The Green Bay Packers’ Thursday night was rough from the jump and got uglier from there, with the Atlanta Falcons walking out of Lambeau Field with a 35-14 upset that handed Green Bay its first home-opening loss since 2012.
The crowd made its frustration known all game. Boos rolled through the stadium, and when Falcons fans had their turn, they were chanting “A-T-L.” Green Bay is now 1-7 over its last eight games.
What stood out most was how badly the Packers wanted their offense to look functional on the ground - and how far off that goal they were. Green Bay ran the ball only eight times for 17 yards, while quarterback Jordan Love threw 53 passes for head coach and play-caller Matt LaFleur, in addition to taking a sack and scrambling once. Even with the Packers down three full touchdowns and a minute and change left, Love was still out there taking unnecessary hits.
The defense entered the night with some real positives attached to it. Through two weeks, Green Bay led the NFL in yards per carry allowed, even with a shaky red-zone showing.
But Atlanta flipped that script with outside zone runs that took advantage of overpursuit. The Falcons had not reached the red zone much heading into Week 3, then got there five times against the Packers.
Atlanta’s offensive stars did most of the damage. Bijan Robinson and Drake London combined for 407 yards of total offense, and it was obvious the Falcons knew exactly where they wanted the ball to go while Michael Penix Jr. made his first start since tearing his ACL last season. Green Bay had no answer.
Special teams offered no relief either, with the Packers having a kick blocked.
There were still the occasional splash plays from Matthew Golden and Christian Watson, but those moments were not nearly enough to cover the bigger issues. Love has played better football in his career, and Golden, Watson and tight end Tucker Kraft are dropping the ball, on top of the offensive line’s obvious struggles. The larger problem is the structure around it all: the plan just is not working, if there is one.
At some point, something has to change in Green Bay. An offense that dropped back 86 percent of the time on Thursday night is not built to hold up. Love will not survive the season that way, and LaFleur might not, either.
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Packers Sideline Clip Adds To Fans Frustration During Ugly Blowout
The Thursday night mismatch in Atlanta had already turned into a long evening for Green Bay, with the Falcons building a 35-14 lead behind Michael Penix Jr.'s sharp season debut and Bijan Robinson's dominant night on the ground. For a Packers team trying to hold together in a rough start, the scoreboard only added to the frustration as the game slipped further away.
A sideline clip only sharpened the uneasy mood around the team, showing Micah Parsons, who is on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list with a knee injury, being ignored by teammates during the blowout. It was the kind of small moment that can take on a bigger meaning in a lopsided loss, especially when the on-field problems are already loud enough. [Read more 🡒]
Micah Parsons Had A Brutal Sideline Moment During Packers Meltdown
The Packers Thursday night trip to Atlanta has turned into a long, uneasy watch, with the Falcons in control and Michael Penix Jr. and Bijan Robinson powering the gap on the scoreboard. Green Bay has had little answer on either side of the ball, and the frustration has been obvious as the game has slipped further out of reach.
Micah Parsons has been part of that sideline scene as well, watching from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list while his knee injury keeps him out of action. For a team already trying to steady itself in a lopsided loss, seeing one of its biggest defensive names reduced to a spectator only sharpens the sense of how thin the margin has become. [Read more 🡒]