The Green Bay Packers had no answer for Derrick Henry and the Ravens offense and were beaten soundly by Baltimore, 41-24. Malik Willis played very well for the Packers but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Ravens running game. The loss drops the Packers record to 9-6-1 while the Ravens improve to 8-8. Here are 10 things we learned from the Packers 41-24 loss to the Ravens win Week 17
Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 41-24 Loss to the Ravens in Week 17, Number One: The Packers Couldn’t Stop Derrick Henry
The final numbers say it all. Henry carried the ball 36 times for 216 yards and ran for four touchdowns. The Packers simply had no answer for the big back who was a dominant force.
Henry surpassed 100 yards rushing in the second quarter, gaining 106 yards in 21 carries and scoring three touchdowns by the half. His long run in the first half was just 12 yards, which tells you how consistently Henry was gaining yards. He put the Ravens in second and short and third and short situations throughout the game.
The Baltimore offensive line also dominated the line of scrimmage. The Packers front seven was consistently pushed back off the snap of the ball.
The Packers knew the Ravens would be trying to run the ball down their throats, but they still had no answer for it.
Number Two: Malik Willis Stepped Up
With Jordan Love out with a concussion, Willis made his first start of the season. He played very well both throwing the football and running with it.
Willis completed 18-of-21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown, good for a quarterback rating of 134.6. On the ground, he led the team with 60 yards on nine carries and ran for two scores.
The Packers lost this game, but Willis was the biggest reason it was as close as it was. He has now established himself as one of the most capable backup quarterbacks in the game.
Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 41-24 Loss to the Ravens in Week 17, Number Three: The Packers Couldn’t Run the Ball Except for Willis
While Willis was averaging 6.7-yards per carry, the Green Bay running backs did next to nothing all game. Josh Jacobs carried four times for three yards in the game, and his longest gain was one yard. The Ravens stopped Jacobs cold on a key 4th-and-1 play in the first half. He never looked like his usual self. We are not certain if his poor play was due to his injured knee, an illness or some other factor.
Backup Emanuel Wilson carried three times for 16 yards but all of that came in garbage time after the game was already decided. When your running backs combine for 19 yards on seven carries and your opponent’s top back runs for more than 200 yards, your odds of winning are slim.
Number Four: The Packers Recorded Their First Sack in Three Games
The Packers recorded their first sack in three games today and it went for zero yards lost. Quay Walker was officially credited with a sack in the first half when he stopped Tyler Huntley at the line of scrimmage.
For the game, the Packers were credited with just four quarterback hits. Any time the Green Bay pass rush got near Huntley, he was easily able to escape pressure and scrambled for key yardage. He finished the game with 60 yards on eight carries.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley rarely used a spy on Huntley, and he was able to burn them with his legs, especially when they were also in man coverage.
There is no question that Packers miss Micah Parsons in a big way. Hafley will need to create more pressure in the future if the Pack hopes to have any chance in the postseason.
Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 41-24 Loss to the Ravens in Week 17, Number Five: You Have to Feel for Clayton Tune
The Packers elevated Clayton Tune to the active roster for the first time when they knew Love was not going to play. Tune spent the entire season on the practice squad and according to head coach Matt LaFleur, he has been a good teammate all season and worked hard to learn the playbook.
He finally got his chance to enter the game in the fourth quarter when Willis aggravated his injured shoulder. His first pass was a decent one, but Bo Melton deflected the ball, and it was intercepted.
Tune finished the game 1-for-4 for eight yards and the one interception which really wasn’t his fault. He may see more action next week depending on how LaFleur decides to handle his quarterbacks.
Number Six: Time of Possession Was One-Sided
The Ravens dominated time of possession throughout the game. In the first half, Baltimore held the ball for 23:46 to just 6:14 for Green Bay. The final numbers weren’t much better. For the game, the Packers held the ball for just 19:44 to 40:16 for the Ravens.
There were several instances in the second half where the defense needed a key stop on third down. They couldn’t get them, in part because they were gassed.
For the game, Baltimore converted 10-of-14 third downs and punted only once. Not including the kneel down at the end of the game, the Ravens had eight drives and scored five touchdowns and two field goals.
Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 41-24 Loss to the Ravens in Week 17, Number Seven: Willis Aggravated His Injured Shoulder
In the fourth quarter, Willis left the game after aggravating his injured shoulder. While he did return to the sidelines, he did not re-enter the game as by that time, it was out of reach.
The Packers need to make sure that Love and Willis are healthy enough to play in the playoffs in two weeks. How LaFleur handles his quarterbacks in the season finale in Minnesota should be interesting.
Number Eight: A Bad Snap Was Costly
The Packers had one very costly turnover in the second quarter. Green Bay was trailing 17-7 and had the ball at their own 34 facing 2nd-and-3. Willis lined up in the shotgun and tried to call an audible. Unfortunately, center Sean Rhyan mistook the audible call for the snap count and snapped the ball. It hit Willis in the facemask, and the Ravens recovered the ball. That led to a field goal that put the Ravens ahead 20-7.
This was a backup center, misreading the cadence of a backup quarterback and it was costly.
The Packers managed to get back within one score in the third quarter, but this turnover gave the Ravens a cushion they would never relinquish.
Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 41-24 Loss to the Ravens in Week 17, Number Nine: Christian Watson Shined
Christian Watson seemed to be fully healthy and had a strong game. He finished with five catches on six targets for 113 yards and a touchdown. That’s a healthy 22.6-yard average per catch.
This season, Watson has developed into a more complete receiver. While he can still get deep for long passes, he has now become more reliable on short passes as well. Watson is clearly the team’s number one wideout when he’s healthy.
Number 10: Tough Decisions Ahead
The Packers have now lost three straight games, but this was by far their worst defensive performance all season. They just had no answers for the Baltimore running game and looked overwhelmed out there.
With this loss, the Packers are locked into the seventh seed in the NFC. Next week’s game against the Vikings means nothing for playoff seeding. The team is also dealing with a lot of injured players they want as healthy as possible for the postseason.
Does LaFleur sit many of his starters with that in mind, or does he go all out to win to improve the team’s confidence and morale?
The Packers seem to be fading right now as the injuries continue to mount. The team needs to play better than they did against Baltimore, or their playoff stay will be a very brief one.
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