GREEN BAY – The Packers know full well what's been holding them back on offense.
Penalties, dropped passes and interceptions have all contributed to Green Bay sitting a respectable ninth in the league in points per game (25.6) but unable to maximize on its third overall ranking in yards per contest (390.6).
Coming out of a bye week after a chance to rest and reset, the Packers are focused on playing up to their capabilities, not down to their mistakes.
"We've been pretty good as a unit, and it's crazy because we could be so much better," running back Josh Jacobs said Monday after the team's return-from-the-bye workout.
"That's the fun part about the back end of the season is trying to chase the perfection, trying to chase being great as a unit and trying to come in each day and lock in."
Jacobs certainly likes where the running game is but believes there's more out there. He ranks fourth in the league with 762 rushing yards through nine games, and the depth behind him could get a boost with rookie MarShawn Lloyd coming off injured reserve likely this week.
Jacobs was dealing with a minor ankle injury before the bye, but the time off helped that as well as a workhorse back's typical midseason "heavy" legs. On balance, he feels as good as he's ever felt and a "second spark" from the rest is coming.
Health will certainly factor into the Packers' offensive prospects from here on out. Quarterback Jordan Love (groin) and center Josh Myers (wrist) are among those dealing with injuries, and Myers said he's doing better but has to feel out where he is in practice. (Love is expected to speak to the media Wednesday.)
Like Jacobs, Myers understands the issues that have hampered the unit but sees more potential than problems with regard to the offense as a whole.
"I think we had a pretty balanced attack in the first half of the season, and man, if we can continue that and just play good complementary football and stay ahead of the sticks, I think the sky's the limit for our offense and for our team," he said. "I think we have the ability to be the best offense in football."
Myers added it'll take "an intentional focus every day" to stay on the details and little things that make or break any given performance.
The Packers are among the most explosive offenses in the league thus far, with 32 pass plays of 20-plus yards (only three teams have more than 33) and 11 running plays of 20-plus (only one team has more than 12).
But the fits and starts the offense has battled through, along with failing to convert some of those explosive gains into points, leaves plenty to push toward.
"I talk to the guys about it all the time, a lot of stuff is on us," Jacobs said. "You see a lot of the big plays that we have, and we can make so many more. We've had some drops. We've had some MAs (missed assignments) and things like that.
"I challenged the whole offense, I challenged the whole team really to put together a complete game. See what it feels like, see what that looks like. Try to strain a little harder, give a little more and see where we're at in the end."
But again, it comes back to "not beating ourselves," receiver Jayden Reed said. "I think that's our key to playing a full game, being who we really can be."
The Packers went through a similar process last year heading into the stretch run, with a young offense trying to smooth out a lot of rough spots before it took off.
The difference is that team didn't have much to show for its early struggles, at 3-6 and without the top 10 rankings the current 6-3 club has. Nonetheless, the experience can be drawn upon with a similar peak performance in mind.
"It's different this year, so we've got a different mindset, and we've got to finish even stronger than we did last year," Reed said.
Added Jacobs: "I feel like this back end of the season is really where you kind of separate yourself from everybody else. Teams start to gel, you start to know and expect certain things out of the guys and you start to gel. I think that's the point where we're at now coming off a bye week, so it's going to be fun."
