GREEN BAY – The Packers are trying to figure out why their defense has struggled so much in the second half of the last two games, and there's no obvious reason.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley have been discussing the disturbing trend, which has seen the Packers surrender 42 points after halftime to the Cowboys and Bengals after strong first-half defensive starts in both games.
LaFleur explained Monday they're considering any and all possibilities in the search for answers as a new week begins.
"Are we running out of gas?" LaFleur asked rhetorically in front of the media. "Do we need to roll (substitute) more guys in the first half? … Are we well-conditioned enough from practice? Did our guys do enough on the bye week?
"All that stuff has kind of been floated around, trying to figure out why this is happening, because certainly we're trying to find solutions."
Including overtime, the Cowboys accumulated 291 yards and 17 first downs after halftime two weeks ago. On Sunday, the second-half numbers for the Bengals were 203 yards and 16 first downs.
Over both games, the defense had allowed only one scoring drive of any length in the first half – a 95-yard march by Dallas late in the second quarter that turned the tide.
Against the Bengals, it was their opening possession of the second half, driving 78 yards over 17 plays that consumed 10:14 on the clock, from which the defense never fully recovered.
Both veteran quarterbacks, the Cowboys' Dak Prescott and the Bengals' Joe Flacco, ran their share of quick throws that got the ball out before the Packers' pass rush could impact the play. And when they did want longer-developing routes, they max protected with chip blocks on both edges, which were typically pass rushers Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary.
"I would say that's been a theme through five games," LaFleur said. "Teams just getting the ball out quick with quick game and screens and some run alerts. We're getting a ton of double-chippers, as well, when they do want to or need to try to push the ball down the field. That's just going to be the way it is, I think, for a while."
LaFleur said the Packers can counter by changing up coverages more and/or showing simulated pressures, trying to keep the opposing QB from knowing what they might be running. But the more experienced the QB, the harder it is to succeed with bluffs and disguises.
The Packers also have given up too much "leaky yardage," to use LaFleur's term, which has given the opponent more manageable down-and-distance situations. Meaning, when the pass rush has forced the QB to take a short checkdown throw, those plays haven't been stopped in their tracks and have gained too much yardage.
Against the Cowboys, some missed tackles hurt. Against the Bengals, soft zones and pushed piles were a factor.
A receiver of Ja'Marr Chase's caliber made a difference for Cincinnati and Flacco, too. He hauled in multiple back-shoulder passes against single coverage that showed off his elite abilities. A 19-yard TD catch on fourth-and-5 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter was the kind of catch a receiver only as good as Chase can make.
"We played a decent amount of man coverage, and there were a couple of those plays that he threw up to Chase that we're in position to make a play, and that's just a great player they have," LaFleur said.
"There were some high degree of difficulty on some of those receptions, and it gave them a chance to stay in the game all the way to the end."
On the health front, the Packers got some good news, as it appears Lukas Van Ness "avoided something serious" with his foot injury from the Bengals game, which required an MRI.
Van Ness injured the foot on his red-zone sack of Flacco, the Packers' only sack of the game. How long he'll be out isn't known.
Also, safety Javon Bullard, who left the game in the second half to be evaluated for a concussion, was cleared and not put in the concussion protocol. Bullard had been in the protocol once earlier this season. He told LaFleur after the game he thought he suffered more of a stinger.
