Cory's Corner: The Packers Cannot Keep Beating Themselves
The Packers must figure out who they are, or else the season could go sideways.
So where do the Packers go from here?
The Eagles come to town on Monday coming off a bye and having added edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and defensive backs Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter II at the trade deadline.
Surprisingly, the Packers are still favored by 2.5 points, even though Tucker Kraft was lost for the year with an ACL tear. Kraft’s presence will be felt because Jordan Love’s passer rating when targeting Kraft was 150.3.
And defensively, the Packers have allowed five yards per carry to both Pittsburgh and Carolina. The Steelers handed the ball off to Jaylen Warren and the Panthers gave it to Rico Dowdle. Both of those guys are solid, but they don’t hold a candle to the backward-jumping, reigning NFL rusher of the year in Saquon Barkley.
Even if the Packers cannot scrape out a win, they have to muster more than the six points they put up for 80 percent of the game vs. Carolina. Expect Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to show an assortment of blitzes, even though the Eagles have only blitzed 22 percent of the time this year.
Love has proven that he has issues when blitzed and pressured as evidenced by his 38 percent completion percentage when under pressure. Love has been blitzed 76 times, which is the seventh-most in the NFL.
Which means, that Love has to get the ball out quick. The reason why Love was outdueling Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh was because he never gave the Steelers a chance to get to him. The quickness that he was able to get the ball out actually reminded me of Tom Brady. If Philadelphia consistently plays a two-high safety look, which I’m sure that Love will see plenty, he has to recognize that and be fine with completing passes underneath and count on his pass catchers to make a play.
It also comes down to Packers coach Matt LaFleur. The Packers have been very hamstrung on offense because they are so bad under center, rendering the play-action just about unusable. They need to do more crossing routes, slants and corner routes. Those aren’t big-play material but they will move the chains and keep the linebackers honest so Josh Jacobs can get a few open running lanes. Jacobs is fourth in the league in rushes but is 14th in yards because he has nowhere to go. He has 534 rushing yards and 289 of those are after contact. That’s not the best recipe for a team that wants to be run-first.
Then again, who are the Packers? Are they an impromptu team led by Love that allows him the autonomy to sling it all over the field? Sometimes he’s going to make good decisions and sometimes he’s going to make terrible ones like in the Cleveland and Carolina games. Or are they a hard-nosed running team that wants to chew the clock up and own the time of possession and field position battle?
I’ve heard it all week and it drives me nuts — “The Packers don’t have the horses. It’s time to hit the reset button.” What the heck are you talking about? This team is loaded at wide receiver, it has a very capable quarterback who has shown flashes and it has a true bellcow running back that can handle the rock at least 20 times a game.
The Packers can win on Monday, but first they need to look in the mirror and figure out who they are first. Because this team is only going to keep beating itself until it can understand what they are and what they do best.
And if that means toning down the potential for explosive plays, so be it as long as it leads to more wins.
Beating the Eagles seems like a tall task, but their toughest opponent this season has been themselves.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
__________________________
Comments (44)
fatalflaw
November 08, 2025 at 07:15 am
Is Jordan Morgan a bust? It seems like the only constant on the team is the offensive line inconsistency.
There's also more parity than ever in the NFL and the other guys are trying to win too.
zoellner25
November 08, 2025 at 08:50 am
He’s not a guard and never will be, so he’s being misused
Houndog
November 08, 2025 at 09:24 am
Flaw,
I'm not ready to write Morgan off just yet, the Packers have a history of drafting Tackles then moving them to Guard, and it shows!
Now you have a young guy who's not only absorbing the difference of the NFL vs College, but playing a new position as well. If that swap came after a year or two of experience it might be easier as they'd already know the assignments. Ross Verba might be the last one to make that change flawlessly, few others have done as well since him!
WTS, Verba also had Ron Wolf in his ear, "You can be a really good tackle, or you can be an All-Pro guard"! I think its safe to say the Packers don't have talent evaluators like Wolf anymore!
Add injuries to the equation along with GB's penchant for playing musical chairs and NOT sticking one guy in one position during training camp, they're convinced they need everyone to play every position so they bounce them around in camp and are still doing it today with Morgan and Rhyan.
If you want consistency, be consistent!
SicSemperTyrannis
November 08, 2025 at 11:25 am
Doesn't mean JM is a bust, but he's just not physical enough to play guard. If he can be our LT next season?
Leatherhead
November 08, 2025 at 07:32 am
IF the second half of the season mirrors the first, we'll be 10-4-2 heading into the last game, and that puts us in the playoff picture.
IF we don't make the playoffs, there are going to be some hard questions being asked. I don't think it'll happen. I feel pretty confident we'll win more than 10 games this season.
TKWorldWide
November 08, 2025 at 07:34 am
Yes. Barring crucial injuries, I expect GB to make the playoffs.
PackerBackerAZ
November 08, 2025 at 10:07 am
Just how do you define the injury to Kraft? How good will Love be without him is a legitimate concern.
TKWorldWide
November 08, 2025 at 10:41 am
Or if Love gets hurt
Or Micah
Or Rasheed
Or Gary
Or Jacobs….
SicSemperTyrannis
November 08, 2025 at 11:27 am
#8 has been playing through injury.
TKWorldWide
November 08, 2025 at 02:55 pm
Eggs
Act
Lee
SicSemperTyrannis
November 08, 2025 at 11:26 am
We've had very crucial injuries. While I'm not predicting anything, GB has to play better than it has for anything good to happen.
Coldworld
November 09, 2025 at 07:46 am
We have to be more disciplined but we also need to come out with a less conservative game plan and be willing to use healthy depth over injured favorites if necessary.
We can’t just hope the run works and avoid the intermediate middle and deep if they play two high safeties. We have to adjust to use Musgrave’s strengths not pretend he's Kraft or that any of the 3 TEs are plus blockers. We have to be realistic.
Does LaFleur have these things in him? If not I think this will be painful.
TKWorldWide
November 08, 2025 at 07:33 am
Find me a team that never does this.
But yes, it’s frustrating.
Maybe in this day of rampant parity, the two most important factors for success are avoiding injuries and limiting crucial mistakes: penalties, blown assignments, dropped passes, missed tackles, turnovers…I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but you get the idea.
jannesbjornson
November 08, 2025 at 10:04 am
This game will be smash mouth. The Pack has to hold court and respond, in kind. The DTs have to get lower than the Eagles. If Jurgens is held out of the Game, Philly may be vulnerable through the middle. Roseman took Drew Kendall in Rd Five as the backup center. See if Gary shows up?
Oppy
November 08, 2025 at 11:56 am
You invoked "Pad Level" without getting dislikes, this is a historic moment.
Oppy
November 08, 2025 at 07:41 am
“38 percent completion percentage when under pressure.”
What’s the source of this supposed fact? This is the second time I’ve seen it written, but everything I’m finding states Love completes about 70% of his passes under pressure in 2025.
Edit: it looks like these under pressure stats are comming from behind a PFF pay wall. Is that accurate?
Another Edit: The two places I see reference to this 38% completion rate under pressure are from a Twitter/X post by Warren Sharp, and repeated here by Cory on CHTV.
stockholder
November 08, 2025 at 07:59 am
Good for you Oppy.
I'm curious where that 38 % comes from too.
TarynsEyes
November 08, 2025 at 09:18 am
It's a stat that comes from whether Love has his left toe pointing out or in when he sees the blitz that QBs don't see until it happens.
Renllaw
November 08, 2025 at 08:15 am
I could not agree more with your point "They need to do more crossing routes, slants and corner routes"
This team needs to bring back the shallow drag concepts. I could be wrong, I'm just watching the TV copy, but i see a complete lack of slants and crossers. the few times i have seen it Golden seemed to be the target and its a positive play. If teams are going to keep running 2 high safety looks and are all over the WR screen, mesh, and snag concepts MLF seems to be favoring, he needs to be more diverse. Especially now that the only guy (Kraft) that can YAC consistently is on IR.
jannesbjornson
November 08, 2025 at 10:12 am
The best Zone busters are successful running plays. LaFleur does seem limited with the cross and clear routing.
He doesn't seem to have any Trap Game, or draw schemes to iso the pass russhers? Golden may not be healthy. Heath can handle the outside boundary pretty well. Someone will have to rise to the moment, hopefully, Watson. This O-line is designed to hold space as pass blockers. Give Love another click to read the field.
CanPackFan
November 08, 2025 at 10:52 am
Excellent point. Shallow crossing routes open up receivers whether it be man or zone. And sending a receiver deep keeps 1 or 2 safeties honest. Why we don't is just another of the many LaFleur/ Steno puzzles we'll never figure out...?
zoellner25
November 08, 2025 at 08:49 am
Sure they can and probably will, as long at MLF is the coach
SicSemperTyrannis
November 08, 2025 at 11:30 am
"The Pack can't keep beating themselves:"
O line: hold my beer ...
NFLfan
November 08, 2025 at 09:09 am
@ the very least we can expect the bright lights and home game advantage to focus MLF and his team. There will be swarming & tackling and I expect players who like national attention, such as Gary and Parsons, to show up after going missing last week. It bothers me, though, that it takes this type of attention to get the most out of this crew (include MLF).
The O-Line, though, doesn't care about bright lights and attention and this is the weak link.
My guess is Love will have to carry the team because MLF will inevitably lose control @ pivotal moments.
Brewcity_BearsFan
November 08, 2025 at 09:10 am
"The Packers have been very hamstrung on offense because they are so bad under center"
Not something one wants to type, when Jalen Carter will be waiting on the other side.
The Eagles defense dominated last post season because of their ability to get pressure with only 4 guys.
Fangio defenses have had a lot of success against Green Bay offenses over the years.
If Philly's offense can stop tripping over its dick, they should leave Lambeau with a win.
Houndog
November 08, 2025 at 10:03 am
Brew,
"The Packers have been very hamstrung on offense because"; Because their play-calling stinks!
As a Packer fan in 49er territory I am more than sick of hearing about the Walsh-Shanahan coaching tree, mostly because it works for everyone BUT the Packers!
MLF is the only one that sticks with Gound-N-Pound with a better that average receiver corps, and when everyone knows it doesn't work! He's completely forgotten what that 'Tree' was built upon, short and mid-range passes, and setting up the run with the pass! .
Ed Policy has got to remember what he saw as a kid, wouldn't you think? He's got to be seeing that in most losses, the Packers are out-coached, and most often on Offense! Let Love call the plays, hell, he can't do any worse!
Joster11
November 08, 2025 at 10:11 am
Well, they certainly won't be tripping over yours because it's far too tiny to do any damage to anyone!
13TimeChamps
November 08, 2025 at 09:45 am
GM:
I like Gute but he's no Roseman, but who is? ADV EAGLES
HC:
2 SuperBowls ADV EAGLES
QB:
Hurts vs Love WASH
OL:
ADV EAGLES
RB:
THIS years Saquon vs Jacobs slight ADV GB
WR:
With Watson back slight ADV GB
TE:
No Kraft ADV EAGLES
DL:
Not familiar with Philly's dl so WASH?
LB:
Including Gary and Micah as OLBs ADV GB
SAFETY:
ADV GB
CB:
Ouch ADV EAGLES
If Green Bay brings their 'A' game, I like their chances. If not, it could be a long cold evening in Lambeau.
Since'61
November 08, 2025 at 10:00 am
Good post 13Times. Thanks, Since '61
Houndog
November 08, 2025 at 10:26 am
I laughed when I saw your CB assessment, 13Time, so very true!
OK, let the thumbs down begin,
Why not give Melton a shot, they kept him for a reason?
We know he can find the ball in the air, and he's got the speed to close distances! If he can tackle, he can't possibly be worse than Hobbs, can he?
SicSemperTyrannis
November 08, 2025 at 11:34 am
Interesting thing about Hobbs: he's been playing with a torn MCL. We have no idea how well he might play when healthy. We might not get that this season. Melton, Haddan, even Oladapo might be called on before the playoffs are over.
Rory P Scrotem
November 08, 2025 at 09:59 am
Comments I have been hearing from others...Is Morgan a bust? Belton is not experienced enough??
So, why not play one of these guys occasionally as a 6th lineman...or, even @ tight end?
Can you imagine Anthony Belton going out for a short pass?
Chris Collinsworth would swallow his gum...
Houndog
November 08, 2025 at 10:14 am
Well, Belton did say "nobody noticed my 'short arms' in the ACC".
They might if you tried him a TE, and then, how are his hands?
Houndog
November 08, 2025 at 10:29 am
Rory,
No disrespect, but I don't think they need gimmicks as much as they need some decent play calling!
MLF could fuck-up a one man parade!
SicSemperTyrannis
November 08, 2025 at 11:36 am
Definitely need 6 O linemen, and Belton is a likely candidate for that role. JM isn't a bust yet, but so far he's not physical enough to play Guard. Hopefully he'll be ready to play LT next season ...
LeotisHarris
November 08, 2025 at 10:41 am
There's likely a market out there for self-flagellation while being "very hamstrung" and looking in a mirror.
SicSemperTyrannis
November 08, 2025 at 11:37 am
MLF has an OF account, you heard it here first! Lol
barutanseijin
November 08, 2025 at 12:01 pm
Beat all the dead horses! But don’t end up like David Carradine, grasshopper.
Bitternotsour
November 08, 2025 at 07:25 pm
I simply do not want to see your browser history.
pantz_bURp
November 08, 2025 at 01:21 pm
Bunch of masochistz I say...
PB with GPG!
Packerpasty
November 09, 2025 at 04:09 pm
Well actually they can…are they disciplined enough not to? Hope so…Eagles game will tell a lot, the type game Pack wins after a bad game….pretty important game actually….
THESZOTMAN1
November 09, 2025 at 06:01 pm
If we beat Philly, we're in playoffs, barring a complete collapse.
If we lose, consider: A. Our playoff path becomes much more precarious , and B: Da Bears will be in 1st place. (insert frowny face).
The Szotman
Lare
November 10, 2025 at 12:37 pm
Tough to win when you’re getting beat by two teams.
KCMackRVA
November 10, 2025 at 03:36 pm
No horses in the trenches.
Don't matter how good the QB orRB1 are, it's going to be a struggle if dudes up front are in a "perpetual state of suck" mode. Don't know if it's bad coaching, poor draft & develop choices, or the constant carousel of moving dudes around because of Gutey & MyLF's "muh versatility" philosophy, but perhaps it's time someone D&D'd some technically adept grinders who a really good at at least one position, with "versatile" being a 2nd or 3rd trait rather than a 1st trait.
WRs are solid, but none are world beaters or in the AJ Brown / Devonta Smith class, and the ones who've shown YAC abilities for us are on the shelf.
Buckle up & hang in there, buttercups. This could be a long evening.