Yikes. That was as ugly an offensive performance from the Green Bay Packers as I can ever remember.
Entering the Week 3 matchup with the previously 0-2 Cleveland Browns, the Packers had established themselves as one of the favorites in the NFC and looked like an all-around good squad.
For the most part, the defense was strong throughout the game on Sunday, holding the Browns scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. Even then, it took an awful interception from Jordan Love to hand the Browns a short field and all the momentum to give them the chance to put points on the board.
On the other hand, the offense was poor almost all day. However, it was their first half performance that really laid the foundation for what was a terrible loss.
Perhaps we should have seen this coming. On Green Bay’s first offensive play, starting right tackle Zach Tom left the game after aggravating an oblique injury that he suffered during the season-opening win against the Detroit Lions.
In an interesting choice, the Packers decided to go with second-year man and former first-round pick Jordan Morgan to play right tackle. They chose him over rookie Anthony Belton, who they called on last week to play against the Washington Commanders, or Darian Kinnard, who came in against the Detroit Lions when Tom initially got hurt.
Judging by Morgan’s performance, he looked like he was just as surprised as everyone else. Morgan struggled in every aspect of the game. He was called for three penalties and was charged with several pressures. He was the team’s second-lowest-graded player, per Pro Football Focus, with a 40.7 grade.
After the game, Matt LaFleur admitted that they shouldn’t have rushed Tom back from his injury so soon.
“Obviously, yeah,” he said. “If a guy plays one play. We’ve got to have some discussions. We can’t allow that to happen. It’s disappointing when he plays one play,” he said post.
It looked like Tom dropped out of the game so early that it messed with Green Bay’s game plan, and they simply couldn’t adjust. The Browns sensed an opportunity as soon as they saw Tom leave. Love was sacked on the next play for a five-yard loss, leading to a quick three-and-out.
The Browns sacked Love four times in the first half. With the way Cleveland’s defensive front was penetrating Green Bay’s offensive line, Green Bay couldn’t establish any identity offensively.
LaFluer tried to establish the run, but the Browns have the stingiest run defense in football, allowing just 2.1 yards per carry coming into the game. Josh Jacobs managed only 30 yards on 16 total carries. Emanuel Wilson added 25 yards on six carries, and Love and Matthew Golden contributed 43 yards on 10 carries.
Running the ball consistently is one way to help counter a stiff pass rush. However, it seemed that the second Love handed the ball off, whether it was a regular run with a back or a jet sweep with Golden, the Browns had a defender in his way.
One of the most concerning aspects of the lack of offense on Sunday was the fact that the Packers didn’t feel particularly close to adding any more points on the board at any point. There were no missed field goals, no risky gambles on fourth down where LaFluer went for a touchdown instead of a field goal, no turnovers deep into Browns territory.
The Browns took Green Bay’s lunch money. I hope this turns into a teaching tape for them and not the blueprint for defenses down the line.
Green Bay isn’t going to see a player as good as Myles Garrett the rest of the season. Even finding a defensive line on par with the Browns’ will be a challenge, but they will see plenty of good defenses the rest of the way. The Packers dominated the Lions and Commanders by getting out to fast starts.
Green Bay’s 83-yard touchdown drive to start the Lions game gave the Packers control and allowed them to dictate the rest of the game. On Thursday night against the Commanders, the Packers twice went 90-plus yards for a touchdown in the first half to take a 14-0 lead. Getting out to an early lead will be imperative in avoiding a repeat of Sunday’s performance.
If scoring only three points in the first half wasn’t enough to beat a team with an abysmal offense like the Joe Flacco-led Browns, doing so against the likes of the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles come playoff time could be next to impossible.
Perhaps the Packers bought into the hype after starting the season the way they did. Left tackle Rasheed Walker has been making the rounds today after eating his words when he suggested the Packers could go undefeated.
I refuse to believe the offense was as bad as it looked throughout Sunday’s game. I also refuse to believe that Walker was the only one inside the Packers locker room who might have been overlooking the Browns.
If there is a cure for a team coming off a bad offensive performance, then it’s the Dallas Cowboys’ defense. Suppose the Packers start against the Cowboys in Week 4 like they did against the Browns in Week 3. Then, we might have a real problem. If they start how they did against the Lions and Commanders in Weeks 1 and 2, then I think it’ll be safe to assume Week 3 was a fluke.