LAS VEGAS -- Jordan Love can’t keep throwing interceptions. Christian Watson can’t keep coming close -- but not close enough -- to making big plays. And coach Matt LaFleur can’t keep coming up with offensive game plans that put the Green Bay Packers in a hole week after week.
Sure, it would help if Aaron Jones’ ailing hamstring wouldn’t have kept him out Monday night for the third time in the past four games. And the star running back’s presence alone might have made a difference in what was an unsightly 17-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
But if the shortcomings displayed on offense aren’t rectified soon, the Packers (2-3) -- with or without Jones -- could be headed for a second straight non-playoff season.
“I think at this point, it's pretty obvious that the defense has to not give up any touchdowns,” Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander said. “I think that's the part of being self-critical of our defense, because the offense is pretty young and they're still figuring out their mojo. So the defense, we gotta do more to score and stop them from scoring.”
At least they have the Week 6 bye to try to find something that will work.
However, LaFleur thought the unusually long time between the Week 4 Thursday night loss to the Detroit Lions and Monday night’s Week 5 game in Vegas gave them time to figure something out.
He thought wrong.
"Obviously, searching for a little bit of answers right now,” LaFleur said. “I think this week will give us an opportunity to kind of go back. You know, I thought we did that over the mini-bye. But we’ve got to find something to get us going, to jump-start us.”
Whatever LaFleur’s game-opening scripts have said, they haven’t worked. The Raiders’ 10-3 halftime lead meant the Packers have been outscored a combined 54-6 in the first half of their past three games. For the season, their first-half point differential of minus-43 is tied for the third worst in the NFL and their first-half yardage differential of minus-460 is third worst in the league.
Only the Week 3 second-half comeback from 17 points down against the New Orleans Saints prevented this from being a three-game losing streak.
Love threw one of the worst kinds of interceptions -- one where he didn’t even see linebacker Robert Spillane -- in the first half.
SPILLANE WITH THE PICK!!!#GBvsLV | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/g2VzPHxVbc
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 10, 2023
But some of the most memorable -- and costly -- plays came in the second half.
Two more interceptions -- one on a ball he forced to Watson that was tipped and ended up in Spillane’s hands and another in the end zone on a last-minute heave -- put Love in some dubious company. He became just the third Packers quarterback to have a three-interception game without a touchdown pass in the past 15 seasons, joining Brett Hundley (2017) and Scott Tolzien (2013). Both of those starts came during Aaron Rodgers’ broken-collarbone seasons.
Rodgers, himself, never had a zero-touchdown/three-interception game, and he never threw multiple interceptions in consecutive outings like Love now has. With two picks against the Lions, Love has five in the past two games. This after a seven-touchdown/one-interception start the first three weeks.
“That one was a very bad read, obviously,” Love said as he recounted his interceptions on Monday night. “The guy’s sitting right there, I threw it right to him. The one later in the game that got tipped, the DB made a good play, he broke on it, but was still forcing that one in there. Then the last one, trying to make a play to go win the game. But yeah, I’ve got to be better.”
The same could be said for Watson.
In fact, Watson said it himself.
Love targeted him seven times, yet Watson finished with just three catches for 94 yards. One of those was a 77-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter. Raiders cornerback Marcus Peters stopped Watson from scoring with a horse-collar tackle that he was penalized for, but it saved four points after the Packers only managed a field goal on that drive.
Watson said he should have had enough speed to break away from Peters. He also acknowledged that he needed to track and adjust better to a deep ball that he couldn’t catch up to in the fourth quarter. And on the Packers’ final play, an end zone shot from the 35-yard line with just under a minute to play that ended up as Love’s third interception, Watson said he should have found a way to at least break up that pass and give Love -- who might have been able to run for a first down and get out of bounds on that play -- one more down.
“I think my number was called way too many times tonight for the amount of plays I made,” Watson said. “I’ve got to make some more plays.”
For as much guff as the Packers’ defense has gotten, it showed some positive signs, albeit against a less-than-stellar Raiders offense. They mostly held Davante Adams in check (four catches for 45 yards), except when the Packers inexplicably tried to cover him with outside linebacker Preston Smith in the slot. And Josh Jacobs (20 carries for 69 yards) didn’t gouge them, either.
“Anytime you hold somebody to 17 points,” LaFleur said. “I think that’s enough to win football games in this league.”