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Rob Demovsky, ESPN writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s hard to get a lot of people to play the ball when you run only 45 offensive plays, as the Green Bay Packers did in Thursday’s 34-31 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Just ask Jayden Reed, the versatile receiver who at times this season has been the Packers’ best player in the passing game. The ball came to Reed just once against the Lions.
Maybe I would have seen more of it if I hadn’t dropped that lone target; Yes, it was a fall, his mother said so. It happened on a short out on second-and-5 from the Detroit 47-yard line in the first quarter and would have been close to a first down. The Packers never got a first down on that drive and punted two plays later.
While it was difficult to see on film if Reed dropped him, ESPN Research counted him as one of seven he dropped this season (tied for second in the NFL).
“I asked my mom and she told me on the TV copy that it was a drop,” Reed said, noting that he’s a difficult person to rate. “That could have changed the momentum, just coming out with a catch. So it could be that too, you never know.”
However, it’s also difficult to get the ball when you play only 25 snaps like Reed did against the Lions. That followed the Thanksgiving Day win over Miami, when Reed played 36 of the 54 offensive snaps the Packers ran.
In fact, since Reed’s five-catch, 113-yard performance in the Week 9 loss to the Lions at Lambeau Field, he has totaled 73 receiving yards on eight receptions in four games, including the catchless game against Detroit last week. .
“I always want to have the ball in my hands,” Reed said. “A lot of things I can’t control. I don’t make the calls. It’s a team game. The blocking has to go right, a lot of things have to go right for things like that to happen.”
Some of that starts with Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who on Monday explained Reed’s minimal involvement in the Lions game.
“We tried to get close to him early in the game,” LaFleur said. “In fact, the first play was designed to, more than likely, go in his favor or [Dontayvion] Wicks. They sacked us on that play.
“In the first third, we threw the ball to him. He got a DPI [defensive pass interference]. And then early on, I think it was second-and-five, we had the ball at midfield and we threw him an out route. We didn’t complete it.”
LaFleur said the Lions countered the Packers’ three-receiver sets with a defensive look that challenged the Packers to throw the ball.
“We didn’t want to go into [that kind of] game,” LaFleur said. “We knew it was important for us to keep running the ball. It’s just that there weren’t many runs that drew very well compared to that setup, so that’s part of the reason we did a little more, I would say we’re trying to include more people, bigger people, [two-tight-end] staff.”
That takes one of the three receivers off the field, usually the slot receiver, like Reed.
That’s where LaFleur said they still could have found ways to get Reed on the field more times than they did.
“Now where we can improve, and I talked to Jayden about this, is just making sure that we have some of those plays for him in the game plan where he’s tagged to come in and play wide, because obviously, he’s a very impactful player. “LaFleur said. “And it was never…it wasn’t by design that we didn’t want to throw the ball to him. That’s never the case. We tried to get down in the red area as well…they did a good job.”
Reed still leads the Packers in targets (59), receptions (44) and receiving yards (693), and ranks second behind tight end Tucker Kraft in touchdown receptions (six). Reed also has a rushing touchdown (which came in the season opener) on one of his 13 carries for 128 yards on late spins, sweeps and the like.
Five times in the first nine games, Reed played at least two-thirds of the offensive snaps, including four games in which he played more than 71% of the snaps.
The second-year pro isn’t sure whether to expect a return to that kind of involvement as the Packers (9-4) begin the stretch with Sunday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) (8: 8 p.m. ET, NBC) or a continuation of the last four games, when he played at least two-thirds of the snaps once, against the Dolphins on Thanksgiving, when he had three receptions for 24 yards, although two of his three receptions were for touchdowns and added a 23 yard run
At times, it has been a difficult season for the team’s receiving group. The Packers didn’t throw much in Weeks 2 and 3 with Malik Willis replacing the injured Jordan Love at quarterback. Romeo Doubs served a one-game suspension in Week 5 for conduct detrimental to the team after missing two days of practice and meetings because he was frustrated with his role in the offense. Christian Watson is off to a slow start and Wicks leads the NFL with nine drops.
“Man, keep controlling what I can control, keep being a good teammate,” Reed said. “Whether I get the ball or not, I just keep cheering those guys on and being there for them, coaching them. This is a team sport. At the end of the day, it’s not about me.”
