“One word, five letters: R-E-L-A-X.”
We all remember that legendary quote from Green Bay Packers quarterbackAaron Rodgers after Week 3 of the 2014 NFL season. The Packers offense was sputtering, and the team had gotten of to a 1-2 start, coming up well short of early expectations. In the aftermath of Rodgers dropping that much-quoted soundbite, the Packers went on to win eleven of their last thirteen games, and Rodgers went on to capture his second NFL MVP award. Could a similar turnaround be on the horizon for the 2015 Green Bay Packers with Rodgers at the helm?
It’s hard to say.
IT’S NOW OR NEVER FOR THE 2015 GREEN BAY PACKERS
After blazing out of the gate to a 6-0 start, the Packers have dropped three straight games in embarrassing fashion. The offense has looked downright terrible at times and Rodgers doesn’t look like the same player he did in his MVP season. Blame for the Packers’ woes has been placed on poor play-calling, possible undisclosed injuries, and a whole litany of other reasons, but it seems like it has a great deal to do with how much their offense is limited by the absence of wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
There is a tendency in the media to dismiss a wide receiver’s greatness as a byproduct of playing with a great quarterback, but this is often irresponsible. Does Aaron Rodgers’ greatness improve Jordy Nelson’s stats? Absolutely. But by the same token, Jordy Nelson’s greatness does the same for Rodgers’ stats. Yes, Rodgers doesn’t appear to be one hundred per cent healthy, but game tape doesn’t lie. The Packers’ receivers aren’t getting open with the ease we’re accustomed to seeing. When Nelson is in the lineup, the attention he demands opens up a lot of room for the other pass-catchers, and without him, the offense is sorely missing it’s previous big play potential.
This isn’t to say that these issues aren’t correctable. Rodgers looked great during the first month of the season, and Nelson wasn’t playing then either. Wide receiver James Jones seems to have been phased out of the offense, which is puzzling after his enormous contributions early in the season. Wideout Randall Cobb has been up-and-down this season, and could really use another pass-catcher to take the attention off him. Enter Davante Adams. The sophomore wideout missed several games but hasn’t been eased back into the offense in his first three games back in the lineup. In fact, Adams has seen a combined 32 (yes, 32) targets in his last two games, securing 17 of them for 172 yards. Adams, Cobb, and Jones make for a solid receiving corps, and even without Nelson, the hope remains for a top-notch passing offense.
Green Bay’s running game struggles are well documented, and have been an ongoing issue all season. Head Caoch Mike McCarthy has recently handed the starting reins over to running backJames Starks, who has provided a spark to the offense at times during the first half of the season. Former starting running back Eddie Lacy figures to remain in the mix for carries as well, and the Packers have to hope that one of these two backs start to get hot down the stretch.
Defensively, the Packers have been an up-and-down unit. They have a bend but don’t break quality about them, having allowed 371.6 offensive yards per game (10th worst in the NFL), while only allowing 20.6 points per game (tied for 11th best in the NFL). In short, they’re allowing yardage in bunches, but still managing to keep points off the scoreboard, and giving the offense a chance to win most games.
Regardless of what the reason might be for the team’s struggles, it’s now or never for the 2015 Green Bay Packers. With their recent three-game skid bringing their record to 6-3, the Packers have surrendered the lead in the NFC North to the 7-2 Minnesota Vikings, who just happen to be playing host to the Pack in Week 11. The implications of this game cannot be understated. A Green Bay victory places both teams at 7-3 and the Packers would possess the tiebreaker with the two teams meeting again at Lambeau field in Week 17, putting them in great shape to claim a fifth consecutive NFC North Championship. A Minnesota win, however would essentially give the Vikings a three- game lead in the division (two game lead plus the tiebreaker), severely hindering the Pack’s chances at a divisional title.
There are seven weeks left in the 2015 NFL regular season, so if Green Bay is going to put the pieces together, it has to be now, or else they could find themselves out of the postseason picture, a thought that was nearly unfathomable three short weeks ago. The talent is there, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see this team go on a tear down the stretch, but one thing is certain. This is no time to “R-E-L-A-X”, but it’s also no time to “P-A-N-I-C”. This is a team that knows how to win. Let’s see if they start doing so again in Minnesota.
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