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GREEN BAY Kingsley Keke Green Bay Packers Jersey , Wis. (AP) — Another close loss on the road left the Green Bay Packers in a huge hole when it comes to their flickering postseason hopes.Quarterback Aaron Rodgers laid out the grim scenario left behind after a 24-1 loss in Minnesota.“We’re going to need some help from some teams and then we’ve got to take care of our own business, you know?” he said. “We’re going to have to find a way to win a game on the road. We’re 0-6 on the road. We’ve got to beat Arizona, and then come back and beat Atlanta, then go to Chicago — a place we’ve won a number of times — beat them, go to New York around Christmas (and) beat them, and then come home against Detroit (and) beat them. Get a little help.”Green Bay limped home from its fourth defeat in five games with a 4-6-1 record. The Packers are in 10th place in the NFC playoff race. Washington (6-5) leads the chase for the final postseason berth. Seattle and Carolina also are 6-5 and Philadelphia is 5-6. It all adds up to long odds for the Packers, who haven’t won back-to-back games all season.Green Bay does have the easiest remaining schedule, which starts with home games against Arizona (2-9) and Atlanta (4-7).“I think our team has done a really good job keeping their eye on the target,” coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. “They’re playing hard. They’re giving us everything they’ve got. As their coaching staff Kingsley Keke Jersey 2019 , we’re just going to keep giving them everything we’ve got. We need to coach better and we need to play better.”Green Bay’s offense has been startlingly bad on third downs. The Packers converted only 2 of 10 opportunities against the Vikings. For the season, they’re 24th in the league with a conversion rate of 37 percent. Over the previous 10 seasons, the Packers were fifth with a conversion rate of 43.4 percent.“If our third down improves, we’re clearly a touchdown or so better per game,” McCarthy said.That touchdown per game would make a huge difference for a team that has lost games at the Rams, Seahawks and Vikings over the past month by a combined 12 points.Beyond the third-down woes, McCarthy has injury concerns.Four starters — cornerbacks Kevin King (hamstring) and Bashaud Breeland (groin), defensive tackle Mike Daniels (foot) and receiver Randall Cobb (hamstring) — were inactive on Sunday night. Left tackle David Bakhtiari (knee), left guard Lane Taylor (quad) and safety Kentrell Brice (ankle Kingsley Keke Jersey Mens , concussion) were unable to finish the game.McCarthy cut some of the meetings out of Monday’s schedule and the team won’t practice in pads on Thursday.“I think these Sunday night games are taxing, no doubt,” he said. “Obviously, the game last night was a very physical football game. We have a lot of guys that are beat up. There’s going to be extra time sorting through exactly what we need to get done over the next 48 hours to really set our plan for Wednesday.”The Takeaway, Vikings vs. Packers: Dubious roughing penalty casts shadow over tie A single play rarely determines the outcome of a football game, but one can often come to define it. Such a moment occurred during the final two minutes of regulation during Sunday’s NFC North tilt between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.On the Vikings’ final drive of regulation, pass rusher Clay Matthews hit Kirk Cousins just as the quarterback released the football. Moments later, the ball fell into the waiting arms for rookie corner Jaire Alexander for the game-sealing interception. Alexander performed his first Lambeau LeapHowever, while Alexander performed his first Lambeau Leap Youth Kingsley Keke Jersey , the officials flagged Matthews for roughing the passer, a penalty which reversed the turnover and extended the Vikings’ drive. Eight plays later, Cousins threw his best pass of the afternoon to Adam Thielen, who corralled the ball for a touchdown. A successful extra point followed to tie the game at 29.According to the pool report, game official Tony Corrente said Matthews “hit the quarterback, he lifted him and drove him into the ground.” He further elaborated that his crew’s flag “had nothing to do with the rule of full body weight. It has nothing to do with helmet to helmet. [Matthews] picked the quarterback up and drove him into the ground.”Review of the play raises questions about Corrente’s entire explanation. Matthews did nothing to “lift” Cousins nor did the linebackers’ hit appear to apply any unnecessary force to “drive” him into the ground. Short of not hitting the quarterback at all, Matthews could have done nothing else to elude the flag and keep the Minnesota drive alive.Certainly, other factors helped determine the outcome of Sunday’s game; The Packers’ decision to run inside zone on third-and-2 in the red zone during their first drive of the fourth quarter; Lane Taylor’s holding penalty negating a Jimmy Graham touchdown; Mason Crosby’s missed field goal at the end of regulation; Rodgers fumble on the run-pass option in overtime. But those examples all fall under the category of player performance. The misapplied penalty fell outside of either team’s control and had at least as much impact on the final result.Ultimately, the NFL has muddied defenders’ understanding of the quarterback protections in a fashion quite similar to the old catch rule. Players don’t have a well-defined idea of what defines these illegal hits White Kingsley Keke Jersey , and that lack of clarity has affected the outcome of games.Packers can still separate from Vikings over coming weeksThough the outcome of Sunday’s game leaves the Packers and Vikings with identical win-loss records, the two teams could easily diverge in the coming weeks.Minnesota faces a tough upcoming schedule that includes back-to-back road games against the Los Angeles Rams and defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles. During the same stretch, Green Bay enjoys a favorable slate that features the hapless Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. Myriad factors could recontextualize those contests. But as things stand presently, the Packers look like the better bet to lead the division when they hit their Week 7 bye.Building a lead in the division race over the next months is critical for the Packers. Week 12’s rematch with the Vikings takes place at the formidable U.S. Bank Stadium, giving an edge to the reigning NFC North champions. Green Bay needs to establish a cushion before then in case Minnesota wins the head-to-head tiebreaker.Aaron Jones set to return next weekThe Packers’ running game improved over Week 1’s showing against the Chicago Bears, but that doesn’t mean the backfield rotation hit all its marks.Jamaal Williams managed just 59 yards on 16 carries and couldn’t convert on a key third-and-2 during the fourth quarter. Ty Montgomery fared better statistically (31 yards on five carries), but his issues in pass protection and his ever-present risk of injury limit how much he can contribute in that role. As they did in the season opener, the Packers moved away from their ground attack early in the game, leaving Rodgers to attempt 20 more passes than the team’s final carry tally. That discrepancy can work in some situations Josh Jackson Jersey , but the offense needs to find a better balance over the course of the season.Fortunately for Green Bay, second-year running back Aaron Jones returns from his two-game suspension just in time to give the unit a shot in the arm. Jones doesn’t have Williams’ gift for pass protection nor Montgomery’s skills as a pass catcher. However, Jones averaged nearly 2 yards more a carry than them in 2017 and, when healthy, provides the Packers with its most dangerous threat out of the backfield.Adding Jones won’t displace Williams and Montgomery entirely. Rather, the trio can work in concert to improve the ground game and keep each from taking on an overbearing workload. All three dealt with injuries last year that likely stemmed from overuse. Jones doesn’t need 300 carries to significantly impact Green Bay. His elusiveness and viability as a between-the-tackles runner add a dimension to the offense that can take pressure off the still-ailing Rodgers and the passing attack.