More Banjo - Packers at Buccaneers

[Joemailman]

Jordan Love - 22-30, 197, 2 TD, 1 INT

Edgerrin Cooper - 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, left game with injury

Evan Williams - 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 PD, 1 INT

Trey Smack - 58 yards field goal

Packers 2-10 on 3rd down, 3-3 on 4th down.

Packers 10 penalties for 68 yards

[pittstang5]

The bad: Holding and false starts
The badder: Drops / Coop probably out for the year
The baddest: Turnovers in the Red Zone - TWICE!!! They could have put the game away each time.

The good: O-line better, but the bar was very low
The gooder: Love looked good / Running game had some positive gains
The Goodest: Packers Won!

[MadtownPacker]

Game was a few moments from being another choke job. Good news we can’t blame LePew too much for almost blowing it today.

[texaspackerbacker]

As was said, a win is a win is a win, but this sure wasn't very satisfying - a close win against a bad and injured team.

It took taking advantage of an inexperienced QB throwing picks to win. Our D wasn't as bad as against Atlanta, but they did give up a lot on runs and they had a shitload of near misses on sacks, often leaving receivers uncovered when they couldn't get the sack. Gannon's blitzes way too often seemed to run right by the QB leaving a big hole for him to escape.

Yeah, the O Line was some better. Early on, I had to go check the roster to see who 72 was when he made a good block. He (Tomlinson) made several and also got several penalties.

I thought Gannon's D was supposed to open up McKinney for some picks like his first year with the Packers. Either because of the scheme or just because he hasn't played very well, that sure hasn't happened.

I get really pissed off with LaFleur's playcalling - too many early down runs, way too many of those crap little sideways passes. He never trusted/unleashed Rodgers enough, and it's that way or worse with Love.

All in all, though, a GREAT weekend with wins for the Packers, Badgers, and Brewers X 2.

[bobblehead]

Sad to see Edgerin Cooper go down like that. He was starting to look like a playmaker. Of course being that he just played like 3.5 great games he should feel blessed as I'm sure Gutes will make him the top paid off ball LB in football before week 1 next season.

[Fritz]

Yeah, they're snakebit that way. You can't expect Guter to know the future - that ZBB would be hurt seriously, twice, and that Parsons would be hurt, and that his best linebacker draft pick is now toast. And if you decide not to re-sign him and he goes elsewhere and stars, you're stuck all over with a hole in your lineup and no first round pick. When you already have o line holes and god knows what else. It's a tough job, being GM.

Cooper was looking like the real deal. For sure.

The season, in my estimation, is over in terms of having any real hope that this team could get into the playoffs and make some noise. It was true before Coop got hurt, but it's for sure now.

[Joemailman]

The Packers have gotten off to rough starts before. But they always had the quarterback and the offensive line to steady things. In 2014 they started 2-2. But their offensive line was Bakhtiari/Sitton/LInsley/Lang/Bulaga. With this offensive line, things feel very different.

[run pMc]

Penalties, drops, fumbles. That's player execution.
There was a 4th down play to Kraft with about 3:45 left in the 1Q that was a nice schemed up play. I don't think this was a bad MLF game per se, although I think he started out with more short passing and got away from it. If 12 personnel is the thing and RAC is how they have to move down the field, they should get Jonnu involved as well, dude has historically been a YAC guy.

Using Lloyd out in space might be a better use for him, I think if Johnson can hold onto the ball he should be getting more carries than Lloyd. Chris Brooks lost weight and is a little quicker but doesn't block like he used to.

Kudos to Trey Smack, he's been booming FGs thru the uprights and I'm grateful to the Football Gods.

Was Glover that much better, or was it the play calling? Zeitler is going to be the RG, but if Glover is actually replacement level than letting Monk play that long is a yikes. There were times this game where Love actually had a pocket to throw from, but you know Dennis Allen is going to test them next week. He pressured the hell out of Love late last season, he will again.

The Cooper injury just sucks. He was having an top 5 LB start to the season. That the serious injuries this team has suffered in the last year have been to many of their best players limits their ceiling IMO.

This was a game where they should have won by double digits and didn't, and it was on the players. Raymond James Stadium has been a tough place for GB and TB was a wounded animal. A win is a win and I'll take it.

[Joemailman]

Top 5 offense

• QB Jordan Love: 77.9
• TE Mark Redman: 74.5
• TE Jonnu Smith: 69.4
• RB Chris Brooks: 68.4
• C Sean Rhyan: 67.8

Love threw a pick, but he was mostly excellent from clean pockets, and he got the ball out of his hands quick to help the pass protection group. Redman was really good over 18 snaps as a run blocker, and he also caught a 25-yard pass off play-action. Smith caught one pass for 19 yards and looked open on several other snaps while running nine routes in the passing game. He brings a dynamic element to 13 personnel. Brooks rushed four times for 30 yards, including a 27-yard run, and he caught a pass for five yards before exiting with an ankle injury. Rhyan gave up a pressure, but he was the offensive line's highest graded run blocker at 72.3, and he did not commit a penalty.

Top 5 defense

• LB Edgerrin Cooper: 90.5
• S Evan Williams: 85.3
• CB Keisean Nixon: 83.0
• DL Javon Hargrave: 79.7
• LB Isaiah McDuffie: 77.7

Cooper had a sack, an interception, a team-high four "stops," eight tackles without a miss and an elite 90.5 grade over 34 snaps before his injury. Williams created two crucial pressures late, and he also intercepted a pass and broke up another pass in coverage, and the three catches he allowed into his coverage gained only 24 yards. Nixon broke up two passes, allowed only five yards on five targets into his coverage and finished with three stops. Hargrave had a team-high four pressures, including a quarterback hit, and his pass-rush grade was the best of the front players. McDuffie had a pressure and two stops against the run, but he also missed a sack. His coverage grade was excellent (80.0, allowed only two catches for 15 yards).

Bottom 5 offense

• WR Bo Melton: 42.8
• LT Jordan Morgan: 43.1
• WR Skyy Moore: 43.4
• RB Kaleb Johnson: 45.0
• RB MarShawn Lloyd: 45.2

Melton couldn't bring in what should have been an explosive play on third down, costing the Packers points early. He did not have a catch while running six routes. Morgan gave up a team-high three pressures (all hurries), and he was by far the offensive line's worst run blocker, finishing with a 31.0 grade. Moore had a drop, and his only catch lost two yards. He ran 13 routes without a positive play. Johnson fumbled the ball away inside the 5-yard line, but he also forced two missed tackles and had a 31-yard run. Lloyd turned seven runs into only 13 yards, had a fumble and committed a penalty, but he did catch five passes for 36 yards and had a cool hurdle.

Bottom 5 defense

• LB Zaire Franklin: 36.8
• DL Chris McClellan: 39.5
• EDGE Lukas Van Ness: 42.6
• DL Jonathan Ford: 46.4
• EDGE Brenton Cox Jr.: 50.7

Franklin made nine tackles without a miss, but he gave up four catches into his coverage and had a poor coverage grade overall, and his eight pass-rushing snaps created only one pressure. McClellan was poor against the run, finishing with a 43.0 grade. Van Ness had three pressures and made two stops against the run, but he was credited with two missed tackles, and his 27 pass-rushing snaps did not create a hit or sack. Ford played nine run defense snaps but wasn't effective. Cox Jr. had three pressures and two hits on only 12 pass-rushing snaps, but he missed a tackle and finished with a poor run defense grade.

Special teams


Nick Niemann played a team-high 16 special teams snaps and had a team-high special teams grade of 70.9. Javon Bullard had the team's only tackle covering kicks or punts. Karl Brooks was penalized on the opening kickoff. Trey Smack made both extra points and a 58-yard field goal. Skyy Moore returned two kickoffs for 52 yards and two punts for 19 yards (with two fair catches). Daniel Whelan only averaged 45.0 yards per punt but did place three more punts inside the 20 (up to 12 this season).

Quarterback play

• Jordan Love: 77.9

By passing grade, Sunday was by far Love's best game of the season. He completed 20 of 26 passes -- including three drops -- and had an 86.5 grade from clean pockets. He was under pressure on only four of his 31 dropbacks, or 12.9 percent. A huge improvement. When not pressured, Love got the ball out of his hands in 2.10 seconds, highlighting how important the quick game was to the passing game. Love did throw an interception from a clean pocket. The Bucs blitzed him only 11 times, and he completed 10 of 11 passes against the blitz. Love was also 8-of-9 passing off playaction fakes. On throws of 20 or more yards downfield, Love was 1-of-5 for 25 yards and a pick.

Stat to know


The quick game was everything for the Packers offense. Jordan Love was pressured only four times, but he got the ball out of his hands on 2.20 seconds on average, and his average time to throw was 2.10 seconds when kept clean. The offensive line got help from a quarterback who played fast and on time. Matt LaFleur provided strong concepts that gave Love opportunities to throw to his first read, often off a boot action. Love was also willing to go to his checkdowns quick to avoid the rush. Things settled up front, but the Packers can't live this way in the passing game forever.

[texaspackerbacker]

Yeah, they're snakebit that way. You can't expect Guter to know the future - that ZBB would be hurt seriously, twice, and that Parsons would be hurt, and that his best linebacker draft pick is now toast. And if you decide not to re-sign him and he goes elsewhere and stars, you're stuck all over with a hole in your lineup and no first round pick. When you already have o line holes and god knows what else. It's a tough job, being GM.

Cooper was looking like the real deal. For sure.

The season, in my estimation, is over in terms of having any real hope that this team could get into the playoffs and make some noise. It was true before Coop got hurt, but it's for sure now.

Throwing money at a legitimate defensive playmaker - aside from the current injury, of course - would be fine. Throwing i.e. wasting money on O Linemen is counter-productive/stupid even disregarding injuries.

Sheeesh, you seriously don't think the Packers are good enough even to get in the playoffs? Your post should be saved so you can eat your words a few months from now.

[texaspackerbacker]

Gotta love those inane and insane PFF grades or whatever they were.

Two backup TEs ahead of Kraft? Keisan third among D players? (apparently making a tackle after getting beat in coverage is great from their stupid POV.) Van Ness was looking good and Cox was looking even better, yet they''re in the bottom five?

I hope nobody in the coaching staff pays any attention to this PFF crap over just going to the film and going with what their eyes tell them.

[Fritz]

Throwing money at a legitimate defensive playmaker - aside from the current injury, of course - would be fine. Throwing i.e. wasting money on O Linemen is counter-productive/stupid even disregarding injuries.

Sheeesh, you seriously don't think the Packers are good enough even to get in the playoffs? Your post should be saved so you can eat your words a few months from now.

I'd be happy to be wrong, Tex. This team just doesn't have the anchor of an offensive line that Joe mentioned to keep the ship afloat. And with ZBB, Cooper, and Reed gone and Parsons' return looking distant, this is not a playoff team. Unless they can get in at 8 - 9 or something. And that's a fairly optimistic projection, to me.

[Joemailman]

Gotta love those inane and insane PFF grades or whatever they were.

Two backup TEs ahead of Kraft? Keisan third among D players? (apparently making a tackle after getting beat in coverage is great from their stupid POV.) Van Ness was looking good and Cox was looking even better, yet they''re in the bottom five?

I hope nobody in the coaching staff pays any attention to this PFF crap over just going to the film and going with what their eyes tell them.

Kraft dropped a TD pass and committed a penalty. They didn't give him one of the lowest grades, just not one of the highest. Nixon had 7 tackles, 2 passes defensed, and 1 tackle for loss. What the hell were you watching?

[texaspackerbacker]

I was watching Nixon get beat repeatedly - same as always. Yeah, he made some tackles - how many were after they completed a pass on him? He did play the run fairly ok, nothing special a few times. I don't call either of those worthy of a high rating.

Kraft did what you say (although I don't recall the penalty). He made several great plays too and is obviously one of the top TEs in the league. Redman and Wylie are meh at best. I didn't see them do much on any of the few good running plays. Jonnu Smith should probably be used more than either of those two plugs, but all he did was catch one pass - that I recall.

Just in general, that PFF defies observation in way more cases than not.

[texaspackerbacker]

I'd be happy to be wrong, Tex. This team just doesn't have the anchor of an offensive line that Joe mentioned to keep the ship afloat. And with ZBB, Cooper, and Reed gone and Parsons' return looking distant, this is not a playoff team. Unless they can get in at 8 - 9 or something. And that's a fairly optimistic projection, to me.

Parsons' return is "distant"? I haven't heard anything beyond probably about Week 6. Has that been pushed back?

Cooper will obviously be missed a lot, but I doubt that keeps the team from winning. Reed is good, but we have plenty of talent at WR so he won't be missed that much. ZBB already wasn't much of an "anchor" unless you define anchor as something that holds you back. You know my take - the difference between a so-called "good" O Lineman and any old average guy meaning anybody this side of Marshall House or maybe Jacob Monk doesn't make a dimes worth of difference to the success of the team. Of course the O Line-ophiles are gonna disagree, but I'm expecting the Packers to thrive anyway, especially if/when Jacobs gets back. Our running game was decent enough last year with pretty much the same mediocrity in the O Line as this year.