GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers fell to 5-5 on the season with a 23-0 loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. This was the first time in 11 years that the Packers have been shut out. The last came on November 19, 2006 against the New England Patriots.
Baltimore took advantage of Green Bay’s carelessness with the ball throughout the afternoon, forcing five turnovers. They also were able to get to Packers’ quarterback Brett Hundley six times on the day.
Here are 14 quick hits for the 14 first downs picked up by the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon:
1. The Packers let Hundley throw the ball early. On the first play of the game he opened up with a 17-yard completion to Jordy Nelson. Two plays later he hit Davante Adams down the right sideline for a gain of 33 yards setting on a first and goal situation. After a handoff and an offside penalty against Baltimore, Hundley took to the air from the five-yard-line. The result was not what Green Bay wanted. Baltimore’s Jimmy Smith came up with the ball in the end zone with the interception.
2. The second drive for the Packers offense was much of the same. Hundley looked comfortable in the pocket, but was a half second too late in his decision making. He nearly threw an interception on a pass intended for Nelson, then did throw one two plays later to Eric Weddle of the Ravens.
3. While the Packers defense was stout early on, holding the Ravens to just three points off the first two turnovers, the offense couldn’t get out of its own way. On the third possession of the game, running back Devante Mays took a pitch to the left side for his first carry in the NFL. He fumbled the ball and was credited with a loss of four yards on the play. His second career carry came in the fourth quarter right before the two-minute warning. He fumbled on that play as well, luckily that one was recovered
4. The defense stood up again, moving Baltimore backwards on that drive. The Packer defense has certainly been suspect at times, but only allowing three points off three turnovers is no small feat for any defense.
5. In total, they only allowed six points in a first half that was poorly played by both offenses. That was certainly a positive for the Green Bay defense and gave them hope as they went to the locker room. The points from Baltimore came on field goals of 32 and 39 yards to book end the second quarter.
6. As the second half opened, the Ravens offense found a spark, driving down the field for the game’s first touchdown on a 21-yard Mike Wallace touchdown grab. Green Bay’s defense was out of sorts and the drive only took four plays to cover 56 yards.
7. Heading into today, the Packers had scored in every game they’ve played for the past 11 years. The last time they failed to score was November 19, 2006 when the New England Patriots came to town.
8. That day Brett Favre left the game with an injury and Aaron Rodgers was forced to fill in for him. Neither were successful as the Patriots dominated the Packers. Sunday the Ravens weren’t as good as that New England team, but the result was nearly the same.
9. As bad as the Packers looked against the Ravens, they actually were able to outgain them on the day. Green Bay finished with 265 yards of total offense compared to only 219 for the Ravens. Part of that can be contributed to Baltimore playing with a short field several times on the day. Only once did Baltimore have to go more than 50 yards to put points on the board.
10. Their longest drive of the game was the four-play, 59-yard touchdown drive that opened up the second half and gave them control of the game. Their other scoring drives were 47 yards, nine yards, 24 yards, and three yards.
11. There were times when the offense looked formidable with Hundley at the helm, but they couldn’t get enough momentum to actually put points on the board. The first drive was promising before it ended in the interception, and Hundley did look comfortable in the pocket at times, however there were other times in which he looked lost.
12. He finished the day with 239 yards passing, but was responsible for four of the offense’s five turnovers. Three of those were via interception, and the third was a fumble caused by Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs on a play in which Hundley showed little pocket presence.
13. The lone bright spot on offense may have been the connection between Hundley and Adams. Adams had eight grabs for 126 yards on the day. Other than that, there wasn’t much for fans to be happy or encouraged about. Obviously, things are much different when Rodgers is in the lineup, but by time he can return, it will likely be too little, too late.
14. Green Bay is in action again next Sunday in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are currently 8-2, and in first place in the AFC North.
