The Green Bay Packers since 2015 are 1-5 coming off their Bye-Week. Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the latest installment of this not so great trend.
What could it be? Are there trends that can be found in every one of these games?
Three of the teams they lost to in those games ended up in the Superbowl that year. The Denver Broncos in 2015, The Los Angeles Rams in 2018, And The San Francisco 49ers in 2019. A weird but interesting stat to point out. From 2015 to now, the Packers have been playing good teams off off the bye-week. However, that shouldn’t be an excuse for not showing up to most of these games.
2015: Packers Loss 29-10 To The Denver Broncos.
This Broncos team was red hot going into this game, but so were the Packers. Both teams at 6-0.
The packers did not show up at all in this game, and a lot of it can be a credit to the pressure Denver’s defense put on Rodgers; sacking him three times and getting six hits in on him. Aaron Rodgers Went 14 of 22 for 77 yards in that game.
2016: Packers win 23-16 against the New York Giants in Green Bay.
Packers played good, but not great, in this game. The defense played well while the offense struggled to find a rhythm. The Packers put pressure on Eil Manning, with eight hits and four sacks. All in all, The Packers played a team they should beat and won the game.
2017: Packers Loss 30-17 To The Detroit Lions At Home
Aaron Rodgers was out this game, so Brett Hundley got the start. The rest is history. The Packers started slow and couldn’t dig themselves out of that hole. The defense let Stafford throw all over them with 361 yards. A classic Packers loss, the offense struggled, and the defense didn’t help when things didn’t go their way.
2018: The Packers Loss 29-27 To The Rams In LA.
This game still stings. It should be remembered as the Jaire Alexander breakout game but is overshadowed by the disappointing end. The Packers played a 7-0 Rams team that was firing at will on offense. However, Green Bay brought their A-Game went down to the wire. Rodgers looked sharp most of the game but got hit eight times and got sacked four of those times.
The Packers Offense was red hot in the second half and was about to get the ball back for Rodgers to lead a game-winning drive. However, on the kickoff return, Ty Montgomery fumbled, and the Rams ran out the clock. It’s hard to think Rodgers wouldn’t have scored if given a chance.
November 24, 2019; Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
2019: The Packers Loss 37-8 To The 49ers.
The Packers just looked overmatched in this game. They didn’t have an answer to anything the 49ers were doing on either side of the ball. Rodgers was sacked five times. He could not find his balance in this game at all. The defense had no answer for George Kittle as he went for six catches and 129 yards. For most of the game, the Packers looked lifeless and couldn’t compete against a very talented 49ers team.
2020: The Packers Loss 38-10 To The Buccaneers.
The Packers got out to an early 10-0 lead and things were looking good. The defense forces the Bucs to punt early. Then in the blink of an eye, the Bucs put up 38 unanswered points. Rodgers threw two interceptions on consecutive drives, including a pick-six. He was pressured all-day and looked like they went away from the run game a little early. The defense did not help the cause and got walked on and couldn’t make a big play to change the momentum in the Packer’s favor.
What Are The Trends?
Putting Pressure On Rodgers: This a common trend in all these games. It’s evident that the opposing defenses had a game plan to blitz and disrupt whatever Rodgers would want to do.
The Defense Never Seems To Help Out: The offense has struggled in these games, but the defense didn’t help the offense in any way. When you lose the momentum in a game, you can still take it back by making big plays on defense, and the Packers defense has not done a great job at that.
Battling Adversity: Every game you play is going to have wrinkles, things you need to adjust to, and whether it was under Mike Mccarthy or now Matt Lafleur both have them have not been able to battle back and make the adjustments to change the tide of the game back in their favor.
Aaron Rodgers is in the same boat; he needs to step up and lead like never before in these moments. He is frustrated, but he’s still the guy who everyone looks to.
Closing Statements
With all that said, Those games did not define those seasons. Besides, maybe the 2018 game in LA where that game felt like so many others in that season.
The Packers will be fine this season; this is just a bump in the road, and I believe this team will overcome and still be a competitive team for the remainder of the year.
They played at a historic level in the first four games; they were bound to come down a level at some point.
“I think we needed a kick in the ass a little bit,” Rodgers said after the game. “There’s a little bit of wake-up to stop feeling ourselves so much and get back to the things that got us to this position.”
Rodgers is confident this team will bounce back, and this will be something they can learn from going forward.
As Always
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