Carrington Valentine Got Absolutely Burned in Minneapolis, and the Packers’ Defense Has to Clean It Up NOW

The Green Bay Packers defense, under new coordinator Jonathan Gannon, gave up a staggering 39 points to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, despite some seemingly solid underlying numbers from the unit itself.

The Raw Numbers and the Real Story of Sunday’s Beatdown

Gannon’s defense actually held the Vikings to just 3.1 yards per attempt on the ground and 4.9 yards per dropback. Those numbers sound decent, right? So how the heck did the Vikes drop 39 points on them? It’s a brutal reality check for Green Bay. Minnesota ripped off 29 straight points, and get this: only one of those scoring drives was over 28 yards. The big problem? The Packers offense was getting off the field way too fast, constantly handing Gannon’s crew short fields to defend. That’s a killer for any defense, no matter how good they are.

Player Performances: Highs and Lows From Gannon’s Debut

Cornerback Carrington Valentine had a rough, rough day out there. He was reportedly run at directly for one touchdown and then coughed up another score to Justin Jefferson on a catch-and-run play. That’s a brutal welcome to more snaps for him. Not everyone struggled though. Lukas Van Ness and Edgerrin Cooper reportedly had some of their best games as pros, with Gannon putting them in great positions. Keisean Nixon also had a good game. Zaire Franklin wasn’t exposed much in coverage, except for one touchdown where he was the runner in a Tampa 2, a “changeup play” that the Packers just got caught in. The defense mostly ran their base 3-4 and nickel packages, with the “Penny defense” apparently shelved for the game.

Giving up 39 points is never okay, no matter the circumstances. Gannon’s defense showed flashes of what it could be, but those individual breakdowns and the inability to hold on short fields need to be fixed immediately. With the regular season just kicking off, the Packers have to find a way to tighten up those corners and get more consistent. This first impression under Gannon is a mixed bag, to say the least, and fans will be watching closely to see how they adjust in the coming weeks.

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Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.