The Frozen Tundra is Freezing Over, The Packers are falling apart

As I watched Donavon McNabb set up for the momentum swinging touchdown heave to Anthony Armstrong to bring the game within a field goal, all I could say was “yup, we lost the game.” I was right. The Packers lost 16-13 to the up and down Washington Redskins in a game that could have been a blow out. Green Bay piled up the yards, but could not pile up the points and it cost them. What’s wrong with the Packers? There seems to be a lot going wrong with the Packers.

Lack of composure:

Green Bay is being penalized a lot this season, with 18 penalties in the Chicago game alone as a prime example, another nine in the game against the Skins. That’s 27 whopping penalties in TWO games alone, and it doesn’t seem to be halting anytime soon. The style of play on the defensive side of the ball is physical, and with the NFL becoming more worried about players’ safety than the game itself, the Packers will continue to be penalized. With even touching the receiver you draw a flag, and with the one-on-one style the Packers’ corners like to play, it’s hard to not blow the whistle against them. What’s getting ridiculous though, is the amounts of non-calls the Packers are continuous victims of. Every down you can see an obvious hold or blatant pass interference and officials let it go. There was a hold in the Washington game against Clay Matthews that had it been called, would have been a safety, but the officials let it slide. The officials need to be consistent with calls is something the Packers greatly need.

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Offensive Line:

At one point during the Washington game I said to myself, “Aaron Rodgers looks as timid as Kevin Kolb does.” He was throwing underneath routes, and did not look comfortable in the pocket as he was getting harassed by the defensive front. That led to 4 consecutive drives with nothing to show for, with 3 punts and a missed field goal attempt. The Packers need to solidify their offensive line and get healthy, as Bryan Bulaga had to start in place of Mark Tauscher at the Right Tackle spot. The O-line needs to have consistent starters to gel as Rodgers needs time to read the routes as they develop down field. With no running game, (unless Brandon Jackson plays the Redskins defense every week) the Packers rely on the passing game, and Aaron Rodgers being thrown around is never a good thing, which even lead to him suffering a concussion against Washington. The Packers need to fix their offensive front if they want to have any hope of still being considered a contender this season.

Injuries, Injuries, and more Injuries:

The Packers continue to be plagued by injuries, as they lost Nick Barnett for the season to be added alongside Ryan Grant as a key role player on the team. In the Washington game Jermichael Finley, Donald Lee, Ryan Pickett, and Clay Matthews also went down, with their statuses uncertain. The Packers just can not get rid of the injury big and this is going to continue to affect the team as they are deep in many positions but if they keep losing players for the season they wont be able to fill the roles as well as they can. Clay Matthews is someone they could not afford to lose due to he is the playmaker on defense as he punishes everyone in his way which cost the Packers a lot of fire power on the defensive side of the ball. The 2 nd group of linebackers is good, but they do not possess the prowess that Clay Matthews displays out on the field every week. If they can get healthier the Packers can do a lot, but if they continue to get hurt, then expect a lot of negative results on the scoreboard.

The Packers need to pull it together if they still want to contend; if not then it should be another developmental year for the Packers but could also cost Mike McCarthy his job. There hasn’t been much speculation about his job security but you have to be sure that after a Super Bowl favorite drop to 3-2 that he could be on the hot seat by the end of the year. The next few weeks could say a lot about the team as they went through the same position last year going 4-4 before finishing 10-6 to secure a playoff spot. The Packers better hope they can pull it together, or 2010 will just be a lost opportunity.

By Byron Reyna
ProFootball-fans.com Green Bay Packers Correspondent