There are four things the Packers need to fix to get into the playoffs

GREEN BAY, Wis. – If the first half of the season has said anything about the Green Bay Packers, it’s that they have a potential playoff team that probably won’t win the NFC North.

At 6-3, they are in a far better position heading into their bye week than they were at this point last season, when they were 3-6 and needed to win six of their last eight games to advance to the playoffs as the final seed come.

But when it comes to the NFC North, they’re still in deep trouble – much like they were a year ago.

They played two division games and lost both. Worse, both came at Lambeau Field, at the hands of the division rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 and the Detroit Lions last Sunday. The same thing happened last season, and they returned the favor with wins at Detroit and Minnesota and a 4-2 win over the Bears in North games en route to the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC.

This is the first time since 2005 that the Packers have started division play 0-2, and they have now lost five of their last six NFC North home games. This came after coach Matt LaFleur went 15-3 in the division in his first three seasons.

“It’s not good,” Packers safety Xavier McKinney said. “We don’t want to lose any games, especially division games. That’s why we found ourselves in a dead end with a 0-2 score in the division. Luckily we’re playing the Lions again, we’re playing the Vikings again. We have to take care of ours. The next time we play these teams it will be one thing.

With the Lions (7-1) and Vikings (6-2) ahead of them, here are four things the Packers need to change to get back into the playoffs in the second half:

Interception

Jordan Love missed 2½ games, but his 10 interceptions are tied for the most in the NFL with Geno Smith, who has 10 in nine games. One more and Love will match his point total from all of last regular season. He had similar issues in the first half of 2023 despite being considered a first-year starter. He shortened it and threw one pick in the last eight games.

Two of his interceptions, including one on Sunday against the Lions, were returned for touchdowns. Love was flushed out of the pocket at both pick-sixes due to protection failures and should have taken a more conservative approach.

“I think he would agree with you that in this situation he just has to throw the ball away and survive to play the next game,” LaFleur said. “I think one of his strengths is his ability to operate off schedule [plays] and I don’t want to miss out on a play, and I admire that. But I think it’s just that you have to take the situations into account.”

Dropped passes

With five more drops in Sunday’s loss to the Lions, albeit in rainy conditions, the Packers are tied for the league lead with 20 drops. According to ESPN Research, their drop percentage is also the highest in the league at 7.4%.

Dontayvion Wicks leads the NFL with eight drops, including two against the Lions. One would have been a first down on third-and-3, the other would have been a first down on third-and-1 from the Lions’ 9-yard line, which would have been a touchdown. The ball was thrown slightly behind Wicks but was caught. Instead, the Packers turned over downs on the next play.

“I think it just comes back to basics,” LaFleur said. “Hey, listen, I understand. It was a wet day and that is never an excuse. I think if you look at some of the declines… our fundamentals weren’t necessarily right – the way we train it and the way we train it to be aggressive with the hands – and we left that Ball penetrates our bodies too much.”

WR Jayden Reed has five drops; WR Romeo Doubs and TE Tucker Kraft each have three.

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Punish

This wasn’t a problem in LaFleur’s first four seasons. They have never been one of the league’s most penalized teams. In 2021, they were the least penalized team in the NFL.

After recording the sixth most penalties (113) in the league last season, they are once again sixth in the league with 66.

They rank fourth in most offensive penalties (37), eighth in most defensive penalties (21) and tenth in most special teams penalties (eight).

Particularly problematic were the pre-snap penalties, which LaFleur described as a “lack of concentration.” They have the most defensive pre-snap penalties (nine) and the sixth-most offensive pre-snap penalties (19).

Sometimes it’s the timing of the penalties that hurts more than the actual distance lost. In the second quarter Sunday against the Lions, the Packers had gained 30 yards thanks to two personal foul penalties that resulted in Detroit’s Brian Branch being sent off, and on the very next play Doubs made a false start. The Packers didn’t get a first down after that and left with zero points after a missed field goal.

“We had way too many of them,” LaFleur said.

Something similar happened in defense. The Lions had a fourth-and-goal at the Packers’ 5-yard line when defensive tackle TJ Slaton jumped and was cited for encroachment. After gaining half the distance to the goal line, the Lions scored a touchdown on the next play.

“They put us in a critical situation where I didn’t think they were going to make a play and we went offside and that allowed them to go for it and they made a play on fourth down.” said LaFleur.

Pass rush

For the most part, the Packers’ defense has improved under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley, thanks in large part to forced turnovers. Green Bay has 18 takeaways on defense (and one on special teams), leading the league. The Packers have already surpassed last year’s season-long total.

But the pass rush could use a little jolt, as it ranks just 15th in the league in pressure rate (the percentage of dropbacks in which the quarterback was sacked, beaten or forced) and opponents Quarterbacks had the fourth most playing time in the league.

It didn’t come through trade. In fact, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst sent defensive end Preston Smith to Pittsburgh for a seventh-round pick and didn’t add anyone. While they need more from highly-paid Rashan Gary (2.5 sacks), that means more opportunities for former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness as well as Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox Jr.

“I think we need more of these guys from this entire group as we get into the second half of the season, and I think we’re going to get that,” Gutekunst said after the trade deadline. “They need to keep pushing and I think adding some of these guys taking even more snaps will help with that.”

Maybe Hafley needs to get more creative. Although he has shown a penchant for sending non-traditional pass rushers such as defensive backs and linebackers after the quarterback, he has not often sent more than four rushers. In fact, his blitz rate (defined as sending five or more pass rushers) is the fifth lowest in the league at 19.6%.

“This is the first year on this defense, so there are always some issues to work out,” Gutekunst said. “I expect a lot of these guys in the second half of the season.”