Unpacking the Game: Packers vs Vikings

The Packers had a deflating 23-7 loss to the Vikings on Sunday afternoon. One year after the Packers were blown out by the New Orleans Saints by a score of 38-3, many fans hoped that this year's week one result would be different — unfortunately that was not the case. Let's jump right in and unpack the loss!

Offense

The offense looked rather lackluster for the entire game. On the first offensive drive of the game, Rodgers heaved a go route to rookie WR Christian Watson who had outran CB Patrick Peterson. The ball hit his hands and he was unable to secure the catch. Had he caught the ball, he would have had a walk-in 75 yard touchdown. The Vikings had already scored on their first drive of the game with a 5-yard TD pass to WR Justin Jefferson, so this would have tied the game 7-7. Instead, the Packers ended the drive with a three and out and had to punt.

📷 Evan Siegle | Packers.com

In the middle of the second quarter, the Packers marched it all of the way down to the 1 yard line. On a fourth and goal, RB AJ Dillon was stopped at the line of scrimmage by Vikings DE Za'Darius Smith. This resulted in a turnover on downs. Had the Packers scored, the score would have been 7-7, or perhaps even 14-7.

📷 Evan Siegle | Packers.com

Running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon were used rather sparingly. They combined for only 23 rushes — and that takes into account rushes and catches. With the departure of all-pro WR Davante Adams, this was never going to be enough.

The offensive line struggled mightily to preserve the pocket. The starting O-line was Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan Jr., Josh Myers, Jake Hanson, and Royce Newman (from left to right). With starting tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins out, the Packers relied on a new-look O-line. The results were not great. When asked about the personnel grouping and the decision to start Hanson over Zach Tom, Coach LaFleur responded that he had an "outstanding camp". Whatever was the case during camp was not the case yesterday. QB Aaron Rodgers had very little time to get the ball out, and had to rely on quick passes or escape the pocket and look down field. He finished the game completing 22 of 34 passes for 195 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT.

To illustrate just how much of a liability the right side of the O-line was, RG Hanson finished with a 14.4 pass blocking grade. The Packers did not stand a chance against a dominant D-line with pass blocking grades like that. They gave up four sacks to the Vikings. LG Runyan went out of the game after a collision and was evaluated for a concussion. This meant that Zach Tom stepped into his spot and performed rather well. The decision to play Hanson over Tom is inexplicable. The strength of the blocking front should only improve upon Bakhtiari and Jenkins' return. Going forward, I would imagine that LaFleur and Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich will rethink this position grouping.

On the whole, the offense was greatly underwhelming. With the return of key players and discovering their offensive identity, hopefully things will work their way out quickly.

Defense

When the defense was not able to generate pressure on Vikings QB Kirk Cousins (LB Rashan Gary had the lone sack), they were allowing WR Justin Jefferson to run all over them. The Packers stayed in a zone scheme defensively for the entire game and several players covered Jefferson. This meant that LB Quay Walker, LB Preston Smith, CB Rasul Douglas, CB Eric Stokes, and S Adrian Amos all had coverage snaps. Interestingly, CB Jaire Alexander did not line up for more than a few snaps against Jefferson. In one instance, Jefferson secured a catch but was flagged for OPI. This shows the kind of effect that Jaire could have had on Jefferson. Instead, Jefferson finished the game with nine catches on 11 targets for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

📷 Evan Siegle | Packers.com

When asked post-game about why he did not cover Jefferson more, Jaire replied "All week, (I was) asking for that matchup. But it ain't about me. It's about the team. It ain't about me. If it was my way, you know what I would be doing." It seemed as though the Packers were unwilling to change their scheme and adjust to the game flow. LaFleur suggested that the Packers would have had to change the entire game plan when he stated "You would have to commit to man coverage. I don’t know how else you would get it done." If this unwillingness to adapt during a game continues to happen, teams with an elite WR will continue to expose the coverage.

Special Teams

Surprisingly, the special teams unit was probably the best unit for the Packers. That is not to say that they were stellar, they were simply average. This could be because they used several starters on the unit. They also did not allow for huge kick or punt returns, but they did have several punts nearly blocked. For ST to be the best unit tells you everything you need to know about the game — it was not pretty.

Injuries

LG Jon Runyan (possible concussion)

LB Krys Barnes (ankle and calf)

LB Quay Walker (shoulder)

CB Keisean Nixon (shoulder)

Takeaway

Bad defensive scheming, critical missed tackles, and missed opportunities were the difference in what could have been a close, competitive game and what we observed yesterday.

*The score really should have been 23-21, which definitely changes the feel of the entire game. These kinds of brutal losses are always humbling and make the team stay honest in their preparation. When I start to fret, I remember that it was only week one, R-E-L-A-X.

📷 Evan Siegle | Packers.com