Penalties that hindered the Packers’ peak performance

GREEN BAY – Head coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t have a magic trick to reduce the Packers’ penalties, but he has focused on the one thing a coach can do: the basics.

It’s not the sexy, compelling solution fans want to hear after the Packers were flagged 26 times for 196 yards in three games. But rest assured, the violations are being discussed in the film room and those discussions will carry over to the practice field this week.

“We’ve had some costly penalties that come up every game, and if we don’t clean that up, it’s going to come back to us,” LaFleur said Monday. “We deal with it every day, but we definitely talked about it again today. We’ve just got to get back to practicing with good fundamentals.”

However, it is also necessary to pay attention to the details because the types of penalties the Packers received are very diverse.

In addition to multiple offensive holds and illegal use of the hands, illegal shifting/moving and illegal formation fouls were called on both the offensive and punting units. The ineligible man downfield was also flagged multiple times, along with offensive pass interference.

Those penalties played a role in Green Bay’s struggles in the red zone, as the Packers were able to score on only three of 10 possessions beyond their opponents’ 20-yard line.

On Sunday at Tennessee, the offense actually managed to overcome three penalties on one drive and still score, scoring a field goal late in the first half. But it’s hard not to think that a 25-yard infraction contributed to the drive being stalled inside the 10 at the end.

The offense statistically gained 92 yards on this offense to go 67 yards and score three points.

“We just need to clean up the little things,” midfielder Elgton Jenkins said after Sunday’s game. “If we do that, we’ll be a better team. I had two (penalties), too. You know what I mean? I need to clean up my mistakes. We’ll definitely be a better team. We just need to go and be a little more focused in practice, a little more focused on the details.”

Some holding calls are difficult because the offensive player can legally engage the defensive player by grabbing him by the upper body, but the opponent can change direction, making the grab restrictive and therefore illegal.

But it still relies on these fundamentals.

“We have to get our technique better,” LaFleur said.

“If your hands are out of frame, you’re more likely to get called out. You have to keep your hands tight. We always teach that, and then when you feel a guy trying to get away from you, you have to let him go.”

But the offense isn’t the only group at fault. In the season-opening loss to the Eagles in Brazil, a defensive holding penalty proved costly, as did an illegal contact foul on the secondary, but replay showed that was a highly questionable call.

Against the Titans, an offside call for lining up in the neutral zone negated a third-down sack that would have forced a field goal attempt. Instead, Tennessee held on to its opening drive and scored a touchdown, tying the penalty at four points.

Small details, big impact.

“A big part of it is being tuned in every play,” LaFleur said.