Packers looking to patch offense
Fisher says effort not Rams’ problem
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Generally, Packers coach Mike McCarthy has been happy with how his team has practiced this season. What is happening during games continues to confound Green Bay, especially lately with its once-potent offense.
The Packers will need to figure out their problems in a hurry with a trip to surging Detroit coming up on Thursday night.
“Let’s make it clear — we’ve been successful here, and success, you don’t own success, it’s rented. And you’ve got to earn it each and every day,” McCarthy said Sunday before practice.
This is another odd week for the Packers with back-toback Thursday night games on the schedule. They’re at least getting a full week to prepare after having just a three-day turnaround between the win a week ago at Minnesota and the Thanksgiving night loss at home to the Chicago Bears.
Practice on Sunday was akin to a midweek practice for a normal game week. There is a lot to work on again, and the plan in part goes back to basics.
Drops have been a problem for receivers, who are also dealing with press coverage from defenses that don’t have to worry about the Packers’ best deep threat, injured star Jordy Nelson.
Davante Adams, who was lauded for his work in the offseason and preseason, hasn’t had the expected jump in production to help make up for Nelson’s absence.
Against the Bears, Adams had two catches in 11 targets for 14 yards. James Jones didn’t have a catch in six targets. Running back Eddie Lacy had a fumble deep in Bears territory that led to a Chicago score, and there were a few anxious moments after his 25-yard touchdown off a screen pass while it was reviewed to check if he had dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.
McCarthy urges a focus on fundamentals. For some reason, it has been an uncharacteristic problem of late.
“And the games that are
close always come down to the details, and when I’m minus-2 in a football game, I’m never going to be happy about that, because I know how much time we put in to taking the ball away and taking care of it,” McCarthy said. “We better take care of the football and we better take it away when we have opportunities.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has said he needs to do more work to get in sync with receivers. The Packers made a switch this year to have the quarterbacks and receivers in the same meeting room.
“I definitely felt the structure of it was the right way to go, but yes we need to get more results,” McCarthy said.
RAMS: If anyone questions the effort of the Rams in Sunday’s 31-7 loss at Cincinnati — pucker up.
“Anyone that implies it’s an effort issue — they can kiss my (bleep),” coach Jeff Fisher said during his postgame news conference. “There is no effort problem on this team. That’s what happens when you lose four in a row. People say it’s effort. Come to practice, watch this team play, and ask any other opponent or opposing coach.”
RAIDERS: Khalil Mack had two sacks of Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota to give him seven on the season and his pressure on the quarterback has seemed to ramp up with Aldon Smith out of the lineup. He was also nailed for an unnecessary roughness penalty that cost the Raiders’ yardage on Tennessee’s go-ahead drive.
SAINTS: New Orleans lost 24-6 to Houston and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2005, snapping a streak of 155 games and Drew Brees’ streak of games with a touchdown pass ended at 45. The last time the Saints didn’t score a touchdown was Dec. 24, 2005, against Detroit and Brees’ last game without a touchdown pass came on Nov. 29, 2012, against Atlanta.
CHARGERS: Philip Rivers reached 40,000 yards passing in his 159th game for the fourth-fastest rate in NFL history. Only Drew Brees (152 games), Hall of Famer Dan Marino (153) and Peyton Manning (154) accomplished the feat in fewer games.