Packers Big plays evaporate from Packers offense

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Just a season removed from setting a franchise record for points scored with 560 and coming within 29 of tying the all-time NFL mark of 589, the Green Bay Packers offense has mostly sputtered to start 2012.

Through three games, a mostly unchanged Packers offense has averaged just 19 points a contest, down 16 points from a season ago and good for 26th in the NFL. One reason for that significant statistical regression has been the lack of big plays from an offense that lived off them a year ago.

The 2011 offense produced 78 plays of 20 or more yards, including an NFC-high 70 from the passing game. This season, however, the Packers have just 10 total plays over 20 yards, or just over three a game.

Two such plays have come from receiver Randall Cobb on designed running plays, and Tom Crabtree’s 27-yard fake field goal in Week 2 contributed another. The eight total passing plays over 20 yards currently ranks 20th in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and San Diego Chargers.

The lack of a downfield passing attack has direct ties to that low number.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who completed 32-of-61 passes thrown over 20 yards for 1,248 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, has attempted just 10 such passes for 134 total yards and one touchdown in 2012.

Rodgers acknowledged Tuesday during his weekly radio on ESPN 540 that the chances for a big play have been cut down so far in 2012.

“Through three games, the opportunities have been a lot less than what we’ve had in the past,” Rodgers said. “There hasn’t been a lot of guys running wide open that we can hit for long touchdowns. We’ve had to work a lot harder to score on most situations.”

You would be remiss not to factor in the three defenses Green Bay has faced to start this season in any analysis of the 2012 offense. The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks are both currently in the top five of the NFL in restricting passing plays over 20 yards, and the Chicago Bears haven’t allowed a completion over 30 yards in three games. All three have looked like top-10 defenses through three weeks. The Packers did not face a top-10 scoring defense last season.

Source: JSOnline.com
 

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