The standing of beginning quarterback Jordan Love is a significant concern for the Green Bay Packers. However as Malik Willis has demonstrated over the previous two years, their offense can operate at a excessive degree with him within the lineup.
Their larger concern than Love’s harm proper now is perhaps the state of their protection, particularly after a shocking no-show efficiency in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens in a 41-24 loss on Saturday night time that formally ended their quest for an NFC North division championship.
Packers protection exhibiting critical flaws with out Micah Parsons
There was all the time going to be an expectation for the Packers protection to regress with out celebrity Edge-rusher Micah Parsons. He is among the finest gamers in soccer and a one-man game-changer each week he performs.
Earlier than his season-ending harm, he was every part the Packers anticipated him to be after they traded for him.
However with Saturday’s loss, the Packers have now misplaced three video games in a row with a protection that’s exhibiting little or no resistance with out Parsons.
The primary loss on that shedding streak noticed them quit 34 factors to the Denver Broncos.
They adopted {that a} week in the past by blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter result in the Chicago Bears, which helped hand them the division championship.
Saturday’s sport was the worst of all of them.
They allowed 41 factors to a Ravens offense that was being quarterbacked by third-string quarterback Tyler Huntley. It was additionally a Ravens offense that has been extraordinarily hit-and-miss in latest weeks, struggling to ascertain any form of identification. The Packers protection made one cease the whole sport in opposition to that offense, which didn’t lead to a scoring drive.
Baltimore accounted for 414 yards of complete offense, together with 307 speeding. Derrick Henry ran for 216 of these yards and 4 touchdowns.
Excluding their end-of-game kneel-down, the Ravens’ eight offensive possessions resulted in 5 touchdowns, two area targets and just one punt. In opposition to a Tyler Huntley-led offense.
What makes it particularly regarding is that they needed to know what Baltimore’s sport plan was going to be coming into this sport. With out Lamar Jackson, and with the Ravens teaching employees dealing with warmth for under-utilizing Henry per week in the past, it was fairly obvious that was going to be the point of interest of the sport. From the opening possession, it was. Inexperienced Bay had no reply for any of it.
They had been outplayed. Outworked. Outschemed. They may not match Baltimore’s toughness. It’s a regarding signal with the playoffs simply across the nook. They will face higher quarterbacks and higher offenses than they’ve over the previous few weeks. Nothing they’ve proven not too long ago signifies they may be capable of reply them.
