GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Producing big plays wasn’t a problem for the Green Bay Packers offense in their season opener.
Turning those long gains into points proved much more troublesome. It’s something the Packers must fix as they try to avoid their first 0-2 start in two decades.
Green Bay had seven pass completions of at least 20 yards Sunday, but still lost 39-22 to the Minnesota Vikings after scoring only one touchdown on four red zone possessions.
“When you tallied up the explosives, we were winning that by a large margin,” tight end Tucker Kraft said. “It’s the consistency. Execution is good, but when your drives just fizzle out and you’re not putting sevens on the board — you’re just putting threes on the board — that’s where we’ve got to pick up the pace.”
That inability to finish drives results in a continued inability to finish games.
Green Bay led Minnesota 22-10 in the third quarter but never broke the game open, enabling Minnesota to rally by scoring the game’s final 29 points.
As Green Bay gets ready to visit the New York Jets (1-0) on Sunday, the Packers have dropped six straight games, counting last season’s 31-27 playoff loss at Chicago.
The collapse against Minnesota was noteworthy in part because of how effectively the Packers moved the ball for much of the game. Jordan Love had five completions of at least 30 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown to Christian Watson.
The Packers were tied for fourth among all NFL teams with 10 explosive plays, defined as a run of 12-plus yards or a pass of 16-plus yards.
Green Bay’s seven plays of 20-plus yards represented a contrast from last season, when the Packers didn’t have any gains of at least 20 yards in either of their two games with Minnesota. The Packers rested all their starters in one of those games to get ready for the playoffs.
“As an offense, that’s what we always talk about,” said Love, whose 387 yards passing were two off his career high. “We’re hunting those explosives. I think we did a good job in the game. I think there’s still a lot more explosives out there, some missed opps we had, and that’s the unfortunate part.”
The Packers also missed plenty of opportunities once they got into scoring position.
They had a first down at the Minnesota 27 and eventually reached the 20 before settling for a 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter. They had first-and-goal at the 7 in the third quarter before losing a yard on the next three plays and again settling for a field goal. They lost the ball on downs in the red zone twice in the fourth quarter.
Part of the problem was an inefficient rushing attack. The Packers gained just 66 yards on 21 carries while playing without three-time Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs, who’s on the commissioner’s exempt list after pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a May altercation with his girlfriend at the time.
The other issue was an offensive line that didn’t create enough running room and also failed to protect Love from the Vikings’ constant pressure. The Vikings had three sacks and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said Love was hit 18 times.
“Our plays were working,” Kraft said. “It was just that we’d be turning around to look for the football and Jordan would be off-schedule because he has internal or external pressure and he’s trying to make a throw on the run.”
That offensive line had left guard Donovan Jennings making his first career start and right guard Jacob Monk starting for just the second time against the Vikings. Stenavich said the Packers would rotate a few guys there in practice this week as they tried to find the right combination.
Green Bay could get a boost whenever left guard Aaron Banks returns from the knee issue that prevented him from playing against the Vikings. Banks practiced on a limited basis Wednesday.
NOTES: Edge rusher Lukas Van Ness and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave are in concussion protocol and were limited participants in Wednesday’s practice. Hargrave also has a knee issue. OT Zach Bako-Bewele (knee), LB Ty’Ron Hopper (Achilles), edge rusher Barryn Sorrell (foot) and DT Devonte Wyatt (ankle) also were limited. ... DT Warren Brinson (calf) didn’t practice.
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