Four takeaways from the Packers’ narrow victory over the Chargers

The Green Bay Packers returned to winning ways this weekend with a 23-20 win at home to the Los Angeles Chargers. A Romeo Doubs touchdown with just two and a half minutes left to play sees the Packers move to 4-6, ahead of their Thursday trip to the Detroit Lions.

Here are 4 takeaways from the Packers win over the Chargers.

1. Jordan Love back to early season form

With just five minutes to play the Packers found themselves down by four, but Jordan Love took charge of his team as they marched down the field to win the game.

Following his strong early season form, Love had struggled for a few weeks running, throwing eight interceptions in five games and struggling to put up yards. These past three weeks he has thrown just two interceptions and thrown five touchdowns.

In the second half alone on Sunday, Love threw two touchdowns, completed 12 passes for 167 and registered a 141.1 passer rating. He took over the game and is showing why the front office are all in on him leading the franchise for the foreseeable future. 

2. The receiving core is continuing to develop

It is no secret that the Packers receivers are all young and getting to grips with the NFL. Jayden Reed was drafted in the second round and gets better and better every single week. He finished the game with four catches for 46 yards, but he is really showing his worth in the rushing game, again adding 46 yards and a 32 yard touchdown where he burned past the Chargers secondary. 

Romeo Doubs has asserted himself as the clear number one receiver and is the go-to man in the redzone. On Sunday he registered 53 yards and added his seventh touchdown of the season, with just Courtland Sutton and Tyreek Hill having more receiving touchdowns. 

The real talking point in the receiving core is that Dontayvion Wicks is continuing to impress, adding 91 yards and offering another target for Love. Wicks was drafted in the fifth round and with Reed and the two tight ends being taken in earlier rounds, he has become a valuable option and a real steal in the draft.

3. The defensive line stood up when it mattered

The defense stepped up when it mattered and forced a turnover on downs in the final 30 seconds of the game.

At the end of October, star defensive lineman Rashan Gary signed a four-year $107m contract extension just a year on from an ACL injury. He once again showed that he is more than worth every penny and is continuing to head towards the elite status of pass rushers. Gary took his season total to 5.5 sacks when he tackled Justin Herbert for a loss of 10 yards with two minutes left on the clock and it resulted in the Chargers punting.

Alongside Gary is another elite d-lineman in Kenny Clark who continues to be a force at the line of scrimmage. Clark led all defensive linemen in PFF grade this week with 89.8 and has four sacks on the season. 

The secondary held Herbert to just 260 yards which is low for one of the league’s elite passers. Granted the Packers got incredibly lucky when Quentin Johnston dropped a seemingly routine catch with just 30 seconds left and would’ve earnt the Chargers a first down. 

4. Even with the loss of Jones, the run game can still be effective

Aaron Jones is one of the best running backs in the NFL and has really found it tough this season. Week 1 he picked up a hamstring injury that saw him miss games and on a minutes restriction, followed by a lack of touches in other games. On Sunday he left the game early with a knee injury and was carted to the locker room. Thankfully, the injury doesn’t sound too serious. 

As previously mentioned, Reed can offer something in the run game too and AJ Dillon is still a solid backup that can step up. Another player the Packers may look to incorporate into the run game is Christian Watson. He was the standout receiver for the Packers last season but has struggled so far this season.

With his speed and agility, he can be a real asset on sweep routes and screen passes. Undoubtedly Jones will be a big miss for the Packers but there are still other players they can try to factor in with him set to miss some time potentially. 

Thursday’s early game against the Lions will be another huge test for this young Green Bay team as they look to seek revenge for the week 4 defeat.