The Green Bay Packers have one of the best defenses in the entire NFL. On the season, Green Bay has allowed just 19.6 points per game, which is the seventh-lowest mark in the league. However, putting up points consistently has been an issue for the Packers. They managed to score just 10 points in a Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and scored only 16 points in a loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.
Their worst showing of the season came on Monday Night against the Philadelphia Eagles, as they managed to score just seven total points over the course of the contest. The Packers ended up losing the game despite the fact that the defense held the Eagles offense to just 10 points of their own.
After the game, Packers quarterback Jordan Love said that he felt like Green Bay’s offense was “letting the defense down,” and it’s difficult to disagree with him at this point.
"I know as a defense, they definitely have every reason to look at us and say, 'What are you guys doing? You guys need to figure it out and help us out and put up some more points,' because they're doing a great job," Love said, via ESPN. "It's frustrating, but we'll stay together. We'll keep the energy high and find ways to get better and be better as an offense."
This comment is a bit ironic, because earlier this very season, it was Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons who said he felt like the defense let Love down following Green Bay’s 40-40 Week 4 tie with Dallas.
"We let [Love] down,” Parsons said at the time. “Giving up 40 points, bro, I don’t care where we’re playing. That’s just unacceptable, for me and everyone. I’m not even pointing fingers, just we got to find a way to get off the field and we didn’t do a great job at that tonight. And I take ownership. Coach in there took ownership. But ownership is one thing … doing something about it is another."
At 5-3-1 and currently sitting in third place in the ultra-competitive NFC North, the Packers certainly aren’t where they hoped to be at this point in the season. They’ve been hit very hard with injury issues, but ultimately that isn’t an excuse. They simply need to be better, especially on offense, if they want to get back on track and put themselves in position to make a postseason run.
They play the New York Giants next, and then they have three straight games against division opponents. In fact, five of their remaining eight games come against teams in their division. How they fare in those games will go a long way towards determining if they make the playoffs for a third straight season, or if they end up on the outside looking in.