Retired NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz has a look at the Packers’ sinking hopes, the rising fortunes of the Seahawks and the Panthers’ last chance.
After another underwhelming loss on the road, the Packers sixth road loss this season, the time is here. It’s probably been time for awhile, but with the ability of Aaron Rodgers to overcome poor coaching and a lack of talent around him, there was a slim chance. So it’s clear what happens now. Mike McCarthy will be fired.
The Packers are broken. Their once formidable offense can barely muster up points when needed. In a must win game, they were only able to put 17 points on the board. How does this happen?
Mike McCarthy’s offense is bland. It’s boring, predictable, and worst of all, it doesn’t use Aaron Rodgers’ talent to the full extent. His offense has been passed up by new, exciting, vibrant and more creative offenses.
Those offenses — and I’ll acknowledge that not every team can be the Chiefs, Saints or Rams— use formations, motions, shifts and personnel groupings to get receivers open and make for easy throws, easy pitch and catch style throws. The Packers should be using those too, especially with injuries and young, inexperienced receivers.
So what is the Packers offense?
The Packers line up in static formations with receivers spread out along the line of scrimmage. They use motion sparingly and don’t often get into stack or bunch formations to make things easier for their wide receivers.
They rely on their wideouts to get open rather than designing plays that get them open. This is why you see Rodgers holding the ball so long — no one is open. They often don’t have a rhythm to their offense, and it shows.
Is Rodgers blameless in this mess?
No. However, he hasn’t played up to his usual standards this season. For example, he missed a wide open Adams at the end of the Vikings game that would have cut the score to 24-21. Rodgers missed a third-and-2 throw two weeks ago that would have given the Packers a chance to win the game against the Seahawks.
Maybe it’s all a product of Rodgers not “feeling” this offense. We’ve seen that with his body language at times this season, and that leads to his play slipping. Whatever the problems, this offense is finished. So is McCarthy.
Watch out for the Seahawks
While the Packers aren’t making the playoffs, there’s one team in the NFC that’s starting to hit their stride when it matters the most. That’s the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks aren’t winning the NFC West, but they are right in the mix for a wild card spot. Everyone, including myself, assumed this was a down year or a rebuilding season for the Seahawks. Nope. With all the changes on defense, it’s impressive the stats are as good as they are. Seattle is seventh on third down, 12th in the red zone and eighth in points per game.
On offense, they’ve reinvented themselves as a rushing team again. On top of that, Russell Wilson has played like his usual self. Completing almost 67 percent of his passes for 25 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and the highest rating of his career at 112. Wilson continues to play well in big situations, and it happened again on Sunday in Carolina. He threw some dimes when the Seahawks needed plays.
The Seahawks get the 49ers twice and the Cardinals once in their last five games. The other two games on the schedule are against the Chiefs and Vikings, both at home, and all they have to do is split them to finish with 10 wins. A 10-6 record gets them a wild card spot and most likely a trip to either Chicago or Dallas/Philly for the first round. I like the Seahawks in either game.
What happened to the Carolina Panthers?
The Panthers started this season 6-2. Now, they’ve lost three in a row, one on a Thursday night against the Steelers, at Detroit by a single point and this week by three to the Seahawks. They shouldn’t be losing these games, not with the talent they have.
There issues are in one area of the field, the most important part of the field, and mostly of their problems here are on defense. They haven’t been good in the red zone. Carolina ranks seventh on offense in the red zone, but the Panthers only scored three touchdowns on seven trips to the red zone this week. Over the last three weeks, they’re only converting 58 percent of red zone trips into touchdowns, 22nd in the NFL.
Where it’s even more concerning is on the defensive side. Overall, they are 31st in the red zone. Yikes. Part of the reason for their struggles is the lack of a pass rush, ranked 23rd in sacks per pass attempt.
The Panthers still have the Saints twice, plus Tampa Bay (the Bucs have a good offense), the Falcons and the Browns. Don’t overlook the Browns either, who have scored a TD on 100 percent of their red zone trips over the last three weeks.
So can the Panthers turn it around? Yes. It has to start in Tampa Bay this weekend, in the red zone.