On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers hosted the Baltimore Ravens in a rare out of conference game. Packers quarterback Brett Hundley was looking to build some momentum off his first win as a starter, last week at Chicago. Unfortunately, he was facing one of the best defenses in the NFL. Here are the week 11 Green Bay Packers takeaways.
Week 11 Green Bay Packers Takeaways
Brett Hundley Struggles Mightily
Coming into the game many believed that Green Bay would prevail as Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco this season ranks as one of the worst starters in the league in many statistics (TD-INT, yards per attempt, QBR). However, few fans had accounted for the great Ravens defense. Baltimore’s defense pressured Hundley throughout the game, forced two fumbles on rookie running back Devante Mays – the first fumbles by any Packers running back this year – and intercepted Hundley three times.
Hundley and the offense made Packers history, but for the wrong reasons turning the ball over three times on the team’s first three possessions. The last time Green Bay did that was in 1982 against the Los Angeles Rams. That day the Pack trailed 23-0 before miraculously coming back to win 35-23 according to ESPN Packers beat writer Rob Demovsky. Unfortunately on Sunday, Baltimore held on to win 23-0.
According to Elias, The last time the Packers committed three turnovers on their first three possessions was Sept. 12, 1982 against the Rams. The Packers would win the game 35-23 after falling behind 23-0. https://t.co/zmaNQq7qsg
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 19, 2017
In the end, Green Bay was shutout. The last time the Packers failed to score points at home was in 2006 against the New England Patriots.
The Packers were last shut out 11 years ago today. They lost 35-0 to the Patriots at home in 2006. https://t.co/dhPm8OrEsy
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 19, 2017
The last time the Packers had an offensive outing with five or more turnovers and six or more sacks, was week two 1990 against the Chicago Bears.
This was the the Packers' first game with 5+ turnovers and 6+ times sacked since 1990 Week 2 against the Bears when Anthony Delwig was Green Bay's starting QB. https://t.co/RImpzKMXHl
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 19, 2017
Defense Comes to the Rescue
For many years, Packer fans have blamed the defense for colossal failures and meltdown in big moments; however, on Sunday, the defense was sensational. The Ravens offense was limited to six points off the turnovers. And, they managed to limit Baltimore to two touchdowns despite the fact that, on average, they started their drives on their own 45. Kyler Fackrell, Dean Lowry, and Clay Matthews each had one sack, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had an interception on the day. Jake Ryan (seven solo tackles), Josh Jones (six solos, one assisted), Blake Martinez (five and three), and Clinton-Dix (five solos) led the way on defense.
Davante Adams is Lone Bright Spot
Coming into this season, Davante Adams was a young receiver looking to make the leap from sidekick to true number one. During the Packers week six loss to the Minnesota Vikings, cornerback Xavier Rhodes defended Adams, which to many marked his arrival as the number one receiver. But some were still critical of Adams play and his projection. Could he be a true number one on any team or was he a product of Aaron Rodgers? On Sunday, Adams showed he could be a true number one receiver. Cornerback Jimmy Smith defended him throughout the whole game, and in some instances even had Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle helping over the top.
Adams finished with eight receptions for 126 yards.
Conclusion
Green Bay is showing promises on defense and the running game, which is a positive sign since these have been the biggest challenges the team has dealt with over the past few years. Hundley needs to show more consistency and the Packers can be afloat for Rodgers’ possible return in week 15 against the Vikings.
