The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line actually held their own against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday, which should have been a huge relief given Tampa ranks fourth in the NFL against the rush. But even with the O-line doing its job against Vita Vea and a historically stout run defense, the running backs are still a massive, game-losing problem, especially when you consider the red zone fumble that absolutely nuked their EPA per rush.
Kaleb Johnson’s Red Zone Blunder Was Just Plain Bad Football
Seriously, you cannot make the kind of mistakes Kaleb Johnson made near the goal line, not even in college. He fumbled right when the Packers were about to ice the game, and it was brutal to watch. The Bucs had one shot at staying in that game, and it was forcing a turnover, right? So what does Johnson do? He cruises through traffic with the ball in one hand, completely exposing it on the side where the greatest threat is. Of course, it gets stripped out. That’s just poor, poor fundamentals. You absolutely have to go through that kind of traffic with two hands on the ball. This isn’t rocket science, it’s basic football.
Chris Brooks Lacks Juice, Marshawn Lloyd Can’t Stop Bouncing
The tape shows Chris Brooks had a pretty clean alley on his big carry of the day. The front made it easy for him, and he got a solid chunk. But then he gets into space, and man, there’s just no juice. Tampa safety Antoine Winfield Jr. isn’t exactly known for being fleet of foot, yet there was never any real threat that Brooks would outrun him or make him miss the angle. Brooks just isn’t bringing a value-add as a ball carrier.
Then there’s Marshawn Lloyd. His biggest issue? This dude cannot stop bouncing everything to the outside at the first sign of conflict. It’s a persistent tendency. We saw an example where Jordan Morgan got pushed into the backfield, and the tight ends didn’t clean up the backside. Sure, Morgan had a poor rep. But Lloyd still tried to bounce, even though Morgan wasn’t totally beaten, and there was actually a hole if he drove play-side. Yeah, Winfield Jr. was waiting at the end of it, but that’s the job! Lloyd is built stoutly; he should be attacking that defensive back near the goal line. Just stop bouncing everything.
The One Time Bouncing Paid Off, But It’s Still a Bad Habit
Now, to Lloyd’s credit, that bouncing tendency did pay off exactly once. Tucker Kraft completely blew a block, getting beat across his face by an edge defender. That’s a tough block for a tight end, but it’s one that has to be made for the play to work. In this specific instance, Lloyd bounced it back weak-side and actually turned it into a decent gain. But one decent gain doesn’t excuse a persistent bad habit that costs plays far more often than it saves them. These running back issues are glaring, and if the Packers want to get where they need to be, they’ve got to clean them up, pronto.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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