Maybe it was the Buffalo Bills letting up on the gas in the second half, but the Green Bay Packers showed some fight to prevent a blowout in Week 8. This primetime matchup came and went, with the Packers falling to the Bills 27-17. They have now lost four games in a row since starting the season 3-1.
It wasn’t enough to get a win, but the Packers’ plan of attack was actually pretty good. Run the ball and keep the Bills’ offense off the field. Unfortunately, Buffalo’s offense is explosive enough to not need a bunch of time to put up points.
During the first half, Green Bay’s defense struggled to contain Josh Allen and company, as the Bills scored on four straight possessions to take a 24-7 lead into halftime. To further quantify how efficient Buffalo’s offense was, they ran only 27 plays in the first half.
The second half was much better for the Packers, who stuck to the game plan and capitalized on two takeaways to keep the game close until the end.
The defense still stinks, but the good news is that Green Bay may have found something that worked offensively. They ran the ball effectively against the number one run defense, but a fourth straight loss and a Minnesota Vikings win on Sunday has them four games back in the NFC North.
Next week, they will take on a struggling Detroit Lions team, which could give them a chance to get back in the win column. But before we look ahead, let’s look back on Sunday night’s performance against the Bills and highlight some standouts.
RBs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon
Kudos to Matt LaFleur for finally listening to the fans and running the football. All jokes aside, the Packers’ offense was surprisingly fun to watch for the first time in over a month. They ran the ball 31 times against the No. 1 run defense and picked up 201 yards in the process. Give credit to the offensive line – without starter Elgton Jenkins – for opening holes for Jones and Dillon. Jones had his best game of the year and had season-highs for both carries and rushing yards. Jones racked up 143 yards on the ground with his 20 rushing attempts and left many wondering why Green Bay hadn’t been running the ball more all season. Meanwhile, Dillon was complimentary with some tough running of his own, picking up 54 yards on 10 attempts. This game showed that a good rushing performance will only get you so far in this league, but that doesn’t mean the Packers shouldn’t continue to lean on the run game.
TE Josiah Deguara
Deguara looked like a fifth offensive lineman for most of the night. The former third-round pick blocked his tail off and assisted in opening up rush lanes for Jones and Dillon. Deguara may be on the verge of distinguishing himself as the best blocking tight end on the Packers roster and should be in line for more snaps moving forward. He hasn’t added much in the passing game (only five receptions for 56 yards entering the week) but did have a nice nine-yard pickup on a tight end screen in the third quarter.
WR Romeo Doubs
It wasn’t a great night for Green Bay’s short-handed wide receiver group, but Doubs had a pair of catches worth mentioning. First, he made an incredible adjustment to haul in a 19-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers despite good coverage from corner Taron Johnson. Then, Doubs had another impressive play when he made a contested catch that picked up 26 yards in the fourth quarter. Doubs was the Packers’ leading receiver against the Bills, with four catches totaling 62 yards.
WR Samori Toure
The 2022 seventh-rounder has made the most of his limited reps over the past two weeks. Toure recorded his first career catch last week against the Washington Commanders, and this week, he scored his first career touchdown. During the fourth quarter, Toure made a veteran play when improvised his deep route to get behind one of the Bills’ safeties in the end zone. Toure then caught Rodgers’ 37-yard heave for a touchdown after dropping a pass on the previous play. It was encouraging to see the rookie bounce back in a big way.
CB Jaire Alexander
Alexander was one of the few defensive players to have a good performance in Buffalo. He and wide receiver Stefon Diggs shared some words before kickoff, but the Bills’ talented wide receiver never caught a pass against Alexander’s coverage. Alexander was also responsible for one of the team’s two takeaways when he intercepted Allen inside the five-yard line. The pick took points off the board for Buffalo and also set up a touchdown drive for Green Bay’s offense to make it a 10-point game. Alexander leads the Packers with two interceptions this season.
OLB Kingsley Enagbare
Green Bay’s rookie edge rusher has really come on of late. After logging sacks in back-to-back games, he followed it up with another impressive showing against one of the best offensives in the league. Enagbare flashed again with two tackles for losses against the Bills. You could make the case that he has been the team’s best rookie defender in 2022, and that includes a pair of first-round picks. Enagbare is another guy who should be in line for more snaps if he continues to make an impact.
