After scoring 14 unanswered points in the second half, the Green Bay Packers defense resorted to its old ways of giving up too many yards on the ground. The Packers were able to cut a 27-3 halftime deficit to 27-17 after a Christian Watson touchdown catch and Jordan Love touchdown run.
After those scores, though, the Lions ran the ball down the field, eating up clock, and scored a touchdown to ice the game with 6:00 left on the clock.
The lack of creative play-calling and their inability to stop the run in crunch time led former Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert to call out defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
Kurt Benkert Calls Out Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry
In the midst of the Lions’ drive down the field, Benkert posted the following on Twitter (X):
Joe Barry play man, blitz, create havoc rn. You don’t have time on your side.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) September 29, 2023
Indeed, the Lions ate over eight minutes off of the clock on their way down the field. Even if the Packers had been able to stop the touchdown, they almost certainly would not have enough time to get the ball back enough to put up the points they needed.
Of course, linebacker Quay Walker was called for jumping over the line of scrimmage when the Lions did attempt a field goal from inside the 20-yard line.
That did not help matters either.
Kurt Benkert Called Out Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Earlier in the Game
The Packers started to move the ball for the first time with second remaining in the first half. Even though they had timeouts to spare, head coach Matt LaFleur allowed the clock to tick and had Jordan Love run a hurry-up offense.
Had they used their timeouts, it is possible Green Bay could have at least attempted a long field goal. That, however, did not happen and Love was sacked as the clock struck 0:00.
Benkert posted:
Going into halftime with timeouts again blows my mind.
Have to call a timeout at :28 seconds instead of going hurry up. I know it’s on the cheat sheet to burn the timeout.
The clock mismanagement drives me insane.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) September 29, 2023
Benkert knows the Packers offense well, as he spent the 2021 season on the team’s practice squad. He knows what will work, when, and how they should be running their plays.
It is painfully obvious, and frustrating, when they don’t.
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