get serious, their time is fast coming, blink, and they'll be on the street in no time.
Coldworld
November 09, 2021 at 08:33 am
Rodgers has to get in sync to hit on deep balls—we saw that early this season. Love may never have thrown a pass to Adams or MVS in live practice!
This is part of the problem, and it’s down to LaFleur. This is one reason why you get your backup time with your starters in preseason. That lack of foresight bit us hard.
Irish_Cheesehead
November 08, 2021 at 08:16 pm
Half the commenters on this site would have dumped Rodgers in ‘05 as a wasted pick. Luckily they aren’t GMs.
murf7777
November 09, 2021 at 07:16 am
I was at the game and two reasons you didn’t see more throws long was due to the wind and how often they were blitzing. The time to do it would’ve been on first down when they weren’t blitzing, but if you incomplete the pass which was likely you put the young QB into a 2nd and 10 with a loud crowd and a lot of wind. Arrowhead is one tough place to play for an experienced QB much less one that is making his NFL debut.
jannesbjornson
November 09, 2021 at 07:00 pm
It was apparent MVS was not at 80% much less capable of taking the top off with go routes or the post over single-high coverage. Spags figured that out after the first series.
Packers0808
November 08, 2021 at 01:09 pm
Rodgers is a putz and mental head case. If he goes and he should after this fiasco and lying looks like Packers are back to the 70 and 80's type of ball! Love is not or will ever be the answer! not even a capable back up, reminds me of Brett hundley!
greengold
November 09, 2021 at 09:25 am
Agree with you on the first line. Not so much on Jordan Love. It wasn't a fair fight.
A QB starting his first NFL game, especially one in a hostile environment like Arrowhead, needs his HC to put him in the very best situations for success. Matt LaFleur did the opposite. Not only in a horrific game plan, but in failing to recognize/adjust in real time to KC's relentless pass rush. He provided no help whatsoever.
That's not fair to Love. It really was a slap in the face to Aaron Jones & AJ Dillon too. I'm in awe of how LaFleur failed his QB and his team, robbing them of a real chance to not only win, but blow out KC.
Jordan Love deserved far more support than he received. KC blitzed on 50% of the Packers pass plays.
Minniman
November 08, 2021 at 01:30 pm
Here's some interesting numbers (I know how much everyone here loves PFF numbers....... but here they tell the story).
Highest ranked Offensive Players:
1. LT Elgton Jenkins, 84.9
2. LG Jon Runyan, 80.0
3. TE Marcedes Lewis, 76.0
4. RT Billy Turner, 74.9
5. RB A.J. Dillon, 69.2
Lowest ranked Offensive Players:
1. QB Jordan Love, 30.0
2. RG Royce Newman, 41.9
3. C Lucas Patrick, 56.5
4. TE Josiah Deguara, 58.1
5. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, 59.6
Congrats to Steve Spagnolo, he unlocked the Packers weakness that's been there all along - attack the inside right line with speed rushers and stunts - Newman and Patrick couldn't cope with the barrage.
Note that everyone else on the line graded OK - these aren't gaudy PFF numbers either, but together they say that the 3 other OL AND Big Dawg played their assignments well.
I see Bakh returning to LT and Elgton Jenkins going to Center next week if Jordan Love remains under Center. If Rodgers plays, then maybe Jenkins goes to LG and kicks Runyan over to RG.
..... I can't wait to watch the All-22 on the Chiefs game to check just how bad the interior right of the line got worked over. On first watch it was pretty bad - but I was concentrating on watching Love (like most of us).
Swisch
November 08, 2021 at 01:42 pm
Good stuff, Minniman. Thanks
canadapacker
November 08, 2021 at 02:01 pm
You are bang on - and that has also been a concern against other teams this year with AR in there - It is going to be nice to get Bak and get at least enough of the Oline in place that we had last year when Jenkins was subbing in and we didnt miss a beat. The thing about AR is that he kills the blitzes - and I guess the grades for MVS may have been more to do with his first game back and a rookie QB. but now that he is back - it will gives the other team some concerns about the deep ball for guys other than Adams. I dont like Adams having to go long too often as it gases him for a few plays. Degura needs to step up especially getting open 5 -10 yards in the middle.
jannesbjornson
November 09, 2021 at 07:07 pm
If you want to yap about the interior of the offensive line then wait until Myers returns(maybe) and Jenkins slides back to his familiar spot if and when Bhaktiari returns. Patrick was exposed as a center years ago and Newman is a Newbie.
Minniman
November 08, 2021 at 02:08 pm
Other numbers I'm interested in:
Number of days Kenny Clark and Aaron Rodgers will respectively be out.
Regarding Rodgers, I guess tomorrow's scheduled Pat McAfee show segment will be telling. He'll either be sitting there like a smug Cheshire cat or he'll be a late scratching (won't be a good look for his alternative therapy strategy if he's there wheezing and coughing his way through the segment).
Packers0808
November 08, 2021 at 02:35 pm
The latter would serve him right and befitting!
Alberta_Packer
November 08, 2021 at 02:52 pm
I like Rodgers on-field much more than I do off-field. However, I would never want to see him struggling with any illness - let alone covid.
Packers0808
November 08, 2021 at 03:17 pm
Me neither but putting all else in jeopardy. I knew 15 people who have died from covid 19 and have not much use for those who can knowingly be an accomplice in spreading it!
Alberta_Packer
November 08, 2021 at 03:48 pm
I understand.
Minniman
November 08, 2021 at 08:53 pm
Totally agree AP - for the record, I don’t wish that disease on friend or foe.
I was mainly saying that he has a normal scheduled segment on that show, so it will be a definite tell of how well he’s doing.
blacke00
November 09, 2021 at 07:51 am
You would think that Newman would be gradually improving but he's not. that is concerning. A low grade for Patrick doesn't surprise me as I don't think he's starting quality.
I would be patient with Deguara, he's coming off a ACL and it generally takes a whole year to recover and feel comfortable on that knee.
Coldworld
November 09, 2021 at 08:36 am
Rodgers routinely changes protections and calls. Love is not going to have the experience to do so, so a coach has to take the lead and adjust calls. Ours did not.
greengold
November 08, 2021 at 02:55 pm
5.8 + 4.4 x 20 = 2-12...
Holy crap. EVERYONE knew we had to pound the rock all day. My wife knew. Her sister knew. Matt LaFleur did not. We would have won had LaFleur dialed in 45-50 rushing attempts between Jones (4.4 ypc) & Dillon (5.8 ypc). Instead, only 20 carries combined?
I'm shocked at LaFleur's failure in this regard. Add an extra OL ALL DAY and go. That's all he had to do, dedicate himself to running the football. How did he not do this? wow. Nobody is perfect, but that was pretty disappointing.
Alberta_Packer
November 08, 2021 at 02:58 pm
Exactly! An extra OL or twin TE sets would have augmented the running game - while providing Love with the protection that he needed (and deserved). However, too banal for LaFleur.
Tundraboy
November 08, 2021 at 08:32 pm
If there ever was a game to up the run game it was this one. I'm dumbfounded as to why AJ had 8 carries.
greengold
November 09, 2021 at 06:44 am
Exacerbating that dumbfoudedness is wondering why Aaron Jones only had 12 carries… wow. 8 for AJ.
???
stockholder
November 08, 2021 at 03:46 pm
I don't agree with anyone making excuses for Love. Get this straight. !. It was 7 minutes left in the game. And that was their first 3rd down success for a 1st down. 2. Lefleur doesn't want Love to be a Robot. This is a major warning! When you don't play with emotion. You won't ever be a Hall of fame QB. 3. He thinks he's Great. This is the NFL, not college. 4. He still throws the air ball. 5. The Int when your in the red Zone. Was total crap. 6. No confidence. And his Wrs were upset. He missed them badly in the first 1/2. I believe Gutey made a major error selecting him. If the guy doesn't get his head out of his Butt. Show emotion. Beat the Blitz. This team will fall for years to come.
Irish_Cheesehead
November 08, 2021 at 08:20 pm
Lord dude, get a grip. It’s only football.
White92
November 08, 2021 at 04:08 pm
You are never losing, only behind
mbpacker
November 08, 2021 at 04:43 pm
Everyone is mentioning Coach LaFluer about the game plan, execution, and adjustments or lack thereof and rightly so. I also feel we need to include all those responsible for the game plan, like Hackett and Getsy. Hackett is up in the press box and communicates to Laflure. Yes, Matt calls the plays but it is a team effort. Not sure why they couldn't see what we all saw. As others have stated, Love didn't have a lot to work with. Is he the answer, I have no idea, time will tell. Not sure when that will happen once 12 returns. GPG!
jont
November 08, 2021 at 04:52 pm
This is a small thing, but I liked how Love escaped the pocket. On 3 or 4 plays coverage was good and pressure was coming so he took off without hesitation and through the correct lanes. Each time he got a few yards. He's no Lamar, but these yards helped and, to me at least, showed he was not rattled-- he was seeing the field and taking what he could get.
Did he miss a few? Was somebody coming open he didn't see? Very possible, but in his first game he's not going to see it all so he must go to plan B, and he did.
A small thing, but a positive.
Irish_Cheesehead
November 08, 2021 at 08:23 pm
I noticed that too, mainly because I’m so used to Rodgers holding the ball too long and taking a sack. Was nice to a QB with some moves.
ricky
November 08, 2021 at 04:55 pm
Some things that puzzled me during the game. Why go with an empty backfield with a rookie QB? At the least, keep someone back there for them to yell, "Look out!" as the Chiefs had another jailbreak blitz. Why not run the ball more when it was successful? Why didn't anyone reference "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" when they talked about "laces out" for the kicker?
And an observation- as the game went on, Love got more comfortable, actually throwing the ball instead of pushing it; and his accuracy was much better (the interception was as much excellent defense as it was ball placement). Love looked like he belonged, leading to a second thought: Love never gave anyone a grimace or a glare during the game. Stoic, stolid, focused. Green, but he grew during the game, rather than shrinking.
Packers0808
November 08, 2021 at 08:39 pm
Deleted post!
NitschkeFromTheGrave
November 08, 2021 at 06:04 pm
Ha Numbers, I want the NUMBER of how many times we are going to get beat like a drum from a bad Gilligan's Island episode before fixing coverage when they simply start passing the ball up the middle to a wide open receiver when it's crunch time ? What's that saying, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?????? Why can't we pass protect in the middle ?!
Nearly every week we give up 60, 70, 80 yards during a final drive with wide open passes up the middle, at crunch time. I think even every cub scout QB in puddles league knows GB is weak in the middle in the final 6 or 7 minutes of the game. It's literally like clock work, "Here they come again...." and yet we don't have an answer?
canadapacker
November 08, 2021 at 06:38 pm
I somewhat agree but only with guys like Kelce and Kittle and other faster that normal tight ends or when the running back runs that route. I dont like it when the interior linebackers just stand there guarding a piece of 6 foot by 6 foot ground - If you see one of their guys especially Kelce = go get right next to him before the ball is delivered so that you can either knock it down or knock him down. Those guys need to have a man on them as they leave the line of scrimmage.
mbpacker
November 08, 2021 at 06:56 pm
The game escapes me but I remember a team jamming Kelce at the line of scrimmage and he was frustrated the whole game. He and the Chiefs offense again did not have a good game overall. Need to get physical at the line with some of those elite TE and Receivers.
Irish_Cheesehead
November 08, 2021 at 08:27 pm
Hey! There are NO bad Gilligan’s Island episodes! You’re insulting my childhood!
greengold
November 09, 2021 at 07:07 am
66, the constant variable is Krys Barnes. He’s given up 17 receptions on 20 Targets for 151 yds, 8.9 per, 114.8 Passer rating against. Teams are on pace to target Barnes half again as many times as last year. He’s got a gigantic bullseye on his back in coverage. 0 PD.
NitschkeFromTheGrave
November 09, 2021 at 10:57 am
G.G., Great numbers find. I can't help wonder if Barns is the culprit or the pawn in the system taking the fall due to missed coaching design. You would think JB would fill this hole.
WestWi_Packfan
November 08, 2021 at 06:18 pm
I do not blame Jordan Love for the loss and didn't really expect a lot out of him at this point. I think the best we could have expected is that he not make plays that would lose the game and that making many big passing plays was asking too much at this point. We needed a big night out of the run game and didnt really get it and that would have helped him. If he ends up being the future at QB I think he will need another year or so before we really know what we have, so I am willing to give him some time. With that said, Gute should be trying hard to keep Rodgers on for another season so we can at least be competitive.
Lphill
November 08, 2021 at 07:13 pm
Love had a chance to prove himself , he makes that back shoulder throw to Adams and maybe connects on some of the other misses , he’s a number 1 pick he’s supposed to be ready to go on short notice .
LambeauPlain
November 09, 2021 at 09:46 am
Rodgers is uncharacteristically terrible under pressure this year. Matt knows this so why he felt Love would do better under pressure and still call long developing perimeter pass plays, especially on 3rd down, is a head scratcher. Probably fortunate Love was not injured being exposed to constant pressure and hits.
Didn't Hackett, Stenavich, and Getsy voice concern about the game plan for Love's first start? Why no adjustments at the half and call more runs, quick passes, screens and play action off 12 and 22 personal.