Numbers Prove Packers' Punt Return Game Has Been Historically Dreadful
By Jerry Trotta
The Green Bay Packers might sit at 8-3 after 11 games, but if being humiliated in primetime against the San Francisco 49ers taught us anything, it's that Matt LaFleur's team has a plethora of flaws to address.
One of those blemishes is Green Bay's impressively putrid punt return game. After Sunday night's loss, Green Bay now has...wait for it... -11 punt return yards on the season.
UPDATE: The Packers now have NEGATIVE 11 punt return yards on the ENTIRE SEASON.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 25, 2019
We understand that kick and punt returning, thanks to amended NFL rules, is a dying breed, but to muster negative yardage through 11 games is a travesty.
Keep in mind that the NFL record for fewest PR yards in a single season is 27, set by the St. Louis Cardinals back in 1965. With just five games remaining in 2019, time is running out for Green Bay to prevent having a pathetic record linked to their brand.
This stat blows my mind: Packers have -11 total punt return yards this season. The NFL record for fewest in a season is 27 by the 1965 St. Louis Cardinals.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 25, 2019
Teams have punted to GB 41 times. They've returned an NFL-low eight punts with yardages of -9, -2, -1, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 1.
For reasons we don't understand, teams around the league don't comprehend the importance of special teams. Somewhere in Foxborough, Bill Belichick has a smug grin on his face.
We'd strongly advise LaFleur and Co. to address this predicament if they have genuine ambitions of making a deep run in the playoffs.