Winning football games in the NFL is hard enough, but attempting to overcome first-half nightmares and erase deficits in the second half only magnifies the challenge, especially for a young offense.
The Green Bay Packers have been outscored 17-0, 27-3 and 10-3 in the first half of the last three games. Only a furious fourth quarter rally from down 17 against the Saints prevented the Packers from going 0-3 during the stretch.
Buy Packers TicketsSlow starts continue to be a big problem.
On Monday night in Las Vegas, the Packers kicked an early field goal but then gave up a long touchdown drive, sputtered on offense and had a turnover hand the Raiders three easy points.
Overall, the Packers have scored six first-half points and been outscored by 48 points in the first half of the last three games.
“Obviously, searching for a little bit of answers right now,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday night. “I think this week will give us an opportunity to kind of go back. I thought we did that over the mini-bye. But we’ve got to find something to get us going, to jump start us.”
Slow starts mean playing from behind, and the Packers — with a defense designed to get after the quarterback — are built for playing with a lead. A first-year starting quarterback and young players all around him aren’t built to be playing from behind each and every week.
For whatever reason, the Packers have come storming out of the gates in the second half of games and are outscoring teams 46-11 in the third quarter in 2023. Monday night’s touchdown drive to open the second half was the Packers’ fourth in fifth games.
But the slow starts have to get fixed or the improvements in the second half won’t matter.
Jordan Love’s half-by-half splits help tell the story.
In the first half of games, Love is completing only 49.3 percent of passes with a passer rating of 60.7. In the second half, he’s completed 60.2 percent with a passer rating of 89.3. By expected points added (EPA), Love is one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks in the first half and one of the best in the second half. It’s a baffling split.
Overall, the Packers have run 163 offensive plays while trailing and only 82 while leading this season. All six of Love’s interceptions have come when the Packers were trailing.
LaFleur and the Packers now have 12 days to understand why the offense is starting slow and figure out ways to be more productive in the first half. Playing one good quarter a game on offense — as was the case the last three weeks — isn’t going to end in many wins in the NFL.
