GREEN BAY — Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love and Adam Stenavich may not have completely solved the Rubik’s Cube that is the Green Bay Packers’ oft-inconsistent offense, but the head coach, the quarterback and the offensive coordinator can agree on this much: They are finally trending in the right direction.
While the offensive performance in Thursday’s 31-24 Thanksgiving Day victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field wasn’t flawless, it was bold (three successful fourth-down attempts), efficient (touchdowns on both red-zone trips), explosive (Christian Watson’s 51-yard touchdown catch from Love was eight plays to gain 15 or more yards) and error-free (no turnovers, zero offensive penalties).
“I still don’t think we’re where we want to get to, certainly,” LaFleur said before the players’ three-day weekend, with players not required to report to Lambeau Field again until Monday. “I just don’t think you can ever be satisfied. And you’ve just got to keep fighting.
“You’ve got to put the work in. There’s no substitute for the work. And thankfully, I’m around a bunch of guys that embrace the challenges, embrace putting in the work. There are no shortcuts in this league.”
The Packers are proof of that. Having lost their burgeoning offensive star, tight end Tucker Kraft, to a torn ACL in his right knee during the first half of the team’s Nov. 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers, it’s taken LaFleur & Co. time to recalibrate.
Kraft went down early in the third quarter of that game, and the Packers managed only 13 points in that loss to the now 6-6 Panthers, then put up only a touchdown the following week in a 10-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Before those back-to-back home losses the Packers had scored 28 second-half points in a 35-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and their former starting quarterback, four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, with Love completing 20 consecutive passes at one point.
Since the loss to the Eagles, the Packers have won three straight, beating the New York Giants, 27-20; the Minnesota Vikings, 23-6; and the Lions. While they’ve averaged only 314.3 yards and 27.0 points per game over those three wins, their ultra-conservative approach against the Vikings — with their defense flummoxing first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Love dealing with a separated A/C joint in his left (non-throwing) shoulder) — drags their numbers down.
“I think the way our offense is built, we’re pretty versatile. So that’s what’s nice about what we can do,” Stenavich said. “If it’s a game where we have to run the ball, we can do that. Obviously, we can air it out as well. That’s the nice thing obviously with Jordan and all of our wide receivers and everything like that. We have the ability.”
The Packers’ capability in the passing game should only get better from here.
Dontayvion Wicks, plagued by a calf injury and limited opportunities earlier in the season, cught six passes for 94 yards, including 22- and 1-yard touchdowns and the victory-clinching 16-yard pass from Love on fourth-and-3 in the final minutes of the game.
Jayden Reed, the team’s leading receiver in both yardage and receptions over the past two seasons who has missed the last 10 games following surgeries to repair a fractured right collarbone and a Jones fracture in his left foot, has been designated for return from injured reserve and is expected to be in the lineup for next Sunday’s game between the Packers (8-3-1) and the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears (9-3) at Lambeau Field.
And rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden, who was playing roughly 40 snaps a game until suffering a shoulder injury in that Panthers game, has played in only one game since the injury. He missed the loss to the Eagles with the shoulder injury, the win over the Vikings with the shoulder and an additional wrist injury, and Thursday’s win over the Lions because of the wrist.
Since catching three passes for 86 yards against Cincinnati on Oct. 12, Golden has just 10 catches for 74 yards on 13 targets and has played only 126 offensive snaps.
With Christian Watson playing like gangbusters after returning to action from last year’s torn ACL — Watson, who had a 51-yard touchdown catch against the Lions, has 21 receptions for 363 yards and three TDs in the six games he’s played this year — the Packers’ air attack feels poised for big things.
“I hope so. I think we’re kind of trending that way,” Stenavich said. “But again, the NFL’s a week-by-week deal. Who knows what’s going to happen after this game? It’s just one of those thing. You can build your depth and just trust those guys … and then every week you’re like, ‘All right, we got this piece, that piece,’ and then you can hopefully keep trending in the right direction.”
Added Love: “To be consistent, you’ve got to go out there and make plays. Win your matchups. Win your one-on-ones. That’s how you become consistent, just going out there, making play after play, drive in, drive out.”
Entering Sunday’s slate of NFL games, the Packers’ numbers show their inconsistency. They rank No. 11 in scoring offense (25.4 points per game), No 13 in total offense (340.6 yards per game), No. 1 in third-down conversion rate (49.33%), third in red-zone touchdown percentage (67.39%) and second in fewest turnovers (seven).
Love has completed 67.0% of his passes for 2,794 yards with 19 touchdowns, three interceptions and 17 sacks for a passer rating of 104.3 — sixth-best in the league.
So, are they on the verge of busting out?
“I don’t know. I think that’s the magic question we’re always chasing,” LaFleur said. “I mean, we want to be perfect every time we go out there. [But] teams plan against you, and they do a good job [of that]. There’s a lot of good players in this league, there’s a lot of great coaches, and a lot of it is just, how consistent can you be on a daily basis?
“Certainly we believe that you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse, you’re never staying the same. [So], I’m proud of our guys, but we’ve got to keep building on this and we can’t think that we’ve arrived by any stretch. Because as soon as you do that, you get beat.”
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