Packers most to blame for pathetic Saturday Night Football loss to Ravens

The Detroit Lions’ Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Vikings secured a playoff berth for the Green Bay Packers, who certainly played without any urgency in their Week 17 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Although the Packers have secured their spot in the postseason, they are beginning to struggle at the worst time. The Week 17 loss was Green Bay’s third consecutive, giving the team its longest losing streak of the year.

The Packers clearly played with caution after clinching a postseason berth and rested quarterback Jordan Love, right tackle Zach Tom and defensive lineman Collin Oliver. All three players populated the injury report all week and were in danger of missing the game regardless, but Green Bay had no reason to push either after locking up a Wild Card berth.

However, the Ravens also entered Week 17 shorthanded. Baltimore, which needed a win to keep its slim playoff hopes alive, was without Lamar Jackson. The game certainly meant more to the Ravens, but neither team had the injury excuse on its side.

Perhaps the Packers are coasting to the end, but their current form is concerning during the most important time of the year. Green Bay is sliding fast, and fans should be particularly worried about the handful of players who failed to show up in its Week 17 loss to the Ravens.

Josh Jacobs let the Packers down

With neither Jordan Love nor Lamar Jackson playing, fans were prepared to see Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs duke it out in an old-fashioned running back battle. Henry showed up with a ridiculous 216-yard, four-touchdown game, but Jacobs decided to take the night off.

While Henry ran wild to set multiple NFL and franchise records, Jacobs was almost nowhere to be found. Despite carrying no questionable tag into the game, Jacobs only fielded four carries for three rushing yards.

Jacobs started the game and played just 12 offensive snaps, but it might as well have been zero. He contributed nothing as a runner, pass-catcher or pass-blocker.

Jacobs’ inefficiency almost seemed to be by design. He was only out-snapped by backup Emmanuel Wilson 17-12. It did not take long for Matt LaFleur to practically abandon the run game altogether, even with Malik Willis in the game for Love.

By the end of the night, Henry had more touchdowns than Jacobs had yards. Willis had the passing game going, and nearly every other member of the Packers’ offense did their job. Jacobs was supposed to be the team’s engine, but he instead became a three-ton anchor it had to pull.

DC Jeff Hafley came in unprepared

Without Lamar Jackson active, everybody knew what the Ravens would do. Jeff Hafley knew it as well, but did not bring nearly enough to the table to stop a one-dimensional offense.

Jackson or not, the Ravens are one of the most run-dominant teams in the league. They are at their best when they establish the run early and struggle when Jackson is forced to be a drop-back pocket passer.

The Ravens’ offense was even more reliant on the run with Tyler Huntley under center for Jackson. The entire world knew it, yet the Packers’ defense showed up unprepared.

Getting Derrick Henry to the ground is never an easy task, but the Packers made life easier for him. Green Bay entered Week 17 as a top-10 tackling team but missed 11 in the game, its most on the year.

Tackling was not a single-person issue; it was a problem all around. Ten different players missed at least one tackle in the loss, signaling an all-around discipline issue that falls on the coaching staff. Hafley had one job all week, and his team failed in about the worst way imaginable.

Even late in the game, when it was obvious that the Packers needed to stuff the box, they allowed Henry to rip off a game-sealing 25-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The Packers’ Week 11 defensive woes were so extreme that they skewed their season-long numbers. Green Bay had been a top-10 run defense for most of the season, but it is now only average in that department after letting Henry walk all over it.

Packers’ offensive line took the game off

If there is one Packer who is absolutely void of any blame in the loss, it is quarterback Malik Willis, who continues to impress with his second NFL team. Willis only took one sack in the game, which is almost a miracle considering what his offensive line gave him on Saturday night.

The Ravens generated 23 pressures on the Packers’ 30 quarterback dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. The fact that Willis was only sacked once and hit four times is a testament to his athleticism and pocket presence.

Willis received almost no help from his offensive line, which seemingly treated Week 17 like a vacation. Right guard Anthony Belton allowed the most pressures with four, but center Sean Rhyan, left tackle Rasheed Walker and left guard Aaron Banks all allowed at least two each. Right tackle Jordan Morgan was the only player who did not treat his quarterback like a tackling dummy, although he did allow one pressure.

The complete no-show from the Packers’ offensive line came against a Ravens team that has struggled to reach opposing quarterbacks all year. Baltimore entered Week 17 with just 26 sacks, the seventh-fewest in the league. Their 4.6 percent sack rate was also the second-worst in the NFL.

If Green Bay’s blocking unit chooses to continue this trend, LaFleur might be better suited to start Willis for another game to protect Love.

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