After a 36-16 rout by the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, here are some quick observations about the Green Bay Packers from last night’s game.
Tackling
An issue that has plagued the Packers for the last few season, continued on Thursday night. It was reassuring seeing players in position to make some tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage, but without proper tackling techniques in place, their efforts were futile. If they don’t solve this issue before too long, resident NFC North running backs are going to have a hay day vs the Packers all season.
Offensive Line
It is a tough task to ask anyone to go into Seattle and play flawlessly vs their front seven, but the injuries to offensive lineman Don Barclay (season ending) and Bryan Bulaga (status unknown) did not help their efforts last night. After an almost flawless first half, right tackle Derrick Sherrod was attacked early and often, helping contribute not only to a failed fourth down attempt but also a safety. If the line can get somewhat healthy it bodes well for the Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, if not, it could a long season.
Holding the Edge
Having just finished the 2013 season vs the 49ers and their offense, the Packers should have known what to expect in a run first, read option style offense. Much like their last 3 games vs the 49ers, the Packers defense was unable to stay disciplined and hold the edge. This is crucial in preventing big plays from occurring in this style offense. Luckily for them, this is the only team they play in the regular season that runs this style offense, but it still is something that needs to be addressed and fixed.
Penalties
While 8 penalties on the road in a hostile environment is not the worst performance by any stretch, it didn’t help the Packers cause. It seemed most of the penalties happened on 3rd or 4th down to help the Seattle offense extend drives that they had successfully stopped. This is a problem area the Packers must clean up if they plan on being successful in the 2014 season.
Conclusion
While we could go on highlighting the mostly bad play by the Packers last night, they did play the defending Super Bowl champs, on their turf, opening day. It was a huge mountain to climb, in that sense alone. The Seahawks showed America last night why they are the champs, the Packers just got caught up in the cross hairs. A home game and ten days to prepare for next week’s game is just what the doctor order for the Packers.