Raritäten/Infos » MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Aaron Jones crossed the goal

line early in the second quarter Green Bay Packers T-Shirts , capping a 75-yard drive that gave Green Bay a 14-7 lead at Minnesota, the Packers again put themselves in favorable position for a victory on the road against a winning team.That’s a formula coach Mike McCarthy’s backsliding bunch has yet to figure out this year.Unlike so many of his past teams with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, these Packers just keep on stumbling down the stretch. Now they’ll probably need a perfect finish to squeeze into the playoffs.Kirk Cousins passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover for the Vikings, who overtook the depleted Packers for a 24-17 victory on Sunday .“We’ll see what we’re made of for the last five weeks,” Rodgers said. “Are we going to stick together through these tough times, or are we going to start splintering? I’d like to think that the leadership is in place that we can stick together through whatever happens, but these five weeks will show it.”The Packers went three and out on their first possession, only because Davante Adams accidentally stepped out of bounds before making what would’ve been a chain-moving catch on third down. Then Rodgers finished the second drive with a vintage back-shoulder touchdown throw to Adams , before Jones raced around left end on a crack toss sweep that Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said afterward was a perfect call for the defensive play he had dialed up.But the Packers went three-and-out the next time they had the ball and didn’t score again until a field goal with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter. Over their final seven possessions, they punted five times and had a turnover on downs when Jones was stopped on fourth-and-inches midway through the third quarter at their 44-yard line. On that final drive, Adams had what would’ve been a touchdown catch on third-and-1 at the 20 slip through his hands.“Our third down has been our black eye,” McCarthy said.The Packers (4-6-1) fell into 10th place in the NFC. They were beaten up https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/hats , mentally and physically, by this five-game slog with losses on the road against the Rams (10-1), Patriots (8-3), Seahawks (6-5) and Vikings (6-4-1) when they were either tied or leading as late as the third quarter in each of those four games.The schedule softens, with four losing teams on the slate: home games against the Cardinals (2-9), Falcons (4-7) and Lions (4-7) and a trip to play the Jets (3-8) following a rematch with the NFC North-leading Bears (8-3) on the road. There’s a legitimate question, though, about whether the Packers have enough steam left to win out like they did in 2016 with six straight victories to win the division at 10-6 and reach the NFC championship game.“I knew we had a tough stretch. Four really tough places to play,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t think we’d go 1-4 on that stretch, but that’s where we’re at. We’re here: 4-6-1. We have to win our last five, and even that might not be enough.”This will be the first time since Rodgers took over as the starter in 2008 that the Packers don’t reach double-digit wins in the regular season when Rodgers doesn’t miss any games to injuries. They were 7-9 in 2017 and 8-7-1 in 2013 when Rodgers broke his collarbone. They were 6-10 in 2008.The injuries are the most tangible reason why the Packers might not be able to recover to reach the playoffs this year. Already missing several starters, they saw left tackle David Bakhtiari Green Bay Packers Hoodie , left guard Lane Taylor, wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, wide receiver/kick returner Trevor Davis and safety Kentrell Brice all leave the game with injuries.The Packers, though, have been missing that mojo they’ve had so often in the Rodgers era all year long. This was their season low in points (14) and yards (254).“Sitting on the sideline, we kept asking ourselves why we’re so unlucky,” said Jones, who had 93 total yards on 20 touches.He added: “You can tell the guys in this locker room want it. We want it more than anyone else, and we’re right there each and every game, but it feels like it gets taken from us.” Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson are among the top talents at a position the Packers have targeted in the first round only a handful of times." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShareTweetShareShareDrafting a first-round tight end would be a rarity for the PackersPhoto by Matthew Holst/Getty ImagesWith Matt LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett overseeing the Green Bay Packers’ offense, there figures to be plenty of “12” personnel sets in 2019. And to be effective, the Packers need talent at the tight end position.With Jimmy Graham Vince Biegel Color Rush Jersey , Marcedes Lewis, and Robert Tonyan returning in 2019, Green Bay has the bodies necessary for two-tight end sets. However, an influx of young talent could be just what the doctor ordered for the Packers’ offense to return to its potency of the early 2010s with Jermichael Finley. Fortunately, there are several potential instant contributors planning to hear their names called in the first round Thursday night. But for the Packers to select one of them, it would require a major break from tradition.In the modern draft era, Green Bay has not drafted a tight end in round one often. Two times to be exact. They last did so in 2000 with Bubba Franks, who went on to play eight seasons with the Packers and reach three Pro Bowls after being drafted 14th overall. Before that? One would have to go back to 1970 when the Packers selected Elon’s Rich McGeorge with the 16th pick. In fact, Green Bay has been much more inclined to wait until after the first three rounds to draft the tight end. Since that same timeframe of 1970, the Packers have chosen the position just three times in rounds two and three. Meanwhile, they have spent 16 selections in round four or later. Kennard Backman, in 2015 Dexter Williams Jersey , was the last tight end drafted by the Packers.The Packers certainly will have their options in 2019, with Iowa’s duo of T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant leading the charge. Behind them, Alabama’s Irv Smith, Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger, and Ole Miss’s Dawson Knox figure to make up the next wave of selections. With three picks in the top 44, Green Bay owns a unique opportunity to draft a future starting tight end without sacrificing the ability to bolster other positions in the first two days. Well-noted by many draftniks is that Green Bay’s offense could be assisted by the presence of additional receiving weapons. A tight end with the ability to stretch the field could be just as game-changing as any wide receiver in this draft class.With Lewis on a one-year deal and Graham carrying a much more advantageous out in his contract after year two, the Packers will need to address the tight end position at some point in the near future. And with a few weapons at the top of the draft this week, Green Bay could certainly pick the position in the opening round for the first time in nearly two decades.