On paper, the Green Bay Packers have a Super Bowl-caliber defense.
They have a stacked roster, added a top pass rusher, and have a good assistant coach in charge.
That’s why it was so surprising to see them fail to contain the Dallas Cowboys.
With that in mind, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report named that unit as one of the biggest losers in the NFL in Week 4.
“Green Bay Packers Defense,” Sobleski wrote. “Well, the Packers held the Cleveland Browns to 10 points, but they couldn’t stop them from moving the ball 20 yards to kick a game-winning field goal in Week 3. Green Bay gave up five touchdowns to the Cowboys, who are without [wide receiver CeeDee] Lamb, guard Tyler Booker and center Cooper Beebe. Green Bay has a high-end defensive unit, but it’s fair to ask how strong it is on the road in crucial moments.”
Coordinator Jeff Hafley turned around the defense last season after it had underperformed in previous years despite having a great deal of talent.
The start of this season was quite promising as well, boosted by the trade for Micah Parsons.
The Packers shut down the Detroit Lions’ high-flying offense before controlling Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in Week 2.
Now, given the way the Browns’ offense has performed this season, it’s hard to feel impressed by the way the Packers dominated them for three quarters.
Green Bay clearly has enough talent and resources to get back to its winning ways, and this recent tie with Dallas might be nothing more than realizing that it needs to put in more effort.
Yet, the Packers need to be as good on the road as they are at Lambeau Field.
That’s what can turn them from a very good team to a legitimate championship contender, though it’s easy to understand why patience might be running out.
