Coming out of the bye week, the hope was that the Green Bay Packers would be able to build off of the positives they showed while going 2-3 through the first five weeks of the Jordan Love era. And what better opponent to showcase as much than the Denver Broncos, who came into Week 7 as the league's 32nd-ranked defense (for those unaware, there are only 32 NFL teams).
That was not the case.
Green Bay was blanked in the first half by the NFL-worst defense across from them, the first time that the Broncos had shut out an opponent in the first half since 2021. Love and the offense got their act together out of halftime, rallying to take a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter. But a leaky (and banged up) defense let Denver march down the field for the go-ahead field goal.
The Packers got one good final crack at it but, on a third-and-20, Love went for it all only to get intercepted and effectively end the game as a 19-17 loss, Green Bay's third straight this season.
Something needs to change for this Packers team, perhaps in a major way. We're going to look at three members of the organization who deserve to be benched or fired -- but to be clear, this isn't to say that they will be or even should be given all of the factors and circumstances that must be considered. Having said that, their performances over the team's 2-4 start means they don't deserve their spots right now.
3. Isaiah McDuffie, LB
Let's start this off by saying that the Packers defense has rarely (if at all) been at full strength this season. One of the biggest absences that the unit has felt is that of veteran linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who was inactive for Sunday's game at Mile High.
In his absence, we've seen third-year linebacker Isaiah McDuffie step into the fold. And to put it mildly, it hasn't gone well in the slightest, a trend that did not stop in Week 7.
Yes, if you look at the box score, McDuffie was the leading tackler for Green Bay, accruing 10 total tackles against the Broncos. As he has for much of the season, however, his effectiveness is not effectively translated by counting stats. His tackles are coming after good gains by the offense and he's actively hurting the defense.
Denver averaged a ridiculous 5.8 yards per carry on the day, an average that's even worse when you remove two carries, one from Michael Burton and one from Marvin Mims Jr., that totaled -13 yards. That's not solely on McDuffie, but not having a linebacker who can instinctively and effectively fill those gaps to limit gains certainly isn't helpful for the Packers either.
Green Bay needs Campbell back in the worst way. But just as much as that, they have to stop relying on McDuffie. He's, unfortunately, proven that he's not cut out for this job, and the Packers defense is looking worse by the week because of it.
2. Jordan Love, QB
There is no way that Jordan Love is getting benched. In essence, the 2023 season in Green Bay belongs to the former first-round pick at quarterback. As mentioned, though, this is about players who deserve to be benched or fired -- and the way Love has played, it's benching-worthy to this point.
Much like with McDuffie if you're just box score scouting, you might not think that Love had that bad of a day. He finished the game going 21-of-31 for 180 yards with two touchdowns and an interceptions. Outside of the late, game-sealing turnover and the low yards per attempt, that's not that bad of a day right?
When you start to peel off the layers of his numbers, though, it looks worse and worse.
For starters, one of his touchdown throws, the second of the day to take the 17-16 lead that went to Jayden Reed, is likely an incompletion or turnover more often than not. He tried to change arm slots to hit Romeo Doubs on a slant, but threw it behind his target. Doubs then tipped it in the air and the ball fell mercifully into the arms of the rookie Reed for the score.
Beyond that, though, Love's most concerning trend has continued: He can't push the ball down the field. He was 0-for-3 on Sunday on throws 20+ yards down the field, including the pick. He's now an appalling 6-of-27 for no touchdowns and three interceptions on such throws over his first six games as QB1.
Since his great start as he threw six touchdowns with no interceptions over his first two games, Love has thrown four touchdowns with seven interceptions over the last four games. And let's not forget, his pedestrian-or-worse game in Week 7 was against one of the worst defenses in the NFL in the Broncos.
Perhaps Love can turn it around over the final 11 games of the season. But the returns thus far indicate that the Packers might be looking for a replacement for the replacement just one year into the post-Aaron Rodgers era.
1. Matt LaFleur, HC and Joe Barry, DC
One could pretty easily argue that Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry came into the 2023 season on the hot seat. He's drawn the ire of fans for quite a while now. And though the Broncos weren't going crazy offensively, particularly Russell Wilson, the run defense remains a bonafide problem for Green Bay.
Subsequently, the calls for Barry to be ousted won't be stopping soon, and rightfully so. Of course, with the injuries piled up on that side of the ball, it's likely that the DC will get yet another pass and hang onto his job for a least a little while longer.
The bigger question, however, is if Matt LaFleur should be starting to feel the hot seat a bit. Joseph Rowan of Lombardi Ave. asked that question after the loss to the Raiders prior to the bye week, but it's starting to look even more like a viable inquiry.
LaFleur has been heralded as a great offensive mind in the league. If that's the case, though, then why isn't the offense working and why aren't some of the problems being fixed? Yes, there's a chance that part of it is a Jordan Love issue, without question. Having said that, LaFleur isn't scheming to make that less of an issue. The most obvious example would be the Packers averaging 4.7 yards per carry for the game, but still allowing Love to throw the ball 31 times in this game.
Green Bay ranked 22nd in Yards per Play coming into Week 7 and, against a Denver defense conceding 440+ yards per game on the season, they managed a paltry 331 yards. LaFleur has to take a boatload of blame for that, especially when we see Love making similar mistakes -- even after the bye -- receivers running wrong routes, and numerous other issues.
Again, I don't expect LaFleur to be fired or maybe even to be on the hot seat. Having said that, his performance on the sidelines this season has left way too much to be desired.