The Green Bay Packers’ passing game has not been able to get going this season, but they’ll have the opportunity to “get right” on Sunday in Detroit.
As always, there are a number of reasons behind these issues, some of which includes up-and-down offensive line play, injuries, dropped passes, and wrong routes. All of this has resulted in an offense that has had major problems pushing the ball downfield.
Green Bay has instead relied heavily on the quick passing game, in part due to the offensive line play, along with how defenses are defending the Packers, and that has Rodgers’ average depth of target this season at only 7.2 yards, which ranks 31st. In terms of efficiency on passes of 20-plus yards, Rodgers ranks 22nd in completion percentage and 29th in yards per attempt per PFF.
This week, however, could be a get-right game for the Packers’ passing attack, which is also coming off of a strong second-half performance against the Buffalo Bills.
This past Sunday, rookie receivers Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure both made plays that showcased some trust that has been established between them and Rodgers, along with an adjustment on the touchdown catch for Toure that illustrates his comfortability within the offense continuing to grow.
Now, the Packers will be facing a Lions defense that is the worst in football, and it’s not particularly close. This includes issues against defending the pass, which resulted in the Lions firing their defensive backs coach earlier in the week following a game against Miami where Tua Tagovailoa completed 29 of 36 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns.
Although the Green Bay receivers haven’t been able to create space consistently, the Detroit cornerbacks haven’t been able to cover reliably, either. Pick a passing category, and there is a good chance that the Lions’ defense is likely at the bottom of that list. They rank 32nd in completion percentage allowed, 32nd in yards per attempt, and 27th in total passing yards surrendered. Three of Detroit’s cornerbacks also rank in the top 12 in snaps per reception allowed – that’s not good. Overall, the Lions are allowing 32.1 points per game, which ranks last by a wide margin of over five points.
If the Lions’ defense is going to have success on Sunday, there will have to be some self-inflicted wounds by the Packers – something they’ve done often this season – as well as the pass rush getting home to Aaron Rodgers. The Packers’ offensive line has taken its lumps this season, especially with all of the movement due to injuries, but despite the Lions being a heavy-blitzing team, they haven’t been able to generate consistent pressures. If you couple Rodgers getting blitzed along with that pass rush not getting home, it’s a recipe for success for the Packers.
Hopefully, coming off of last week’s performance, we will see the roles of the rookie pass catchers continue to expand. Rodgers also mentioned on Wednesday that he’s hopeful Christian Watson and Allen Lazard can return, as an underrated aspect of the Packers issues on offense has been the health of the receiver position. On top of that, striking that elusive run-pass mix will be important as well. Detroit is allowing 5.1 yards per carry through seven games.
We often hear the phrase “get right game” thrown around a lot in sports. However, the opportunity to do so is often rare because of the parity throughout the NFL. But for a Packers passing a game that is struggled mightily this season, they have the opportunity to do so on Sunday against the Detroit defense that is trending in a historically bad direction.
Now, the big question is, can the Packers take advantage? If not, then there may be no hope for this unit turning things around.
