Jet(s) Lagged: Packers Lose Ugly Game at Home

If most fans thought the Packers' loss to the New York Giants in London was the ugliest performance of the season so far, they'll have to compare that to the on-field product the team had against the New York Jets on Sunday to see how much that sentiment holds up.

After a close defensive fight in the first half, the Jets controlled the game with several big scoring plays in the second half as they took down the Packers 27-10. The loss marks the first time that head coach Matt LaFleur has lost back-to-back regular season games in his tenure.

It was an abysmal start for the Packers, and that may not be an overstatement. After their first 2 offensive possessions, they had -2 yards of total offense on 6 plays. They almost gave up a turnover on each drive, as a pick-six by Jets rookie CB Sauce Gardner was called back after a scoring review and an Aaron Rodgers fumble on the dropback was recovered by the offense.

The run game was once plagued by limited usage. AJ Dillon rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries, but had a fumble in the 2nd quarter that led to a New York field goal. Aaron Jones's day was no better with only 9 carries for 19 yards. Although their output may be somewhat attributed to play-calling, poor blocking on the line was a notable factor for stalled drives.

Royce Newman struggled at RG, as he allowed 5 pressures- the most of any lineman during the game. Newman has allowed the most pressures on the Green Bay offensive line through 6 games, and LG Jon Runyan was not much better on the other side, as he allowed 4 pressures going up against Quinnen Williams, who sacked Rodgers twice on the day.

On a positive note, David Bakhtiari's value at LT has been evident as he only allowed 1 pressure in a game where he almost went the full distance. Since returning to the field in Week 3 and progressively increasing his snap counts each game, he has shown some form of his old self before his severe ACL tear almost 2 years ago.

As for Rodgers, he did not look like his usual self. The Packers QB played through a right thumb injury he suffered on the final play of the game the week prior. He was 26 of 41 for 246 yards and threw a 25-yard touchdown to Allen Lazard in the 3rd quarter, but was pressured on 15 dropbacks and sacked 4 times- 3 of them on 3rd down.

TE Robert Tonyan had the best game of any GB receiving target, hauling in 10 catches on 12 targets for 90 yards. With no real deep ball threat, it has been a challenge for this offense to have a consistent top pass catcher week-to-week, and injuries have limited the depth chart. Rookie Christian Watson was inactive with a hamstring injury, and Randall Cobb had to leave the game with an ankle injury.

Cobb may miss the next 2-4 weeks as a result, so there will be some personnel adjustments in the slot within the upcoming week.

How about the defense? Well, it has been a tale of two defenses this season. The Packers have the league's best passing defense, as they are the only team that has allowed less than 1,000 passing yards through the first 6 games. The run defense sits in the bottom half of the league with 811 rushing yards allowed, and it could not find a way to limit Breece Hall in the backfield.

The rookie rushed for 116 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown early in the 4th quarter that saw the lead for New York increase to 24-10.

Although the defense gave up 17 points, they did not give up a passing touchdown. Jaire Alexander was on lockdown in the slot, breaking up 3 passes and limiting rookie Garrett Wilson to one reception on 5 targets. Rashan Gary recorded his 6th sack of the season on Sunday and is only half a sack behind league sack leader Alex Highsmith of the Steelers. LB Kingsley Enagbare the 5th round pick out of South Carolina, recorded his first career sack as he worked on the edges.

As for special teams, things could have gone a lot better for the unit. The biggest slap in the face happened in the 3rd quarter when a punt by Pat O'Donnell was blocked and was returned by New York for a touchdown, making it a 17-3 ballgame and digging a hole that the Packers would never come close to crawling out of. The Jets also blocked a Mason Crosby 47-yard field goal attempt in the 2nd quarter which kept it a scoreless game and ended the Packers' best drive of the first half at that point.

Amari Rodgers had 5 returns for just 22 yards as the return game has been a non-factor. With Kylin Hill close to a return from an ACL tear last season, there is a chance to have a specialist such as Hill fielding kicks again.

After losing to both the Giants and Jets in back-to-back weeks, the Packers sit at 3-3 with their head just barely above the water in the NFC. They have struggled to play a full 60 minute game this season, as Rodgers and LaFleur have not shown to be on the same page at times.

With the offense in need of a strong tune-up, and a defense that is working hard each week to keep the team in the game, Green Bay may consider making a play on the trade market for another wideout. They will also have to make adjustments on the offensive line, as they'll face against top defenses in the Bills and Cowboys in the next few weeks.