Thursday was as bad a showing as the Green Bay Packers have had all season, as the Atlanta Falcons came to Lambeau Field and upset the Packers 35-14 for Green Bay’s first home-opening loss since 2012. The team is now 1-7 over their last eight games, and boos were heard throughout the game — when Falcons fans weren’t chanting “A-T-L.”
Packers fans were looking for one thing on offense tonight: Any signs of life for the running game. Green Bay ran the ball just eight times for 17 yards tonight, while
quarterback Jordan Love threw the ball 53 times for head coach and play-caller Matt LaFleur (on top of taking a sack and scrambling once). Love was still in the game with a minute and change left on the clock, taking unnecessary hits in a game where the Packers were down three full touchdowns.
Defensively, the Packers came in looking good. They led the NFL in yards per carry allowed through two weeks of football, despite having a poor showing in the red zone…until the Falcons countered Jonathan Gannon’s aggressive defense with outside zone runs that punished overpursuits. Thankfully, the Falcons never made the red zone going into Week 3…until they entered the red zone five times against Green Bay.
Atlanta’s two stars on offense, running back Bijan Robinson and receiver Drake London, combined for 407 yards of total offense. It was clear who the Falcons were going to feed while quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made his first start since tearing his ACL last season — the Packers just couldn’t stop them.
Special teams didn’t even go right for the Packers tonight, as they had a kick blocked.
The occasional Matthew Golden and Christian Watson explosive play is fun to watch, but Love has played better football in his career — and Golden, Watson and tight end Tucker Kraft are dropping the ball — beyond the offensive line’s clear struggles. The offensive plan just isn’t working, assuming they have a plan.
Something needs to change in Green Bay, or it’s going to be a long, gross year offensively. You can’t drop back 86 percent of the time in the NFL, like the Packers did tonight. Love won’t survive the season doing that. LaFleur might not, either.
