After overcoming a slow start to the game, Green Bay got things going against the New York Giants. But injuries and missed opportunities ultimately made the difference in the game, giving the Packers their first loss in nearly a month.
With a few miscues, the Packers lose a big game in the Big Apple. Even with the loss, Green Bay remains in the mix for a postseason birth.
Growing Pains of Being Young
For as much excitement for the future as the youth movement in Green Bay has provided, there have been mistakes in big moments that have come from their young players. While leading the NFL’s youngest offense, quarterback Jordan Love has relied largely on first and second-year skill players. Emerging from that group have been players like Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. Tucker Kraft and Malik Heath have both been pleasant surprises, too.
While Love has leaned on Reed for big plays in recent weeks, the Packers were without Christian Watson against the Giants. Watson’s absence meant that players with less experience were pushed up the depth chart. Reed came through with a rushing touchdown early in the game but was relied perhaps too heavily upon in crunch time. With an opportunity to tie the game, late in the fourth quarter, head coach Matt Lafleur gave Reed his fourth carry on a jet-sweep. The Packers failed to convert, and those two points ended up being the difference in this game.
Inconsistencies in the Kicking Game
Another missed opportunity for the Packers came when rookie kicker Anders Carlson missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. Carlson has been mostly accurate throughout the season but has struggled to connect on long-field goals. The windy conditions of MetLife stadium could have played a part in Carlson’s miss, but overall the rookie must be more consistent if the Packers are to win close games like this one.
On the season, Carlson has connected on 80% of his field goals (per ESPN stats). Only in two games has he successfully hit field goals over 50 yards. The offense has surged recently, leading to more red zone opportunities and a shorter field, but the inconsistencies in the kicking game have plagued the Packers at times. Though he is still a rookie, Carlson has missed 5 of his 11 field goal attempts beyond 40 yards. When the offense stalls out, Carlson must be the one to come up in the clutch, much like his predecessor Mason Crosby did during his tenure in Green Bay.
Getting Gashed on the Ground
This game was ripe with opportunities for the Giants to run the ball on the Packers. By trotting out Tommy DeVito, their rookie quarterback who went undrafted, the Giants have been playing against a stacked deck. Fortunately for New York, they have one of the league’s best running backs: Saquon Barkley. In both big and small moments, Barkley has been the player to carry this Giants team. He did just that against the Packers, coming up with big runs when they mattered most.
Barkley’s first big play came early in the second quarter when he took a direct snap and ran the ball down the Packers’ 5-yard line. Barkley scored one play later. On that same drive, the Packers gave up two scrambles to DeVito. One of those scrambles gave the Giants a big first down. DeVito, like Barkley, came up huge for the Giants as the game wound down. Early in the third quarter, DeVito broke off another run that gave the Giants a scoring opportunity. Barkley again punched the ball into the endzone, giving the Giants a 14-10 lead.
Both Barkley and DeVito powered their team by busting off big runs throughout the game. But it was the Giants’ final drive of regulation that broke the Packers’ back. DeVito completed four short passes to start the drive before Barkley took over. It only took three short runs from Barkley to get the Giants in field goal position after that. The tandem was highlighted as two threats that could make the game difficult for Green Bay, and they did just that.
The defense did not do its part in crunch time, but the mistakes made by Green Bay’s young players along the way attributed to their ultimate meltdown against the Giants. With a grasp on the 7th playoff spot in the NFC, Green Bay can use this loss as an opportunity to get their groove back after letting the game slip away in the closing minutes.
Main Photo: [Vincent Carchietta] – USA Today Sports
