The Packers walked out of Detroit with a 20-17 loss, but the result wasn’t the only thing that left Green Bay irritated. A disputed roughing the passer flag in the closing minutes handed the Lions a shot to get into field goal range, and Detroit cashed it in with the game-winning kick as time expired.
That call set off a wave of frustration inside the Packers’ locker room, and safety Xavier McKinney didn’t hide how he felt after the game. Green Bay had already seen pass rusher Micah Parsons take to social media to complain about the officiating and the NFL, and McKinney followed with his own blunt assessment.
“I don’t know how the NFL’s going to treat it, but I’m not a big fan of the refs right now,” remarked the Packers safety.
“I don’t think it’s great officiating, if I’m being completely honest. I think it’s bulls- a lot of the times.”
The late penalty wasn’t the only one Green Bay took issue with, either. The Packers were bothered by two disputed calls in the loss, adding more fuel to their complaints about how the game was handled.
Still, the officiating wasn’t the only reason Green Bay came up short. Trey Smack missed two of his three field goal tries, including a blocked kick in the fourth quarter that wiped out a chance for the Packers to take the lead. Jordan Love also said the offense didn’t meet its normal standard.
The roughing the passer call has only added to the ongoing questions around how that rule is being enforced. For the Packers, though, the bigger task is turning the page and cleaning up the parts of their own game that helped decide the outcome.
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Xavier McKinney has been among the Packers voices pushing back, and he was hardly alone. Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter also weighed in on the broader problem, underscoring how the conversation has shifted from isolated complaints to a wider annoyance with how games are being called. For Green Bay, it is not just about one bad break or one rough sequence, but the growing sense that officiating has become too inconsistent to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Are Putting Too Much On Jordan Love Right Now
Jordan Love has been asked to do a lot for the Packers early on, and Jeff Saturday made sure to point out why on ESPNs First Take. Saturday defended Love by stressing the problems around him, from a heavy number of dropped passes to a run game that has not offered much help, along with pass protection issues that have made the offense even harder to sustain.
Love offered a similar view after Green Bays loss to the Detroit Lions, saying the run game needs to improve and expressing optimism about what Josh Jacobs can bring after his first appearance of the season. For a Packers offense still searching for rhythm, Jacobs return matters because it could give Love more balance and take some of the burden off his shoulders. [Read more 🡒]