Packers stand fully exposed after rout by Titans
If cracks in the Green Bay Packers defense started to show last month in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, they were fully exposed Sunday in a blowout loss to Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans.
And now the Packers’ entire season is in jeopardy. At 4-5, the Packers don’t look like a playoff team. Instead, they look like a team in need of major changes. It used to be the only time the Packers would pull Aaron Rodgers would be in a runaway win. On Sunday, he watched the final minute of the game from the sideline as backup Brett Hundley took a few snaps at the end of the 47-25 loss.
This is a team that has now lost three consecutive games (and four of its last five), and is barely showing any resistance in doing so. It wasn’t until Rodgers took what teammates believed to be a late hit in the end zone in the third quarter Sunday that the Packers even showed some mettle in fighting back.
The Packers' problems are plenty, and none easily solved.
From an apparent lack of urgency and effort for a second straight game to offensive and defensive breakdowns, the Packers are a team in turmoil.
Even with the return of running back James Starks from a knee injury, the Packers have no real threat of a running game. Green Bay had just 69 rushing yards against Tennessee – and 27 of those came from Rodgers.
Of course, the Packers trailed the entire game after falling behind 21-0 in the first half. It’s impossible to have a balanced offense when a game gets out of hand so quickly.
The run defense that was so statistically dominant early in the season has been exposed when tested by strong running teams – first the Dallas Cowboys, then the Atlanta Falcons and now Tennessee, with 123 rushing yards from DeMarco Murray on Sunday.
The only good news now for the Packers is how mediocre the rest of the NFC is. Even with just four wins, the Packers aren’t completely out of the playoff hunt.
But if they have more lackluster performances like the one on display Sunday, they soon will be.
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
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