That it is, and while the Packers were able to make the plays needed the past two weeks – stopping Tampa Bay's late two-point conversion to bail out a terrible offensive second half and poor defensive two-minute drive, and clicking back into gear on both sides of the ball to escape the New England game with an overtime triumph – the wild swings in their quality of play caught up to them across the Atlantic.
Nobody said the extensive travel and unusual schedule factored into how the team performed, and both teams had to deal with that anyway.
The defense's inability to turn the tide was probably the most troubling, as the Giants scored on five straight possessions (two field goals, three TDs) after two early three-and-outs. The back-to-back touchdown drives in the second half were particularly galling, as New York ran 26 plays, gained 142 yards, and chewed up 15 minutes, 10 seconds on the clock.
Rodgers was more concerned about the offense, though, because naturally that's where he has a say, and that unit's second half was equally annoying.
"Offensively we haven't put two halves together," he said. "A lot of factors go into that, calls and execution, … momentum, … defensive stops, … adjustments … a lot of execution.
"Games like this where our defense is not going to be up to our normal standards, we have to pick them up, and we had chances. Lots of chances."
The last four games since the season-opening loss to Minnesota have taken on this type of character in some form. If the Packers knew why it kept happening, they'd fix it.
Explanation-wise, LaFleur was at a loss at the podium afterward, and Rodgers couldn't provide specifics either. The NFL is like this, and every team has stretches like this.
But after a full month of it now, and having it cost the team a game it was in terrific position to win, the level of concern rises. It's not so much the "early season" anymore, either.
"complete" - Google News
October 10, 2022 at 01:51AM
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Complete game remains elusive for Packers - Packers.com
"complete" - Google News
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