It was a frustrating afternoon for the Green Bay Packers, especially on the defensive side. The Packers dropped their second straight game after falling 34-20 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield became the first visiting quarterback to post a perfect passer rating. The Buccaneers also accumulated almost 500 yards of offense. The playoff hopes quickly dwindling for Green Bay, Here are three takeaways from yesterday’s loss.
The Green Bay Packers Defense Was Embarrassing Again
After a three game winning streak and improving the overall record to 6-6, Joe Barry and the Green Bay Packers defense have lost to Tommy DiVito and Baker Mayfield in the span of six days. DiVito is a backup quarterback at best while Mayfield is slightly below average at best.
The only thing the defense did well yesterday was they sacked Baker Mayfield five times. Other than that, they let an average offense do whatever they wanted. They played soft all game and made no adjustments out of halftime. Unfortunately, that happens quite often.
A ton of defensive coordinators would get fired for losing these games. I am in the boat that wants the Green Bay Packers to fire Joe Barry. Matt LaFleur should be hounded at the podium until that happens. It’s been an issue since Barry was hired in 2021. Not only has the defense not improved in his tenure, you could argue it’s gotten worse. I don’t think the Packers will fire him before the end of season, but it needs to happen shorty after the end of the season.
The Offense Had a Good Day
The Green Bay Packers offense left some points on the board yesterday, but 20 points should have been enough to win this game. Jordan Love had another nice day going 29-39 for 284 yards and two touchdowns. The growth he has shown over the year is really encouraging. As every week has passed, it’s becoming clear the Green Bay Packers have their franchise quarterback.
The rookie receivers had good games yesterday as well. Dontayvion Wicks led the team with 97 yards on six catches. Jayden Reed had an incredible catch in the end zone (it was a great throw from Love) too. I also liked what Tucker Kraft did. He scored the first touchdown and ended the game with four receptions for 57 yards.
The offense was a roller coaster the first half of the season, but that side of the ball continues to get better and show improvement, something that would define this season.
Every Game is a Must Win Moving Forward
These were two games the Packers could not afford to lose, especially the Giants game. After a game this week against the Panthers, the Green Bay Packers end the season with games against the Vikings and the Bears. Every game is a must win now.
While the Panthers game was seen as an easy win a few weeks ago, that is no longer the case. The Packers can lose to Carolina. I don’t expect that to happen, but it’s not a certain win anymore. They need to improve and improve fast.
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