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Green Bay Packers Offense Must Improve in Playoffs

By Joel Childers

Dec 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) loses his helmet while being sacked by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Alex Okafor (57) and cornerback Jerraud Powers (25) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) loses his helmet while being sacked by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Alex Okafor (57) and cornerback Jerraud Powers (25) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Green Bay Packers are still in the hunt for the NFC North title, but their offense needs to improve if they want to have playoff success.

As of right now, Green Bay is 10-5, and plays for the NFC North title on Sunday night, so it would be a mistake to classify their season as a disappointment, but for anyone that was hoping Aaron Rodgers would win his 3rd MVP award, or for anyone who was relying on any of the team’s stars in fantasy football, the offense was very disappointing. The Green Bay Packers need their offensive stars to step up in the coming weeks, or they may be in for a short playoff run.

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Many were ready to declare Aaron Rodgers the unquestionable best player in football after last season, but you would be hard pressed to make that argument after 2015. He’s on pace to have his lowest passing yards per game total since he became Green Bay’s starter in 2008. He’s also on pace for career lows in yards per attempt and completion, and completion percentage.

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It’s easy to blame Rodgers’ performance on a lack of productive receivers, but with the performances Tom Brady and Cam Newton have put on while throwing to the likes of Ted Ginn Jr. and Danny Amendola, its hard to give Rodgers a pass. His receivers, however, have been fairly disappointing. In fact, Rodgers is completing only 56% of his passes when throwing to the trio of Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, and James Jones, as opposed to 69% when targeting all other players.

When Green Bay’s top receiver Jordy Nelson went down this offseason, many expected Randall Cobb to step up into his role, and many also expected Davante Adams to become an elite producer. Instead, Green Bay will likely finish as one of the few teams without a 1,000 yard receiver, and the 31-year old offseason signee James Jones may finish the season as the team leader in both receiving yards and touchdowns.

We’ve seen that Randall Cobb’s exquisite production from last season was dependent on defenses keying on Jordy Nelson, as he isn’t even in the top-30 in receiving yards this season. Davante Adams was plagued with drops and caught just 52% of the passes thrown his way, the fifth lowest number among players with at least 80 targets. He managed to score only 1 touchdown all season long.

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James Jones is the only of Green Bay’s receivers that actually exceed expectations, as he’s on pace to reach the highest yardage total of his nine year career while leading the team in both touchdowns and yards per reception. These receivers are going to have to improve drastically if they hope to carry the team into February.

On the ground, Eddie Lacy may be the biggest disappointment of all, especially in fantasy football circles. Lacy, the No. 1 overall pick in many fantasy football leagues, is currently the 27th highest scorer in ESPN Standard Fantasy Leagues, just behind his teammate James Starks. They both managed just over 4 yards per carry, but need to improve that number moving forward.

Green Bay’s running back duo combined for only 1,301 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground. Both Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin have more yardage and touchdowns by themselves.

The Packers still have a shot to win their division, and if their offense can get clicking, their defense is good enough to carry them on a good playoff run. Their offensive struggles cannot be placed on the loss of Jordy Nelson alone. Be it the offensive line, poor quarterback play, or inefficiency from the skill players, the offense simply has not been as good as it needs to be this year.

When they take the field Sunday night to play for the division title, Green Bay will be facing off against a Minnesota Vikings team that has averaged 44 points over their last two games, scoring 9 offensive touchdowns over that span. The Packers offense will have a dress rehearsal of sorts against the Vikings, as Green Bay victory means they will likely play either have a rematch with Minnesota, or face the stout defense of Seattle in the first round of the playoffs.

If the Packers hope to work their way deep into the postseason, they’ll certainly have to face the Seahawks, Cardinals, or Panthers, each of whom have a top-5 defense. The Seahawks and Cardinals also have top-5 offenses, meaning Green Bay may have to put up some big points to compete against those teams.

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Expect Green Bay to lean heavily on Eddie Lacy this week against Minnesota, as he’s averaged 129 yards from scrimmage and scored 6 touchdowns in five career games against the Vikings. The question remains however, will he be up to the challenge, and if he falters, who will step up to take his place? There’s no doubt that the Packers offense has been disappointing this season, but Green Bay still has a chance to make this a season to remember if they can pull it together here at the season’s close.

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