With rookie quarterback Jordan Love leading the team through some anticipated ups and downs, the Green Bay Packers remain a serious contender for a postseason berth. Love’s performance this season has been similar to Aaron Rodgers’ first year as a starter, throwing for 3,587 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions (Rodgers finished with 4,038 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 2008).

The Packers have 25% chance of making the playoffs after defeating the Carolina Panthers 31–30 in Week 16. Jordan Love’s impressive performance this afternoon will give Green Bay supporters hope, but the defense’s subpar play this afternoon raises serious concerns for the future. For a large portion of the season, fans have demanded that the team replace defensive coordinator Joe Barry, and the defense’s almighty struggles against Carolina might be the last straw.

The Packers gave up 394 yards and 30 points to a Panthers team that came into Week 16 ranking third-worst in the NFL in both total yards and points per game. Both were easily season highs. In their previous two games, Carolina scored nine points against the Atlanta Falcons and six points versus the New Orleans Saints.

The Packers also made struggling Panthers QB Bryce Young look like a bonafide Pro Bowler. Young threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns. Not only was that the first time that Young had eclipsed 300 yards this season, but he had not even surpassed 250 yards in a game before Sunday.

Before Week 16, Green Bay allowed Baker Mayfield to have a perfect passer rating while throwing four touchdowns in Week 15, and in Week 14, Joe Barry’s defense let Tommy DeVito and a middling New York Giants offense to total 367 yards — their second-best game of the season.

It is not just about the yardage or the points for the Packers, Joe Barry’s decision-making and play-calling have been exceedingly poor. Against the Giants, Green Bay took the lead on a Jordan Love passing TD to Malik Heath with 1:33 left. With a one-point advantage, the Packers needed to keep the Giants out of field goal range. But instead of playing press coverage or dialing up blitzes against Tommy DeVito — who, up until that point, had less than 100 passing yards on the night — Barry called for prevent defense.

With 49 seconds remaining and two timeouts, New York was able to move the ball around midfield with three quick passes. After that, DeVito found Wandale Robinson for a 32-yard pass, which placed the Giants within range of a field goal and gave New York the victory.

Next week, Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin—who finished with 10 receptions for 155 yards—tore up Joe Barry’s defense. Godwin was obviously Mayfield’s preferred target from the start, but Barry insisted on covering Godwin with loose zones that frequently put inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell on the Bucs playmaker. This discrepancy was regularly exploited by Tampa Bay, and Green Bay did nothing to stop them.