Monday, November 4, 2024

Packers vs. Texans: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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So that was chill, huh?

Before we get to the Green Bay Packers’ 24-22 Week 7 victory over the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field on Sunday, let’s recap the Pack’s last few games. Since my last column on Green Bay’s win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, the Packers lost at home to the Minnesota Vikings in a blowout-turned-nail biter marred by three interceptions from Packers quarterback Jordan Love and a pair of missed field goals by now-ex-Packers kicker Brayden Narveson; beat the Los Angeles Rams on their home turf to maintain Green Bay  head coach Matt LaFleur’s perfect winning streak against his friend and mentor, Rams head coach Sean McVay; and flat-out walloped the Arizona Cardinals at home. The Packers now stand at 5-2, behind the Detroit Lions and the Vikings, each with 5-1 records, in the NFC North. The Chicago Bears, at 4-2, were on a Week 7 bye and are in fourth place in the division.

Alright, let’s get into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the Packers’ anxiety-inducing, ugly-at-times, last-second win over the Texans.

The Good

First and foremost, I want to send a sincere “atta boy Josh” and virtual high-five to Packers running back Josh Jacobs, who caught his first career touchdown reception on Sunday. Prior to his score, Jacobs, at 212 career receptions, held the NFL record for the most catches without a touchdown. LaFleur earlier this year said he intended on getting Jacobs a touchdown catch this season, and it was great to see Jacobs’ Lambeau Leap after finally ending the scoreless streak.

In my 2024 season preview published a few months ago (www.tinyurl.com/ht9wdeu), I predicted the Packers would beat the Texans in a shootout. While Green Bay did, indeed, get the W, it seems like only one quarterback brought his six shooter. While Jordan Love was slinging the pill around the yard (positive and negative connotations here), Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was straight-up not having a good time. The Packers’ pass rush had the usually-electric Stroud in the torture chamber all day, pressuring him on seemingly every down and sacking him four times while holding him to just 10 completions on 21 pass attempts for 86 yards and no touchdowns. You couldn’t ask for more from defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s guys.

Jaire Alexander talking trash is always great to see, and there was no shortage of it on Sunday. On-field drama between Alexander and Texans wideout Stefon Diggs broke out before the game, and Alexander  kept up the smack talk all day. It might’ve been effective: Diggs left Lambeau with just five catches for 23 yards.

Have the Packers finally ended their kicking woes? Green Bay signed 33-year-old veteran kicker Brandon McManus last week, and he made his debut for Green Bay in glorious fashion on Sunday. McManus hadn’t been with a team since last summer, after he and his former team, the Jaguars, were sued by two women claiming McManus had sexually assaulted them while they were working as flight attendants when the Jaguars traveled to London last year. After an investigation, the NFL in September said it found insufficient evidence that McManus had violated the league’s personal conduct policy, and the civil case has since been resolved. In his first game with Green Bay, McManus hit a 45-yard field goal as time expired, sealing the Packers’ win. After enduring struggles at kicker for quite some time, dating back to Anders Carlson last year, the idea that the Packers might have some stability at the position is a relief. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx it.

The Bad

Jordan Love’s pair of interceptions counted for two of three Packers turnovers, with the third coming on a punt snafu that we’ll talk about shortly. It’s been said that Love has aspects of his two predecessors, Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre, in his game. I’d make the case that Love has arm talent and playmaking ability reminiscent of Rodgers, coupled with a Favre-like gunslinger confidence in said arm talent, which leads to him attempting some questionable passes with varying degrees of success. Love has thrown some of the ugliest interceptions from a Packers quarterback I’ve seen since…well, Favre. But I implore you to find a better-looking ball in today’s NFL than a Love dime, or a Love completion threaded through tight coverage. Personally, I admire Love’s belief in himself, and although he tends to be less protective of the football than the uber-safe Rodgers, seeing him take Favre-esque chances evokes some classic backyard football-style vibes that you don’t feel too often these days. Long-term, I’m not sure if Love’s pendulum will ever permanently swing to Favre’s “you live or die by him” side, or the efficiency aficionado side occupied by Rodgers; but if Love continues to operate somewhere in the middle, Packers fans are in for a lot more fun.

Ok, back to the turnovers – specifically, the aforementioned punt snafu. Early in the second quarter, Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon was back to field a punt that landed a few yards in front of him and bounced off fellow Green Bay cornerback Corey Ballentine. I’m not sure if Nixon properly communicated to his teammates to stay away from the ball, but regardless, he simply should’ve just fielded it. The Texans recovered the fumble and scored shortly thereafter. The Texans were ultimately able to score 16 points off the Packers’ mistakes, which kept them in a game that, otherwise, Green Bay had largely dominated. Wanna know the real bummer? There’s more Bad Punt Stuff coming up in a bit.

Jayden Reed wasn’t much of a factor on offense today. This actually isn’t a bad thing necessarily, considering the Packers have a plethora of weapons and they were able to hang on for the win, but after starting out the season red-hot, Reed was an absolute liability on my fantasy team this week, scoring only three (3) points. You hate to see it. 

Texans head coach Demeco Ryans’ clock management decision late in the fourth quarter probably handed the Packers the game. With just under two minutes left, on third and 15 on the Packers’ 17 yard line, Houston ran an out route to wide receiver Tank Dell seven yards short of the first down, which was ruled incomplete. The Texans settled for a field goal, giving them a one-point lead. They then gave the ball back to Green Bay, who had one timeout and plenty of time on the clock. The Packers proceeded to drive downfield and win the game. If the Texans had, say, just run the ball instead of passing it to Dell, the Packers would’ve had to burn their final timeout before getting the ball back. And even if Dell had caught it, he still would’ve ended up out of bounds, which would’ve stopped the clock. And, he was well short of the first down, meaning a fourth down attempt would’ve been ill-advised. Do NFL coaches not play Madden? Why are there so many clock management mishaps in this league? Someone, please make it make sense.

The Ugly

I’d like to start with the additional Bad Punt Stuff by asking a more general question: What in the world is going on with the Packers’ special teams? First we had the Nixon-Ballentine debacle, and then Reed caught a punt at the two yard line – a punt that he, without debate, should’ve let go into the end zone. It’s just an ongoing saga of inexplicable, mind-boggling stuff. My entire life’s experience with the Packers’ special teams makes me feel like I’m very, very slowly going insane.

Time is a flat circle. The Packers ended the day with eight penalties for 55 yards. There’s not much else to say at this point, except for something like “Yikes!” or “Gross!” or “The Packers need to meaningfully address this issue, which has plagued them all season!”

Green Bay’s white helmets cannot be ignored. Guys, I wanted to like them. I really tried. But at the end of the day…I vaguely felt like I was watching the New York Jets (strictly from an aesthetic perspective). I guess I’m just not a big fan of changing the colors of iconic stuff. What’s next? Blue Wisconsin Badgers jerseys? Purple Cheetos? Where does it end?

Players of the Game

Houston running back Joe Mixon deserves props. The Texans’ offensive line didn’t give Stroud time to do much of anything, but Mixon’s consistency helped keep Houston alive. He ended the day with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, including a 32-yard run.

McManus sealed the Packers’ dub, and Jacobs finally got a long-awaited career milestone, so shoutouts to both are due here.

Packers punter Daniel Whelan earned a tip of the cap as well. While the Packers struggled to convert on third downs in the second half, Whelan was able to push the Texans’ starting field position far enough downfield to give the defense a chance to keep them off the scoreboard. Whelan averaged just about 57 yards per punt on five punts – a notable jump from his roughly 46-yard average heading into the game, and the second-best single-game average in team history. Whelan’s longest punt of the day went for 66 yards, and he also deftly handled a low snap that McManus sent through the uprights for the win.

 Green Bay appears to have a Dawg in rookie safety Evan Williams. He’s a tough, instinctual player, and he’s made several key plays this season, including stuffing a run on a two-point conversion attempt by Houston. Williams’ tackle arguably saved the game for the Packers. His nine tackles Sunday were the most on the team, and he joins his teammate Xavier McKinney as the league’s two highest-graded safeties by Pro Football Focus. Keep an eye on this guy.

Jalen’s columns, “The Free Play” and “Movies You Gotta See,” can be found online at www.medium.com/@jalenmaki.

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