Game Changing Play of the Week: Packers Fail to Convert 4th and Inches
The Packers' woes in short-yardage situations return in the game-changing play of the game that sealed the Packers' 2018 fate.
By TimBackes
And that’s a wrap, folks—it’s not even December, but the Packers’ 2018 season is effectively over (spare me your three percent chance talk). In a game that was maddeningly similar to many others this team has played this year, the Packers squandered opportunity after opportunity and came up short on the road, extending the team’s road losing streak to eight games and falling to 4-6-1. It was a game that, if the Packers won it, would have kept them alive with reasonable hopes for a postseason berth. But just like that, it all comes crashing down.
Looking back on the game, the turning point is easy to spot. It’s the failed fourth-down attempt on fourth and inches up the middle with Aaron Jones.
The context
Early in the third quarter the score was tied 14-14, yet the energy certainly felt like the Packers were down by a fair margin. After making it look easy for a couple drives, the Packers’ offense completely stalled, and was once again unable to convert seemingly any third downs, including the third-and-short situations the team has had trouble with all year long.
After failing a third and short with a Jones run up the middle, the Packers faced fourth and inches. The obvious call here would be to run a quarterback sneak—you should be able to get at least four inches out of that, right? And if you absolutely have to hand it off, here’s a situation where it actually does make sense to take Aaron Jones off the field and put in your power back, Jamaal Williams.
Instead, the Packers decide to go with the long handoff to Jones and hope he’s able to convert.
He doesn’t.
The play
Nothing really special or eye-opening about this play here. As one might expect, the Vikings stack the box, expecting either a sneak or a run. The Packers bring everyone in tight and opt not to give Jones a lead blocker.
A split second after the snap, and we can already see it’s going to be tough to pick up the first with a handoff. Vikings #99 Danielle Hunter is already free in the B gap, and in the next picture you’ll see #22 Harrison Smith get around the edge. That combination is going to be able to stop Jones from getting to the distance he needed.
Again, I can’t help but feel that a quarterback sneak would have gotten the Packers the number of inches needed to pick up the first.
Hunter is already in the backfield by the time Jones has secured the handoff and is running forward. There’s no feasible way for him to bounce it out to the right, because Harrison Smith has already also gotten through on the edge. At this point, it’s going to take pure muscle for Jones to get to the first, and that’s just not the kind of runner he is.
The camera angle of the play showed Jones just barely shy of the mark needed to move the chains. A great play by Hunter and Smith, combined with an absolutely horrible play call by Mike McCarthy, doom the Packers on this one.
The game was never the same after this. The Vikings took the lead and never looked back. The Packers continued to have offensive difficulties for the rest of the game.
With five games left of the 2018 regular season, the Packers’ focus shifts from making the playoffs to evaluating their roster and determining where they go from here. It’s a big year of free agency, and you can expect a lot of familiar names to hit the road in the offseason. At this point, it’s nearly a sure bet McCarthy will be gone as well.
The 2018 season may have been a waste, but time will tell if the loss of this year was necessary for the team to change, adapt and push forward to contend in the final years of Rodgers’ career.
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Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins.
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Comments (50)
Bure9620
November 26, 2018 at 06:47 pm
So you mean it's not ideal run up the middle against a 9 man front when you have one less blocker than they have defender?
TKWorldWide
November 26, 2018 at 08:21 pm
Danielle is a girl’s name.
Flow49
November 26, 2018 at 06:47 pm
The defense actually held Minnesota to a FG on the short field. If the offense wouldn’t have been inept they could have overcome this setback
SoCalJim
November 26, 2018 at 08:29 pm
If the Queens had a decent kicker, the Packers would’ve lost 30-17. Yeesh!
mrtundra
November 27, 2018 at 08:54 am
That;'s the same problem minnesota has had for years, now.
Bearmeat
November 26, 2018 at 06:56 pm
Such a ridiculous call. MM needs to go.
EddieLeeIvory
November 27, 2018 at 06:20 am
While I agree it's time for MM to go, this is also true:
Had Rodgers audibled there and thrown a quick pass that missed, or that he bounced into the ground, everyone would blame Fat Mike for not running it on that play.
mrtundra
November 27, 2018 at 08:57 am
and I remind everyone that we ran the same play on 3rd down, as well.
stockholder
November 26, 2018 at 07:18 pm
Was it a bad call? Let's be honest. If this OL is that good, they would have picked up the 1st down. Trouble is their not. We talk how good Linsey is. Is He? We talk how good Taylor is. Is He? Finally Bell. A Tackle converted with No push. And who did jones follow? Patrick or McCray aren't any better. This use to be a FB carry. Let's just face facts. Their not very good. And these guys pertect A-Rod. The game is won and lost in the trenches. Gute went with Burks. Burks now is on the depth chart behind Martinez? Bad choice Gute. It's now very obvious. 5 DL are not enough. After the first 2 Defensive selections in 2019. Gute should take at least 4 OL in every round after. Replace the back -ups.
pooch
November 26, 2018 at 07:51 pm
There just a bad team that lacks talent.That O line has been overated for years.They were never a very good run blocking line with that zone crap.What ever happened to Jumbo formation.Why don't they run Jones behind Bak and Lewis with fullback leading
stockholder
November 26, 2018 at 08:07 pm
No Fullback. 1 draft and several FA's can change any team. Just look at the bears.
pooch
November 26, 2018 at 08:13 pm
Williams big enough for lead bloker/fullback
mrtundra
November 27, 2018 at 08:55 am
Williams should have been the RB on that play.
mrtundra
November 27, 2018 at 08:59 am
I would have put Marcedes Lewis in to be the fullback for that play.
mrtundra
November 27, 2018 at 08:59 am
I would have put Marcedes Lewis in to be the fullback for that play.
pooch
November 26, 2018 at 08:13 pm
Williams big enough for lead bloker/fullback
EddieLeeIvory
November 27, 2018 at 06:22 am
What have the Bears won?
TKWorldWide
November 26, 2018 at 08:24 pm
They’re
LeotisHarris
November 26, 2018 at 09:09 pm
Their you go again, TK. They're is good reasons to be a grammer Natzi and their are not. If We're talking about Blokers, than they're is no reezun to correct there grammer or spalling. Liten up!
TKWorldWide
November 26, 2018 at 09:29 pm
Eye gotcha, Leotis. Gist seams like weave gone on a down word spiral, mear minits a weigh frum grunts, cliques, end cents less utterings.
Thegreatreynoldo
November 27, 2018 at 02:48 am
Weevil sun be otta the poste seisin race.
SoCalJim
November 27, 2018 at 10:35 am
Well, you speel gude.
SoCalJim
November 26, 2018 at 08:37 pm
QUOTE from stockholder: “Was it a bad call? Let's be honest. If this OL is that good, they would have picked up the 1st down. Trouble is their not.”
Yep. First off, MM better know how good or bad his OL is before he settles on a play to run. If he doesn’t, he needs to be fired now. Funny, in Seattle, he punts on 4th and 2, thinking his (completely gassed and pushed around) defense will get the ball right back for our ineffective offense. LOL. A lot of us fans know the guards are not that great and that Bulaga is slipping. Now, with Bakhtiari hurting, our OL’s gonna get Rodgers killed.
MM needs to call plays based on the strengths of his team.
TKWorldWide
November 26, 2018 at 08:24 pm
They’re
SoCalJim
November 26, 2018 at 08:26 pm
Indeed
TheBigCheeze
November 27, 2018 at 10:34 am
holy sh!t stock.....learn how to spell.......
ILPackerBacker
November 27, 2018 at 10:59 am
You are exactly correct.
The simple minded want an easy answer and here they are. Not a word about the over hyped average at best center who wiffed on a key play in the game.
Not a PEEP about Adams completely missing his block.
Nobody is ever accountable in GB outside Rodgers and MM. Corey WOULD have made a great block if it was a pass. Adams WOULD have made a great catch and stayed in bounds if it had been pass. Williams WOULD have inspired Corey and Adams to a better block if in the game.
Rodgers has thrown a career high number of passes away to avoid sacks, he is still being beaten to within a inch of his life. BUT HE COULD HAVE COMPLETED EVER PASS, then all of this was avoided. Just toss 50 50 passes.
Cheesehead tv is turning into the facebook of packer land.
ollie418
November 26, 2018 at 07:44 pm
Just fire McCarthy. He gets out coached every game especially in the second half.
pooch
November 26, 2018 at 07:52 pm
Can't make halftime adjustments
Lphill
November 26, 2018 at 08:08 pm
Jamal Williams with Mercedes Lewis in the backfield then you let Rodgers dive forward, no brainer , except if your name is Mike McCarthy .
pooch
November 26, 2018 at 08:15 pm
That would work 1o he just has no imagination
Rick1
November 26, 2018 at 08:44 pm
I don’t understand how they can’t draw up a trap or a counter or a iso blast instead of a his short yardage garbage.
If you want to pass flood a side of field at different levels and find a soft spot.
He has always struggled with short yardage as the packers coach. We don’t run screens enough or slants enough.Then they don’t have the ability to knock them off the ball. His short yard plays a fullback dive or a 7 yard deep back running the dive. We don’t have a fullback so it is even more predictable.
5 games left you are what your record is and Green Bay isn’t a good team.
TKWorldWide
November 26, 2018 at 08:51 pm
Every week I predict zero carries for the GB fullback, and every week I’m spot on.
Want me to suggest some lottery ticket numbers for you?
Rick1
November 26, 2018 at 10:11 pm
I should have said Ripkowski and Kuhn in years past.
flackcatcher
November 26, 2018 at 08:48 pm
It was a good call Tim. Line block down and their was a hole for Jones inside the C-RG. Adams missed his angle block on the Viking S(forgot his name) Sliced in with ankle tackle. Outstanding play on his part, happens to be one of best in the league. Beat Adams to the spot. good call, great play on his part. They get paid to play too.
albert999
November 26, 2018 at 08:57 pm
Hire Joe Lombardi as head coach
LeotisHarris
November 26, 2018 at 09:13 pm
Albert, do you know if Phil Bengston has any grandsons?
albert999
November 26, 2018 at 10:16 pm
no sir
albert999
November 26, 2018 at 09:11 pm
is it just me or are the monday night football announcers the most forgettable, boring, unimaginative, generic pair ever?
Oh sounds like the Pack this year
Stockholder an pissed
EddieLeeIvory
November 27, 2018 at 06:25 am
Jason Witten is terrible.
albert999
November 26, 2018 at 10:21 pm
when’s the last time our GM had a press conference ?
mamasboy
November 26, 2018 at 10:36 pm
If Rogers opts out of the plays McCarthy calls, at the line all of the time, why didn't he see this coming and change it up?
Since'61
November 26, 2018 at 10:43 pm
If we get a block even a slight block at the point of attack we pick up the first down. What I don't like about the play is why don' t we have a TE (Lewis) to block the Vikings edge player? Adams is not there for his blocking.
A lead blocker would not hurt either.
If we're going to run the ball why don't we have 2 RBs in a split backfield. That at least forces the defense to consider both backs. I really don't mind the dive play I just don't understand why the Packers run it the way they do. Of course without blocking it probably doesn't matter anyway. Adjust pad levels. Thanks, Since '61
TKWorldWide
November 27, 2018 at 06:09 am
All roads lead back to pad level.
Guam
November 27, 2018 at 08:08 am
A lead blocker would help a lot when your running back is lined up 5 yards deep in the backfield. Or you line up your running back three yards deep and run a quick hitter to avoid the type of defensive penetration that ruined the play. Or you run what you suggested, two backs in a split backfield. You run any running play other than a slow developing single deep running back against what you know will be disruptive defensive penetration. Another nail in MM's coffin.
Packer_Fan
November 27, 2018 at 07:43 am
That play is just another of example of past failures. Remember the short yardage play against the Rams ended up with a safety. A few years ago the wild card game against the Giants. A failed fourth and one that was stuffed. So many of these have happened. It would have been better to spread four receivers out and then run. Poor, low percentage choices by McCarthy. Hmmm, where has that happened before. Ahh, Seattle game. McCarthy is in a funk. He needs to be fired and then go to another team. Like Andy Reid. And we need to find another coach like Doug Pederson.
albert999
November 27, 2018 at 08:33 am
If and when we lose one more....sit rodgers play kiser to see what he’s got....fire MM and load up the draft with OL,WR, DL
clean house on all over paid under performing,injury prone players.
albert999
November 27, 2018 at 08:40 am
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000993169/article/2019-nfl-draft-or...
DD
November 27, 2018 at 09:59 am
Dagger for MM. But I will say this. On the 4th and inches Adam's failed to block or even slow down the first tackle of Jones. Either way, failed. I would have had a motion player as decoy then went misdirection with a quick half back pitch as box was tight and all defense played to snuff the middle and tackle gap. Play Tonyan and Kunwrow now with Rodgers to see what they got. Sit Graham. If we lose bench Rodgers and have him go practice throwing accuracy, and have him work on such things as seeing the field, making the correct reads, and throwing short passes to move the chains. Perhaps Madden 18 can help Rodgers understand this. I love Rodgers, but great QB's may have a bad game, but not as many as he's had. No excuses!
ILPackerBacker
November 27, 2018 at 10:54 am
AMAZING you break down the play. Show pictures and totally avoid pointing out the super WR missing the key block.
It's like reality does not exist on this site. A # 1 WR is not supposed to block?
Not supposed to stay in bounds?
Not make a great catch at least once in a season?
Every excuse in the world including ignoring reality for adams but everything else is on Rodgers or MM.