Three Overreactions From Packers’ Victory Over Bengals

Late in the fourth quarter, the Packers’ lead was cut to 24-18. For the first time, it seemed that a loss was a real possibility. On third-and-8 after a sack, Love bought time to his left and found Golden for 31. It was the biggest play of the game and helped secure the clinching field goal.

“I think he made some big-time plays today,” Love said. “I think both really explosive plays, with the go ball down the sideline and then that last play there to him. I think he’s a guy that we’re going to keep trying to get going and keep finding ways to get him the ball, because he’s done some really good things.

“It’s always about trying to spread it around, but he’s definitely a very explosive playmaker and just got to keep finding ways to get it to him.”

It appears the “finding ways to get the ball to him” will be up to Love, because coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t plan to deviate from his usual approach on offense.

“It is what it is, guys,” LaFleur said. “I know everybody wants us to force-feed guys the ball, but that’s really not how we’ve done it around here and I don’t plan on changing that. That’s the beauty of having a lot of guys that we have a lot of confidence in.

“We have confidence that we can put anybody in the situation and try to have plays off of plays, and a lot of it is dictated off the coverages, however teams are playing us, and the quarterback’s role is to make sure the ball’s going in the right place based on what the defense presents. And whoever gets those catches, they get them.”

That’s fine. Tight end Tucker Kraft needs to catch more than two passes. Romeo Doubs is a consistent factor. At some point, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed will return to the lineup.

But Golden just keeps getting better. The polish, explosiveness and hands that he showed throughout training camp have carried into the regular season. While he’s third among rookies with 212 receiving yards, he’s No. 1 among the 11 rookies with more than 10 targets in yards per target.

For this offense – and this team – to be at its best, Golden needs more opportunities. That doesn’t have to be 10 targets per game. It does mean more than the five touches he got on Sunday.

“I know I’m capable of anything,” Golden said. “That’s just the mindset I got. There can never be too much on my plate. I got all that confidence in myself. But the most opportunities I get, I’m going to make the most of them.”

2. Let Jordan Love Play

The Packers’ passing game is in a bit of an awkward spot. To move the football, the offense is at its best when Jordan Love is unleashed.

On the other hand, Love’s three turnovers – not a big number, by the way – have been critical. The interception at Cleveland probably lost that game. The fumble at Dallas probably cost the Packers a victory. The interception against Cincinnati kept the Packers from taking an early lead.

“Outside of that, I thought he played his ass off,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “The third-down conversion late in the game, when they just sacked us and they’ve got all the momentum, that was a big-time play to hit MG (Matthew Golden) right there. Quarterbacks, every play is under a microscope and certainly we never want to give the ball up, but I thought he played his ass off.”

The offense flows through Josh Jacobs, as it should. But when it’s time to throw the ball, let Love throw the ball. It’s almost as if LaFleur remains hesitant to take the training wheels off.

However, Love isn’t a first-year starting quarterback. He isn’t an injured second-year starting quarterback. He’s a third-year starter who is fifth in the league in passer rating, ninth in completion percentage and third in yards per attempt.

The NFL is a big-play league, and that’s the strength of Love’s game. He was 4-of-5 on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield against the Bengals. The league median for air yards per attempt is almost 8.0. When Love is over that, which he was with a 9.2-yard average on Sunday, the Packers are 3-0.

3. Here’s Why Packers Will Get Crushed in Playoffs

The Packers have a great pass rush, even if it doesn’t necessarily show up in the sack column. However, what the last two games have proven is that a great pass rush can be rendered null and void.

Against Dallas before the bye, Dak Prescott was 31-of-40 passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Cowboys hung 40 points on the vaunted Packers defense.

Against Cincinnati, Joe Flacco was 29-of-45 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns. During the second half, when Zac Taylor turned Flacco loose and the Bengals rallied with 18 points, he was 21-of-30 passing for 179 yards and the two touchdowns.

What do Prescott and Flacco have in common? They are veteran quarterbacks who know what’s coming and aren’t foolish enough to stand in the pocket for 3 seconds and wait for Micah Parsons’ autograph.

Who will the Packers play in the playoffs?

The Buccaneers have Baker Mayfield. The Rams have Matthew Stafford. The Lions have Jared Goff.

You get the point.

If the Packers are unable to stop Flacco, an immobile 40-year-old quarterback who was acquired earlier in the week and entered the game with the worst passer rating in the NFL, how on earth are they going to stop cream-of-the-crop quarterbacks in the playoffs?

Green Bay’s cornerbacks, a big concern dating to free agency and the draft, remain a big concern. Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for 14 catches for 156 yards. That includes 11 catches for 128 yards in the second half, when cornerbacks Keisean Nixon (three) and Nate Hobbs (one) were flagged four times.

It wasn’t big plays – the Packers didn’t allow a completion of even 20 yards against the Bengals – but it was just completion after completion after completion. And it wasn’t as if the coverage was terrible – Nixon’s was on point, even on the fourth-quarter touchdown to Chase – but Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was unable to find an answer, no different than against Prescott.

“Routine plays, that’s just really what it is,” Nixon said. “Towards the end of the game, they started forcing the ball. When they start forcing the ball to one person, they usually get all the flags. That’s usually how the NFL works. I’m on Year 7, that’s just with anybody.

“They’ve got a primary receiver, they’re going to force it to him however you play the defense or not. We weren’t getting burnt or cooked. Just playing through the ball, they’re going to get the flags, that’s just what comes with it. Next play.”

Yes, Chase and Higgins are a great tandem, but Mayfield has Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. Stafford has Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Goff has Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Those are great quarterbacks with great receivers, and they’ll be standing in the way of the Packers’ dreams of reaching the Super Bowl. The last couple games have shown that Green Bay’s pass rush isn’t good enough to cover for the shortcomings in coverage.