Five Packers That Must Improve in Week Two
Multiple players need to improve their performance after the Packers’ Week One loss to the tough Philadelphia Eagles. Some examples are limiting splash plays, improving production, and overall work ethic. The Packers still have a strong opponent to face, but they can still win this week with many improvements. This article will discuss five different Packers players and how they need to improve in various ways.
1. Josh Jacobs
Jacobs had a very underwhelming performance in Week One. After being one of two prized free agents signed this summer by the Packers, fans were hoping for more. Jacobs only rushed for 84 yards on 16 carries and then two catches for 20 yards total. He was thoroughly outshined by Saquon Barkley, who blew the doors open on the Packers’ defense and had three total touchdowns. Saquon's performance is what the Packers hoped Josh Jacobs would do instead. With Jordan Love out, Jacobs will get more responsibility, and hopefully, more carries will lead to more production for him and the Packers’ offense.
2. Luke Musgrave
Musgrave is one of two tight ends for the Packers and performed very well last season. He even caught a wide-open touchdown in the Packers’ blowout win against the Cowboys in the Wild-Card round last season. Against the Eagles, Musgrave only had 17 snaps on the field, had two targets with no catches, and caused multiple penalties. According to PFF, he had a 43.7 player grade from the game against the Eagles. Tucker Kraft had 47 more snaps than Musgrave in Week One, more targets, and more catches. Matt LaFleur has more trust in Kraft, and Musgrave will have to re-earn that trust. Musgrave committed multiple false starts and blocking penalties, which did not help him either. Some can even blame him for not running hard enough, which helped cause Love's interception. Luke can improve in Week Two by blocking more and focusing on committing fewer penalties. Musgrave and Kraft can be a deadly tight-end duo for a long time.
3. Jaire Alexander
Jaire is known for his trash talk, physical style, and celebrations when locking down players in coverage. Alexander had a solid game with four solo tackles, an interception from Jalen Hurts, and only letting four receptions on six targets. Everyone remembers the 70-yard touchdown he allowed to A.J. Brown and got poorly burned in coverage. His 52.1 PFF grade will not be enough in the future for the Packers to win games, and he needs to focus on locking down the person he is covering and less on the antics. I expect Jaire to bounce back in Week Two, and he is more than capable of covering Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and other targets that Anthony Richardson will be throwing to.
4. Isaiah McDuffie
McDuffie has been a solid piece of the Packers’ defense for a couple of years now. Against the Eagles, he did not play well at all. He missed multiple open-field tackles, which allowed Saquon to get wide-open into the endzone and catch a touchdown. Shortly after, he committed a special teams penalty, which gave the Eagles even better field position. McDuffie played every snap, and he clearly was not effective in helping stop the run, which is a main worry about this Packers’ defense. In Week Two, maybe the Pack can rotate him out a little bit more and give him some rest to see if that will help his performance. Isaiah plays hard every snap, but he can not have another dreadful performance like he did last week.
5. Rasheed Walker
I did not want to put Walker on this list. Walker, a seventh-round pick out of Penn State, has been an excellent blindside tackle for Jordan Love. Many counted him out because he was picked so low and had many injuries, but he has proven himself to be a solid left tackle. Week One definitely showed some of the rust players need to shed from the offseason. Walker committed not only one penalty but three penalties in one game. After the Packers intercepted Jalen Hurts, he was flagged for holding, which forced the Pack to settle for a field goal when a touchdown clearly made a difference in that game. He then committed another holding penalty, which had the Pack behind the eight ball, which led to Love's only interception. In addition, he allowed four pressures on Love. Walker will now have to protect Malik Willis for a couple of weeks, and fans hope he can bounce back from his uncharacteristic performance.
