The Green Bay Packers Can’t Take The Ball Away From Foes

Joe Barry calls them “Turnover Thursdays.”

One day per week probably isn’t enough to fix this problem, though.

Barry, the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, devotes extra practice time each Thursday towards forcing turnovers. His team clearly needs more instruction time.

Through six games, the Packers have forced just five turnovers. That’s tied for the lowest number in the league with five other teams.

Green Bay is on pace to force just 14.17 turnovers this season, which would be a new franchise low. The fewest takeaways in a season in team history is 15, something the feeble 2018 and 2004 defenses both “achieved” while playing one fewer game than the 2023 Packers will.

“We coin Thursdays as ‘Takeaway Thursday.’ We’re talking about taking the ball away and practicing taking the ball away,” said the much-maligned Barry. “But on Thursday, that’s kind of, that’s our day. And takeaways change the game.

“Hopefully you’re in a year where they’re just coming all the time. We went through a dry spell last year, and then we went on like a … five or six week run. Takeaways come in droves and you just got to get one to kind of start the trend.”

Granted, teams take far better care of the ball today than they did a decade or two ago.

For example, defenses are currently averaging 1.35 takeaways per game this season. In 2013, defenses forced an average of 1.59 turnovers per contest. In 2006, they averaged 1.75 takeaways per game.

Still, Green Bay’s inability to force turnovers has played a significant role in its 2-4 start.

“It’s just about executing, you know what I’m saying?” Packers nickel corner Keisean Nixon said. “Go back to our play style and just executing. When an (opportunity) comes to us, we’ve got to take the ball away. I don’t think it’s a real issue, where we have to force it. We can’t chase plays.”

While the Packers can’t chase turnover plays, they also haven’t made many.

Safety Rudy Ford leads the team with two interceptions. Linebacker Quay Walker had an interception return for a touchdown against Chicago and cornerback Rasul Douglas has an interception.

Defensive end Kenny Clark also forced a fumble that Douglas recovered.

Green Bay forced two turnovers during its Week 1 win over Chicago, but has just three takeaways in the last five games (0.6).

“When we out there, we just trying to be the best we can possibly be out there,” Ford said. “And we’re constantly evaluating, constantly want to raise our standard, constantly want to continue to play at a high level and be a good, solid unit out there as well, try to get the offense as many chances as possible.”

Despite forcing the fewest turnovers in the league, the Packers are just minus-2 in turnover differential. That’s because Green Bay’s offense has given it up just seven times, or 1.17 times per contest.

The Packers are the only team in the NFL yet to lose a fumble, although quarterback Jordan Love has thrown more interceptions (seven) than all but five other teams.

Green Bay has also had golden opportunities to take the ball away, but has failed to take advantage.

For example, during a Week 2 loss at Atlanta, cornerback Jaire Alexander dropped a potential interception midway through the second quarter on a ball thrown right to his hands. If Alexander held on, there were no Falcons in sight and he likely would have had a 59-yard touchdown that would have given Green Bay a 14-3 lead.

In that same game, Walker had a ball thrown right to him, but he failed to secure it.

“We refer to those as opps,” Barry said. “I think when you do have an opp for, when the quarterback literally hits you in the chest with the ball, that’s an opp that you have to cash in on. You can’t lose that.

“You take the ball away one time it changes the game. We present those things to the guys, a plus-1 compared to a plus-2 or a plus-3, just the percentages in our game league-wide that when you take the ball away, the opportunities that you have to, percentage wise to change the course of the game. So, bottom line, we’ve got to find ways to do ‘em and when we do have opportunities we’ve got to cash in on them.”

Barry became Green Bay’s defensive coordinator in 2021, and the Packers are averaging 1.38 takeaways per game in that time. Here’s how the Packers have fared under recent defensive coordinators:

• Mike Pettine (2018-2020) — 1.21

• Dom Capers (2009-2017 — 1.74

• Bob Sanders (2006-2008) — 1.85

• Jim Bates (2005) — 1.31

• Bob Slowik (2004) — 0.94

• Ed Donatell (2000-2003) — 2.25

• Emmitt Thomas (1999) — 2.56

• Fritz Shurmur (1994-1998) — 1.79

• Ray Rhodes (1992-93) — 2.09

The 2023 Packers are headed towards a historic low in the takeaway department, and know that must change if they hope to turnaround a season that seems to be heading south.

“I think the emphasis, especially when you watch across the league and how people generate turnovers is just, it’s all the little things you’re doing,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said. “How hard are you running after the football? When you get there, how are you attacking the ball carrier?

“Are you punching at the ball? Are you raking at the ball? All those little things add up. Are you able in the pass game to get your hand on a ball to maybe tip it up in the air to generate turnovers that way. Are you able to get to the quarterback? So, there’s so many things that I know we can do at a higher level.”