GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers head into their bye week having complicated their path to an NFC North title after losing at home to the Minnesota Vikings and division-leading Detroit Lions.
But they’re in a much better position than they were at this point last season.
If the season ended today, the Packers (6-3) would make the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 7 seed, just as they did last season. At this point a year ago, the Packers were 3-6 before they rallied to win six of their last eight games.
That late-season surge continued with a wild-card victory at Dallas before the Packers lost 24-21 at San Francisco in the divisional playoffs. It had Green Bay believing this year’s team was capable of reaching the franchise's first Super Bowl since its 2010 championship season.
To achieve that goal, the Packers must play much more crisply than they did in their first nine games.
“One of the things we’re going to talk about as a staff is just some of the things we did the back half of the (2023) season to allow us to develop and continue to get better,” coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “And I think a lot of it just started with our approach to practice, how much competition we had in practice. I thought it made practices have more energy, and I thought it reflected in our play, quite frankly.
“So, I think it’s just, one of the things our staff is doing with each individual today is, there’s got to be a focus on one thing that we can all improve upon because all of us can improve in some area.”
Green Bay is third in the NFC North behind the Lions (7-1) and Vikings (6-2). The Packers visit Detroit on Dec. 5 and Minnesota on Dec. 29.
The Packers are 0-2 in divisional games. They totaled five turnovers with three takeaways in their 31-29 loss to Minnesota and their Sunday defeat against Detroit. They’ve combined for 16 takeaways and eight giveaways in their other seven games.
“Those are two games that we did not play our best at all,” Love said after the Lions game. “So too many mistakes and, like I said, just didn’t play our best in these games. We need to be able to go out there and execute at a high level and play our best ball. So, it’s definitely very disappointing, but (those are) two teams that we’ll see again this season.”
What’s working
The Packers failed to force a turnover against the Lions, but they still have an NFL-leading 19 takeaways. ... Green Bay is averaging 154.8 yards rushing per game to rank fifth in the NFL. The Packers have rushed for 1,393 yards, their highest total through nine games since 2003, when they had 1,475.
What needs work
The Packers have committed 13 turnovers. Through Sunday, the only teams with more turnovers were Las Vegas (19), Tennessee (17), Carolina (15) and Seattle (15). ... Love has thrown 10 interceptions in 240 pass attempts. He was picked off on 11 of his 579 passes last season. ... Dropped passes have been a problem, most notably on Sunday.
Stock up
S Xavier McKinney is tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. ... RB Josh Jacobs has rushed for 762 yards, good for third in the league. ... WR Jayden Reed has caught 36 passes for 620 yards while also rushing for 110 yards on 11 carries. ... TE Tucker Kraft’s five touchdown catches are the second most among tight ends. San Francisco's George Kittle has six.
Stock down
Although CB Eric Stokes has come back from the injuries that limited him to nine games in 2022 and three in 2023, the 2021 first-round pick’s role has diminished. His playing time had dipped significantly until Sunday, when Green Bay’s secondary was missing CB Jaire Alexander and S Evan Williams due to injuries. ... DL Kenny Clark hasn’t recorded a sack this season after having a career-high 7 1/2 last year.
Injuries
LaFleur said Monday that TE Luke Musgrave has undergone ankle surgery. LaFleur said Musgrave “will hopefully be back later this season.” The 2023 second-round pick went on injured reserve on Oct. 11.
Key numbers
1-5 — The Packers' record in their last six home games against NFC North opponents. That run started with the 20-16 loss to Detroit in the 2022 season finale that ended Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay career and kept the Packers out of the playoffs. Before this 1-5 stretch, the Packers had gone 10-1 in home games against NFC North foes under LaFleur.
Next steps
After their week off, the Packers play at Chicago on Nov. 17. The Packers have won their last 10 meetings with the Bears.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
