It's awfully greedy to be nitpicking a team who has won all five of its games and has the league's best passer under center, but let's give it a try.
The Packers (5-0) had to come from behind last week but took the lead in the second half to topple the Atlanta Falcons, 25-14. In any other conference in the NFL, the undefeated Packers would be alone in first place, but the Detroit Lions kept pace by taking down the Bears to move to 5-0.
But even with an unblemised record and Aaron Rodgers running a seemingly unstoppable offense, everything is not perfect for the Packers. Lucky for them, the winless St. Louis Rams come to down Sunday, meaning the Packers are in a perfect spot to shore up some of these issues. Here they are:
Protecting Aaron Rodgers
The Packers have given up 11 sacks through five games, tying for 13th worst in the NFL. While the protection in front of Rodgers can't be classified as bad, it hasn't been good. And things are only going to get more difficult.
Chad Clifton was lost early in last week's contest with what doctors are calling a significant hamstring injury. In the Atlanta game, right tackle Marshall Newhouse (filling in for the injured Bryan Bulaga) moved to the left side, with rookie tackle Derek Sherrod replacing Newhouse.
Both performed good enough for Rodgers to pass for 396 yards and two touchdown passes, but he was also sacked four times.
Bulaga is back in practice with a knee brace, while Newhouse is expected to continue on the left side in Clifton's absence.
Overall, T.J. Lang needs to show improvement after being turnstiled early in the second half, which resulted in a sack. Josh Sitton has yet to show the dominance of a year ago. The Packers line has not been bad, but it has hardly been good.
Where's the pass rush?
The Packers are tied for 11th in the NFL with 12 sacks, which is fine, but only two have come from outside linebackers Erik Walden and All-Pro Clay Matthews. Both began the season slow and everyone assumed they would eventually come around and play like they did last year, especially Matthews.
But that has not been the case.
Matthews has not even seen many double teams or chips out of the backfield. He simply isn't getting to the quarterback. He has improved his play against the run from a year ago, which is great to see and helps him shed the label of a pure pass rusher.
But now he needs to get back to doing what he does best: rush the passer.
He has had a handful of near misses the past few weeks which have resulted in hurried throws, but it doesn't have the same impact on the defense (or the down and distance) as a sack does.
Walden has been marginal on the other side, and the Packers have to hope Frank Zombo is able to return at some point to replace him.
Donald Driver, anyone?
Make no mistake: the Packers' offense will continue to succeed at a high rate even if Donald Driver is not included. But it could create an awkward situation as the year progresses.
It's true that Driver is the ultimate teammate and genuinely enjoys watching his fellow receivers do well, but he's also human and wants to catch passes.
Through five weeks, Driver has caught just nine passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He has been targeted 16 times, which is two less than James Starks.
Randall Cobb seemingly has passed Driver on the depth chart as the slot receiver, which could create issues. It may also be a concern at the end of the year if the Packers release Driver, putting a sudden hault to an otherwise happy relationship he has shared with the team during his tenure as a Packer.
Stopping the pass
Even with an excellent showing against Matt Ryan last week, the Packers still enter Week 6 ranked 29th against the pass. The secondary seemed to make serious strides in the second half in what turn out to be the turning point in the season for them.
Charlie Peprah put together a solid performance after two weak showings, intercepting Ryan late in the game to end a scoring threat. Sam Shields manned up in a big way, holding rookie Julio Jones to just one catch for 16 yards.
Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson are finally getting back to their elite level of play as well, despite a few miscues early in the Atlanta game. The loss of Nick Collins undoubtedly has hurt, but those two are softening the blow.
With the defense stepping it up against the run in a big way (giving up just 99 yards per game), the pass defense getting back to where it was a year ago could again make the Packers' defense dominant and, with the way the offense is playing, could make the team virtually unstoppable.
Avoiding a letdown
The Lions have not made life easy on the Packers, and while the team is focused on winning games instead of the division right now, a letdown can not happen.
Back in 2009, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hadn't won a game, came off a bye week and defeated the Packers in Florida.
Flash forward to Week 6 in 2011, and the Rams are coming off a bye week looking for their first win. The Packers should win the game rather handily, but they need to keep improving and work out kinks as they head into the heart of their season.
Detroit looks to be for real and should keep the Packers honest in hopes of a division championship, but it's on Mike McCarthy and company to make sure they take care of business at home this week.
















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