3 Packers who deserve to be benched or fired after 2-4 start

Coming out of the bye week, the hope was that the Green Bay Packers would be able to build off of the positives they showed while going 2-3 through the first five weeks of the Jordan Love era. And what better opponent to showcase as much than the Denver Broncos, who came into Week 7 as the league's 32nd-ranked defense (for those unaware, there are only 32 NFL teams).

That was not the case.

Green Bay was blanked in the first half by the NFL-worst defense across from them, the first time that the Broncos had shut out an opponent in the first half since 2021. Love and the offense got their act together out of halftime, rallying to take a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter. But a leaky (and banged up) defense let Denver march down the field for the go-ahead field goal.

The Packers got one good final crack at it but, on a third-and-20, Love went for it all only to get intercepted and effectively end the game as a 19-17 loss, Green Bay's third straight this season.

Something needs to change for this Packers team, perhaps in a major way. We're going to look at three members of the organization who deserve to be benched or fired -- but to be clear, this isn't to say that they will be or even should be given all of the factors and circumstances that must be considered. Having said that, their performances over the team's 2-4 start means they don't deserve their spots right now.

3. Isaiah McDuffie, LB

Let's start this off by saying that the Packers defense has rarely (if at all) been at full strength this season. One of the biggest absences that the unit has felt is that of veteran linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who was inactive for Sunday's game at Mile High.

In his absence, we've seen third-year linebacker Isaiah McDuffie step into the fold. And to put it mildly, it hasn't gone well in the slightest, a trend that did not stop in Week 7.

Yes, if you look at the box score, McDuffie was the leading tackler for Green Bay, accruing 10 total tackles against the Broncos. As he has for much of the season, however, his effectiveness is not effectively translated by counting stats. His tackles are coming after good gains by the offense and he's actively hurting the defense.

Denver averaged a ridiculous 5.8 yards per carry on the day, an average that's even worse when you remove two carries, one from Michael Burton and one from Marvin Mims Jr., that totaled -13 yards. That's not solely on McDuffie, but not having a linebacker who can instinctively and effectively fill those gaps to limit gains certainly isn't helpful for the Packers either.

Green Bay needs Campbell back in the worst way. But just as much as that, they have to stop relying on McDuffie. He's, unfortunately, proven that he's not cut out for this job, and the Packers defense is looking worse by the week because of it.