The Green Bay Packers walked into Week 3 with their defense looking like the part of the team that had finally settled things down. Two games in, that side of the ball had been the bright spot. One Thursday night in Atlanta changed that fast.
In a 35-14 loss to the Falcons, the Packers’ defense got steamrolled. Atlanta piled up nearly 500 yards, including 242 on the ground, and Green Bay never found a real answer once the game started tilting away from them.
Bijan Robinson was the centerpiece of the damage, ripping off 194 rushing yards and finishing with more than 200 scrimmage yards. Drake London added 194 receiving yards, and Brian Robinson Jr. chipped in 50 rushing yards as the Falcons kept finding space all night.
What makes the collapse so jarring is how different this looked from the first two weeks. Against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay held Carson Wentz to under 250 yards of total offense, even in a loss. Against the New York Jets, the defense was a big reason the Packers were able to rally for a win, creating pressure up front and getting stops when they mattered.
Thursday was the opposite. The Falcons’ skill talent made the Packers look shaky, and Michael Penix, in his first start of the year, settled in too comfortably. Green Bay couldn’t slow Robinson, but the problems went deeper than one runner.
The low point came with the Packers down 10-7 and the Falcons facing 3rd-and-goal. A stop there would have forced a field goal and kept it 13-7 at halftime. Instead, the defense looked completely out of sorts, appeared to signal to one another that they didn’t know the play, and gave up an easy touchdown with no timeouts left.
That snap felt like the beginning of the collapse, and the rest of the night never really recovered. Green Bay was beaten in the run game, missed tackles in ugly fashion, and got exposed in the secondary. Rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse had what can only be called his first real "welcome to the NFL" game.
There’s also no ignoring the other side of the equation. The Falcons had the ball for almost 40 minutes, which says plenty about how little the Packers’ offense was able to do. Green Bay couldn’t sustain drives, and that meant the defense was stuck on the field far longer than it should have been.
That’s not a pass for how the defense played. It just means the Packers may have to deal with that strain again if the offense keeps leaving them hanging.
Now comes a trip to Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield’s offense has also had trouble getting going this year, and the Packers will be trying to prove Thursday was a one-off, not the start of a much bigger problem.
In Other News...
Tucker Kraft Just Sparked A Bigger Packers Debate At Lambeau
Tucker Kraft did not say anything outrageous after a home game at Lambeau Field, but his comments landed in the middle of a much bigger conversation around the Packers. The tight ends frustration with booing from the stands came as Green Bays recent play has left plenty of fans restless, with the mood around the team shaped as much by disappointment with the overall product as by any one moment on the field.
What makes Krafts remarks interesting is that they touch the nerve of a fan base that expects better, especially when the team is playing at home. The boos are really a sign of broader unease with the Packers recent struggles, along with second-guessing about coaching and management, and that is the part of the story that still hangs over Lambeau as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Road Trip Took An Unusual Turn After Lambeau Game
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Stone has since gone public in hopes of getting the items back, turning what should have been a routine postgame departure into a frustrating off-field story. For Green Bay fans, its a reminder that even on a day centered on football, the details around the stadium can sometimes matter just as much as what happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Offense Already Has A Lambeau Problem
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Christian Watson didnt try to soften the mood afterward, acknowledging that the frustration from the crowd was tied directly to how the offense played. For a team that expects Lambeau to be a lift, not a source of tension, the challenge now is straightforward but unforgiving: clean up the offensive issues quickly enough to give fans something better to believe in. [Read more 🡒]