A 503-yard passing performance on Sunday by Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is enough to scare many who had believed Green Bay rebuilt a shaky defensive unit.
The Packers, who remained undefeated with a 27-20 victory, seemed to have ball hawks in the secondary and a strong line, good enough to put pressure on any quarterback.
What Philip Rivers did on Sunday should not be a surprise, though.
Green Bay is used to playing with the lead, normally with quarterback Aaron Rodgers putting points on the scoreboard with ease. When this happens, team have to turn to pass-first offenses, which give the linemen a better jump to get to the quarterback, and defenders more confidence to attack and create turnovers.
Recently, with injuries to Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy, the offense has stagnated, not scoring more than 27 points over the past three weeks.
On the defensive side, the Packers have been without B.J. Raji, Nick Perry and Morgan Burnett, all strong components to the NFL’s third-ranked scoring defense.
The bye week will prove valuable to Green Bay, possibly getting the majority of the team healthy and ready for back-to-back games against currently undefeated teams with Peyton Manning and Cam Newton at the helm.
As shown in Week 2 against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, the Packers have what it takes to slow down a top-10 quarterback.
The defensive challenges will continue, with the Packers possibly facing Tony Romo in Week 14 and, unless he gets hurt again, Carson Palmer in Week 16 before a potential playoff run against some of the best in the business.
Once both sides of the ball are completely healthy, fans can go back to having high expectations of both units, when a seven-point victory over the 2-4 Charges is unacceptable.
Given that San Diego was within 3 yards of tying the game, an unusually close game by Packers standards, fans may be calling for drastic changes. Close games aren’t what fans want to see when the expectation is that Aaron Rodgers and Co. will have a chance to compete for a Super Bowl come February.
The offensive and defensive units are equally responsible for winning games, so hold the criticism until everyone is healthy. At that point, panic can set in if things don’t turn around for the green and gold.
Categories
