I haven’t talked about the Packers for a awhile. Some things just seemed to be more important to talk about than football. But what has happened since the Bears game, which they were lucky to escape with a win? They whipped a Purdy-less 49ers team, scoring three touchdowns off turnovers in a 38-10 win, and then opened-up a 27-3 lead on the Dolphins on the way to a 30-17 win, with Tua throwing for a lot of ineffectual yardage, and then lost to the Lions on a last second field goal 34-31, in a game that the Lions—as the Packers appeared to be doing in many of their games—seemed to be trying to give the game away, and then gave-up trying when the opponent just wouldn’t take it.
In yesterday’s game against the Seahawks, a team I generally ignore even though it’s the “local” team, I didn’t worry too much about the outcome, because even though the Seahawks had a temporary division lead in the NFC West, it’s just not a very good division this year, with the 49ers following up their Super Bowl appearance with a very down year, and just because the Rams beat them on Thursday in a game neither team scored a touchdown doesn’t mean the Rams are back on a Super Bowl run.
One thing you can say about the Packers this year is that once they (or their opponent) get off to an early two-score lead, the game is over. Not that it means it’s all party time the rest of the day, but what drama there is usually is like the hare waking up in time to notice the tortoise is catching up. Against the Seahawks, the Packers blew-out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Geno Smith, who has had a “career rejuvenation” since his time with the Jets, at least statistical-wise, if not wins and playoff appearances-wise, engineered a brief “comeback” opportunity, but messed it up by throwing an interception in the end zone that would have made it a one-score game late in the first half, and instead of an eventual 20-3 deficit into the break.
Josh Jacobs started out “hot,” scoring the first touchdown of the game, but ended-up averaging 3.6 YPG on 26 carries. You know, he was pretty hyped-up when the Packers brought him in, but he really has had only one “pro bowl” type year in the previous five. But that is nit-picking. Let’s talk about Sam Howell, who played quarterback for football powerhouse North Carolina in college and in his second NFL season last year started all 17 games for a 4-13 Commanders team that leads the NFC East this season with a 9-5 record.
I suppose the Seahawks hoped for a backup who was an “experience option to back-up Pro-Bowl quarterback Geno Smith,” according to Seahawks.com. I’m not sure what voters were thinking when they selected Smith for the Pro Bowl in both 2022 and 2023, but it is par for the course that the Seahawks would trade for a quarterback who the other team was eager to get rid of, seeing how the Seahawks got two draft picks to offset the two picks they sent to the Commanders to get Howell.
Anyways, I’m not sure what the Seahawks were expecting to see, but after Smith went down with a knee injury, in came Howell, who on 18 passing plays (14 passes, 4 sacks) accumulated 3 net yards passing. Unfortunately for my inquisitive mind, that is nowhere near a “record.” I remember the 1970s when NFL offenses were mostly run-oriented, and under 50 percent pass completion percentages and more interceptions than touchdown passes was closer to the “norm.” While only three times in NFL history has a team thrown for negative “gross” yards passing, negative “net” yards passing—with sack yardage included—is not completely uncommon. 12 of the “top” 24 games as such occurred during the Seventies, including -52 net yards by the Bengals in 1971.
The Packers have two games on that list—and a third if you throw-in game number 25, a Lombardi team where Bart Starr had one of his worst games, completing just 4 of 19 for 42 yards, and sacked 5 times for negative 52 yards, for -10 net yards. The Packers still beat the Cowboys that day 13-3, with five takeaways to none by themselves.
Oh, yeah, the Packers won this game 30-13, and at least we can say that the Packers have at least one 10-win season in the Jordan Love era, even if he actually only won seven of them. The Packers should win at least two of their final three games, next week against the Saints at home and ditto against the Bears in the season finale. They have a playoff spot locked-up given that the other divisions are likely not to have more suitable prospects for wild card candidates.
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