In Week 9, the Green Bay Packers didn’t score a touchdown against a bad Carolina Panthers defense until the final three minutes of a 16-13 loss. It just seemed like one of those weird NFL performances, when the unexpected happens.
And no, Matt LaFleur and his 72-36-1 record shouldn’t be on the hot seat after an even worse performance by the Packers offense in Week 10. But maybe it’s time to worry about the Packers.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a better defense than the Panthers, but hadn’t been at its level from last season. It came into Monday night’s game ranked 15th in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed. It was 14th in DVOA, for those who prefer advanced metrics. And it completely wrecked the Packers.
Green Bay scored once in 10 possessions on Monday night. They lost 10-7. There’s nothing wrong with losing to the Eagles, even at home, but seven points against a defense that had been average is troubling.
The Packers were without tight end Tucker Kraft, and have been without receiver Jayden Reed since Week 2, but that doesn’t fully explain why the offense looks broken the last two weeks. Jordan Love hasn’t been bad this season, but he had many, many chances to make just a few plays on Monday and get the Packers a win and he couldn’t do it. His receivers didn’t help with some key mistakes and drops. The offensive line wasn’t good either.
Everyone is wondering what has happened to Jordan Love and the Packers offense. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Since a hot 2-0 start, the Packers have been mostly unimpressive. The record has been OK but most of the wins have been struggles against inferior competition. There were losses to the Browns and Panthers, and Green Bay should have beat both of them easily. The Eagles loss was bad because the offense produced next to nothing. The way the offense has let down in losses has been historically alarming.
The Packers aren’t in bad shape at 5-3-1 and before the last two games the offense had been fine. Maybe there isn’t that much to worry about, and this is just a midseason slump. But in a competitive NFC North, the Packers better figure out their offensive issues fast. A phenomenal start to the season seems like a long time ago. It was hard to believe, watching the Packers on Monday night, that it was even the same team we saw in the first two weeks of the season.
Panic meter: They say three is a trend, so the Packers offense is on serious panic watch after two straight duds. But still, let’s stop with the “Fire LaFleur” stuff.
Jaxson Dart’s reckless style
Jaxson Dart’s concussion cost the Giants a win on Sunday and might have cost Brian Daboll his job on Monday. The focus on Monday was on Daboll and what happens next with the Giants’ head coaching position, but the team also has to be wary of what’s to come for their rookie quarterback.
Dart likes to take contact and Daboll was never able (or willing) to coach that out of him. Dart went to the medical tent four times this season to be checked for a concussion, and Sunday was the first time he wasn’t cleared. Still, that’s way too many hard hits for a quarterback.
One job of the Giants’ next coach will be to get Dart to learn how to slide. That will have to be a priority for interim coach Mike Kafka too. Dart is too valuable to keep playing like he has been.
Panic meter: Dart better learn, or he might not last long
Panthers take a regrettable loss
The Carolina Panthers looked to be on the upswing at 5-4. They had just beaten the Green Bay Packers, and even if the metrics indicated Carolina wasn’t as good as its record, a win at Lambeau Field was pretty impressive. All the Panthers needed to do was beat the 1-8 Saints at home and they might start talking themselves into contending for the NFC South title.
Then we found out the Panthers were definitely not as good as their record. Bryce Young and the offense got almost nothing going and Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough hit a couple of touchdown passes for a 17-7 win. The long term panic could be about Young, who hasn’t shown much after a strong finish to the 2024 season. In the short term, the loss should pour some cold water on those playoff dreams.
Panic meter: The playoff dream is likely dead
Broncos offense continues to slide
We’re 10 weeks into the NFL season. If a team was able to fix what looks like a fatal flaw, it probably would have happened already.
The Denver Broncos have a big problem. Their offense can be absolutely hideous at times. And maybe that doesn’t change this season.
The Broncos’ offensive issues were on full display for Thursday night audience in a 10-7 win over the Raiders, which might be the worst game of the NFL season. Or many other seasons. Denver has gotten by on defense and some fantastic fourth quarter rallies, but putting together four quarters of good offensive football hasn’t happened yet.
“Between penalties and just some sluggish football, we’re just not playing very well,” quarterback Bo Nix said after the win over the Raiders. “It starts with me. I have to be better. Then the rest of the guys will follow along. We have to find some juice somewhere.”
The Broncos are in good shape at 8-2, but maintaining anywhere near that pace is hard when the offense is stuck. The Broncos host the Chiefs this week in a massive AFC West game. It would be a good time for the offense to show up this season.
Panic meter: Any time now, Broncos offense. Any time …