Cheese Curds, 10/27: Will someone on the Packers’ receiving corps please step up?

Somehow, the Green Bay Packers still have an above-average passing offense, according to at least one metric. The Packers rank 14th in passing DVOA via Football Outsiders — a far cry from top-two rankings each of the past two years, but still theoretically viable in terms of putting together a solid offense.

However, other analytics sites tell a different story. By EPA, the Packers rank 22nd in EPA per dropback, a sign that things are clearly not working consistently.

One of the issues for the offense has surely been inconsistent personnel at wide receiver. The Packers continue to shuffle players in and out of the lineup due to injuries, youth, and inconsistency, and it seems that virtually none of these players have been able to develop a consistent rapport with Aaron Rodgers. To make matters worse, Rodgers has struggled himself with decision-making and accuracy, even on the seemingly easy throws — NFL Next Gen State has him dropping from 2nd in the NFL in EPA and CPOE on flat/out routes last season to 30th or worse in both metrics this year.

So now what? In short, the Packers need somebody in the receiver room to step up and take charge. A few weeks ago, it seemed that Romeo Doubs might be that guy, but now he’s back in the doghouse. Allen Lazard appears poised to miss at least this Sunday’s game, and Randall Cobb is on injured reserve. Meanwhile, Christian Watson and Sammy Watkins are still on their way back from still more hamstring injuries.

Can anyone take the reins this week in Buffalo? The Packers will surely need the passing game to get going to have a viable chance of beating one of the NFL’s best teams. But if the last few weeks are any indication, it’s tough to find reasons to believe that it will happen.

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