The Packers left Detroit without a win, and without much patience for the way the game was called.
Green Bay fell 20-17 to the Lions, and while the Packers aren’t blaming the officials for the loss, the frustration inside the locker room was plain to hear. The game included multiple roughing-the-passer flags on Green Bay’s defense, while Jordan Love absorbed several heavy hits without drawing a call.
Cornerback Keisean Nixon didn’t hide where he thinks the problem lies. After the game, he said the treatment of Love stood out to him, especially compared with what the Packers were being penalized for on the other side.
“We can’t leave it in the ref’s hands. They clearly don’t like Jordan Love, they throw none for him.”
Nixon also pointed to one bizarre sequence involving a penalty when a referee was on his back, calling it “a crazy call.”
“It is what it is. We can’t leave it in the refs’ hands. We gotta keep playing ball.”
Green Bay’s defense was flagged repeatedly on roughing-the-passer plays that, from the Packers’ perspective, didn’t merit the call. Love, meanwhile, was sacked just once but took several hits that drew no flag at all.
The Packers know they have to live with the whistles they get, and they also know the blown chances hurt them too - including Josh Jacobs dropping a touchdown pass. Still, after a game this unevenly officiated, the conversation around the Packers is already drifting toward how Thursday night will be called, especially with a short week ahead.
In Other News...
Packers Leave Detroit With A Frustrating Problem Before Carolina
The Packers came out of Detroit with more than a loss, they came away with a familiar problem that can complicate a short week. Green Bay had to lean heavily on Jordan Love because the running game never got going, and the offense spent too much of the afternoon fighting uphill while a few officiating calls added to the frustration on the sideline.
For the second straight week, the kicking game also became part of the conversation, with missed chances leaving points on the field when Green Bay needed them most. Now the focus turns quickly to Carolina, and the bigger question is whether the Packers can clean up the issues in time to avoid carrying the same offensive imbalance into another game. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious About This Loss
The Packers had plenty to be frustrated about after their Week 7 loss to the Lions, and not just because the scoreboard tilted Detroits way at the end. Green Bay dug itself into a hole with a touchdown allowed on the opening drive, then spent the rest of the afternoon fighting through missed field goals, dropped passes from Jordan Loves receivers and a series of officiating calls that left plenty of people in green and gold seeing red.
It did not help that the game kept forcing the Packers into uncomfortable spots, with injuries adding another layer of difficulty to an already messy afternoon. By the time Detroit lined up for the winning kick, Green Bay had already been battered by its own mistakes and a few decisions it could not control, which is exactly why this one landed so hard on the fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious Over This Late Call
Late-game officiating once again became the story in Green Bay, this time with defensive tackle Karl Brooks at the center of a roughing-the-passer flag against Lions quarterback Jared Goff. With under three minutes left in a tied game, the call handed Detroit a big gain and instantly shifted the pressure back onto the Packers, who were trying to hold serve in a tight NFC North battle.
The reaction was immediate and loud, with fans, media members and even former NFL quarterback Tom Brady publicly questioning the penalty. For Green Bay, the frustration is easy to understand: a decisive sequence in a one-score game turned on a call that left plenty of people asking what, exactly, officials saw. [Read more 🡒]