Packers November Review: The search for silver linings
Coming into the month, the Packers found themselves in a different position than in previous seasons. The team was 3-5 through 8 games instead of having 6-7 wins like in 2019-2021, and they did not look remotely like the team they were only 31 days before. Surely this would be the time that the team would get it right and steer towards a playoff berth like in years prior.
Except the ship hit a rock. Rock bottom as a matter of fact.
Week Nine @ Detroit
Finishing off the three-game road trip, the Packers faced the Lions in a game that the desperately needed to win to get back on track. Detroit came into the game with the worst points per game allowed, so it was prime for the Packers to build off their showing in the second half against Buffalo.
The complete opposite happened.
The Lions completely shut down the Packers offense, and intercepted Rodgers three times during the game, all by rookies. Safety Kerby Joseph and DE Aiden Hutchinson both picked off the veteran QB, with the former having two on the day. The ground game did not get going, and the Packers would end up falling 15-9, with their lone touchdown coming late in the third with Rodgers connecting with Lazard and missing the ensuing two point try.
To add further devastation to the team, eight players would leave the game due to injury, with the most noticeable being losing LB Rashan Gary to and ACL tear, ending his season. Other players that were injured included CB Eric Stokes, RB Aaron Jones, and WR Romeo Doubs, who has been out since that time as of this writing.
Week Ten vs. Dallas
The Packers were now sitting at 3-6 with the Cowboys coming to Lambeau. Dallas had ravaged the Lions and Bears in the previous two weeks and looked to be 3-0 vs. the NFC North with what would appear to be a vulnerable Packers team. It almost seemed to be a forgone conclusion that Mike McCarthy would get “revenge” on his former team and silence the nay sayers when it came to his tenure in Green Bay. On top of that, it would follow the epic Viking/Bills game, so there was a lot writing on America’s Game of the Week.
The teams would trade scores throughout the first half, with it being tied at 14-14 through 30 minutes. Then the Cowboys looked like they were about to finish off the Packers by the end of the third, going up 28-14, despite an off day from Dak Prescott. However, a rookie WR on the Packers would have other plans.
The same Christian Watson that dropped a would-be 75-yard Touchdown against the Vikings in Week 1. The same Christian Watson that kept dropping passes and getting injured seemingly on a weekly basis (even the previous week). The second-round pick that the team traded up for was finally showing what he can do, and more. Rodgers had connected with the North Dakota State product on a 58-yard score earlier in the game, showing off what would come in the second half. On a 4th and 7 early in the fourth quarter, they would score on a 39-yard play that would cut the lead to 28-21. On the ensuing drive, Rodgers would look his way once again, culminating in a 7-yard score to tie the game, and force the game into Overtime for the second time this season.
Much like earlier this season, it ended in a similar way. Deep pass to Lazard that inevitably sets up a game winning field goal from Mason Crosby.
The Packers finally got back into the win column for the first time in over a month, and there was finally hope again for the offense, sparked by their speedy 6’4 rookie. After the game, Watson spoke about his confidence that had been building and joined a small group players such as Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison as players who had games with 100+ receiving yards and three touchdowns in their rookie season. Another rookie, DB Rudy Ford, also had a breakout game of his own, as he intercepted Prescott twice during the contest.
Week Eleven vs. Tennessee
Riding high off their win over Dallas, the Packers took on the Titans on Thursday Night Football and looked to take advantage of one of the weaker secondaries in the league. However, much like before, the offense would get out to a slow start, and the Titans would dominate the early going. While it was expected that Derrick Henry would run well against a poor run defense, the Packers secondary was carved up by the Titans passing attack, including Henry getting a passing touchdown mid-way through the third, and QB Ryan Tannehill having a good game of his own with 333 yards and two TDs. The Packers would continue to see the blossoming of Christian Watson with his two TDs on the night, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Titans won 27-17 and dropped the Packers to 4-7 on the year.
Things once again looked bleak for the Packers, and their next opponent would be against the best team in the league: the 9-1 Philadelphia Eagles.
Week Twelve @ Philadelphia
The Packers were once again featured in primetime, this time on the last Sunday of November with a tall order ahead of them.
The Eagles came out the gate early, going up 13-0 in the first, and intercepting Rodgers on the Packers first possession. Despite this, the Packers would then score 14 unanswered points of their own and now held the lead going into the second quarter. From there, the teams would begin to trade scores, but the Packers could once again not stop the run. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts amassed over 100 yards by the second quarter, and RB Miles Sanders scorched the defense with his legs as well. The Eagles went up 37-23 at the start of the fourth quarter and the Packers were starting to fade.
By the time the Packers offense took the field for the first time in the fourth, there was something missing: Aaron Rodgers. On the previous drive, the already injured quarterback was taken out with a rib injury for the rest of the game, and on stepped Jordan Love for his first appearance in primetime in a meaningful situation. On his third pass attempt, he would hit Watson over the middle for about ten yards, before the rookie sensation took it over 50 yards for a score. The lead was now suddenly cut to 37-30 with 9 minutes to go.
While the Packers would end up losing 40-33, the talk of Jordan Love starting began to heat up all over the football world. Many believed that Love was the best option for the team, no matter the case. They also thought that Rodgers would be out for the remainder of the season (spoiler: he would be back the next week) and that it was time for a new era to begin. The team now stood at 4-8 on the season, with the playoffs fading further from view.
December Outlook
The Packers are sitting at 4-8 for the first time since 2006. Even if they were to finish the season 9-8, it would take a lot for them to make it in. Assuming the Cowboys are a lock for the postseason with the schedule they have going forward, the Packers would need any combination of the Giants, Commanders, Lions, and Seahawks to falter down the stretch (eight wins or less). While it may see feasible for the Lions to win less than eight, the other teams would only have to win two or three of their last five to six games.
The Packers came back to dismantle the Bears for the final time this season to open the month, before a well needed bye.
Following that, they take on a depleted Rams team on Monday Night Football and finish the month against a red-hot Miami team on Christmas. They will round out the season against the Vikings and Lions at home in January. If there is anything to watch for these next few weeks, it would be to see if they can carry any momentum going into 2023 and what the team will do at QB if they have nothing to play for past Week 18.
Oh, and Christian Watson. A silver lining in an otherwise frustrating season for Titletown.
