Although the Green Bay Packers are now 3-1, their win against the New England Patriots came against “the backup to a backup”, as some fans put it.
A win is a win, as the saying goes.
But in the NFL, who the win is against does factor into how that win should be evaluated.
The Packers are officially 3-1, but their last two wins have come from defeating significantly hampered offenses. In Week 3, Green Bay barely came away with a victory in a close 14-12 game against the Buccaneers, a game that came down to the wire in a failed last-minute two-point conversion.
Similarly, their Week 4 game was too close for comfort, as the Packers and Patriots headed into overtime with 24-24 on the scoreboard. Both teams got a possession after the Packers won the coin toss, and the Packers were able to win it with a field goal.
That means Green Bay almost lost to a Tom Brady-led squad without starting receivers, then they almost lost to Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, the backup to Brian Hoyer, who is Mac Jones’ backup.
All that doesn’t bode well for the strength of the Packers, which is why some fans from around the league remained critical of the Packers, even with their win.
It's a win, but you can't feel good about that win as a Packers fan.
— Lee Sharpe (@LeeSharpeNFL) October 2, 2022
You had to go to overtime against a backup and later *his* backup, both of which had less than -0.25 EPA/play.
the backup to the backup 😭
— Cristian‼️ (@Matt_KempFan27) October 2, 2022
Packers are losing to BRIAN HOYER'S backup, not a serious team.
— Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) October 2, 2022
Packers going into OT with a backup NE QB reminds me we should’ve beat them last week smh
— Everything Sports (@SomebodySaidPod) October 2, 2022
Packers bringing back the don't cover receivers game plan from Week 1. Bold strategy.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 2, 2022
Bailey Zappe and the Patriots are beating the Packers late in the third quarter at Lambeau Field.
A Patriots offense led by a third-string rookie QB and Matt Patricia scored 14 more points against the Packers than the #Bears did.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) October 2, 2022
I like me some Bailey Zappe, but that’s a pretty tough pill to swallow.
Bailey Zappe vs Packers:
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) October 3, 2022
• 10/15
• 99 YDS
• 1 TD
• 107.4 QBR
• First rookie QB to throw a TD this season
Not bad for a fourth round pick in his first NFL action 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1eWE0yOOiO
NFL fans question Packers after team nearly loses to Patriots, Buccaneers
As far as Rodgers’ game, he threw an uncharacteristic interception and two passing touchdowns, completing 21 of 35 passing attempts for 251 yards.
By contrast, the Patriots passed for 104 yards between Zappe and Hoyer, which is underwhelming compared to what Rodgers managed in the game.
The fact that two backup quarterbacks went toe-to-toe with a future Hall of Fame quarterback and nearly won speaks volumes about Belichick’s coaching, as well as the Packers straying a little to close to the edge these past few weeks.
#Packers history vs backup QBs in the Aaron Rodgers era is also detailed in this week’s column. Check it out: https://t.co/qHU1cvsZtX
— Mike Spofford (@mikespofford) October 1, 2022
For those interested in learning more about how Rodgers typically fares against backup quarterbacks, Packers.com’s Mike Spofford detailed that history in a piece for the team’s website.