The Green Bay Packers didn’t have much trouble moving the ball against the Minnesota Vikings. Finishing drives, though, was another story entirely.
In a 39-22 loss that dropped Green Bay to 0-1, Jordan Love helped the Packers pile up chunk plays and get into scoring territory again and again. The offense produced seven completions of more than 20 yards and finished tied for fourth across the NFL last week with 10 explosive plays, defined as a run of 12 or more yards or a pass of 16 or more.
But once the Packers reached the red zone, the offense stalled. Green Bay made four trips inside Minnesota’s 20-yard line and came away with just one touchdown. For a team trying to avoid an 0-2 start before a quick turnaround on Thursday, that kind of waste is hard to ignore.
Tucker Kraft pointed to the issue plainly.
“When you tallied up the explosives, we were winning that by a large margin,” Kraft said (via FOX Sports). “It’s the consistency. Execution is good, but when your drives just fizzle out and you’re not putting sevens on the board - you’re just putting threes on the board - that’s where we’ve got to pick up the pace.”
That wasn’t just a one-game problem. Green Bay’s red zone troubles were around all last season, too.
According to Acme Packing Company’s Dusty Evely, the Packers in 2025 ranked fourth in the NFL in “High Red Zone” plays, which cover the area between the 11- and 20-yard line, but converted those opportunities at just a 42.4% success rate, which ranked 19th. In the “Low Red Zone,” between the 4- and 10-yard line, Green Bay averaged 2.4 plays per game, good for 13th, and posted a 46.8% success rate, which ranked 16th. At the goal line, within three yards of the end zone, the Packers were much sharper: 1.5 plays per game, 12th in the league, with an 80% success rate and a 68% touchdown rate, both among the best marks in football.
So the story was familiar. The Packers could get there. They just weren’t finishing often enough.
There are reasons last season’s numbers can be viewed in context. Tucker Kraft was coming off a torn ACL, Josh Jacobs was dealing with injuries, and the wide receiver group was still sorting out its roles. Even so, a team with Super Bowl expectations can’t afford to look ordinary when the field shrinks.
And that same problem showed up right away in 2025. The offensive line struggled, the red zone production went nowhere, and a big fourth-quarter lead disappeared again.
One week won’t define a season, but Green Bay has to clean this up quickly. Sunday against the Jets offers a chance to start.
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Cisse was back for a full practice and is expected to have a significant role on Sunday after starting last game and playing 49 defensive snaps before leaving. For Green Bay, the encouraging part is not just that he seems ready to go, but that the rookie who was already trusted in the starting lineup appears set to resume that responsibility without any lingering concern. [Read more 🡒]