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Rob Demovsky
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Only seven points scored against the Philadelphia Eagles in a defeat during «Monday Night Football.» Just thirteen points the previous week in a loss to the Carolina Panthers. A mere ten points in a Week 3 defeat against the Cleveland Browns.
And in each of those contests, the Green Bay Packers’ defense limited their opponents to 16 points or fewer, including Monday’s 10-7 loss at Lambeau Field.
No surprise that Jordan Love remarked, «You feel like as an offense you’re letting the defense down.»
The Packers’ showing against the Eagles ranked among the worst offensive performances in Love’s three years as starting quarterback and also within Matt LaFleur’s seven years as head coach.
Josh Jacobs commented, «We need to discover real solutions to our issues. I truly have no idea what those solutions [are]. Everyone needs to dig deep, believe, and contribute more. It’s challenging. We can’t rely on our past achievements; we must live in the moment.»
That’s where LaFleur, the architect of the offense, steps in. He has one year left on his contract, and the new team president Ed Policy, who assumed office in July, hasn’t provided him or general manager Brian Gutekunst with an extension yet, as per sources. Policy has also expressed skepticism about lame-duck coaches or general managers.
If LaFleur believes he is coaching for his job, he wouldn’t admit it.
«I’ll let others decide that,» LaFleur stated. «I concentrate on the daily tasks … I feel like you are always coaching for everything in this league, you know? That’s my perspective. It’s always been that way. You can’t ever relax. You must constantly be pushing. That’s my attitude and it will remain so until they tell me to stop coaching.»
LaFleur didn’t have many insights on why the offense struggled so significantly on Monday. A week earlier, he lost perhaps his top playmaker, tight end Tucker Kraft, to a knee injury that ends his season. In the game against the Eagles, he lost Love’s most-targeted receiver, Romeo Doubs, to a chest injury in the second half, along with center Elgton Jenkins due to a broken lower leg.
However, this doesn’t justify the difficulties they faced in the running game, despite it being the central focus of LaFleur’s strategy against the Eagles. Jacobs managed 21 carries for 74 yards (averaging 3.5 yards) and scored the only touchdown on a 6-yard run with 5:49 left on the clock.
«We’re in the middle of the season; we can’t keep saying, ‘Alright, we will address it.’ We must find genuine solutions to our challenges. I sincerely don’t know what those solutions [are]. I feel everyone needs to dig deep, believe, and contribute more.»
Packers running back Josh Jacobs
«We aimed to establish the run game and build from there,» LaFleur said. «I thought there were instances where we executed decently, but ultimately it wasn’t sufficient. It appeared to me that during critical moments, it wasn’t always first and second down, but rather the pivotal downs, third and fourth down, where we simply malfunctioned.»
And it does not clarify why the Eagles appeared to predict what the Packers intended to run on their last genuine opportunity — a fourth-and-1 with 1:30 remaining that the Eagles halted, resulting in Jacobs fumbling.
«They called it out,» Jacobs mentioned. «We signaled our play. They [indicated it’s an] ‘inside zone, it’s being run right here.’ So I was somewhat hesitant to run there, but you know … yeah, that’s just how it unfolded.»
Love completed only 176 passing yards, and his 4.9 yards per attempt were the lowest in any game of his starting NFL career, according to ESPN Research.
«Not good enough,» Love responded when questioned about his recent performance.
The Packers (5-3-1) dropped from first to third in the NFC North. In all three losses, they have permitted 16 points or fewer. The New York Jets are the only other team this season with multiple losses while allowing 16 points or fewer.
«Honestly, it’s just incredibly frustrating,» Packers defensive end Micah Parsons stated. «But it’s one of those situations; we win together, we lose together, regardless of the result, and just supporting our teammates, irrespective of who’s performing better or which side is excelling. It’s essential that we uplift one another until they find their rhythm. Once everyone gets going, we’ll be a really strong team.»
