Man, what a gut punch for Green Bay. Four days after clawing their way back in a game that felt like it *should* spark something, the Green Bay Packers just absolutely flopped in their home opener, falling 35-14 to the Atlanta Falcons. This loss isn’t just a tough one, it drags their record down to 1-2 this season and stretches out an awful streak after they closed last year with five straight losses. Oof.
This Team Can’t Handle a Punch
It’s one thing to lose, but to lose like this against a Falcons team that was considered one of the worst in the NFL coming into Lambeau? A team that hadn’t even had a single red-zone trip in its first two games? That tells you everything you need to know about where the Packers are at. Even with Michael Penix Jr. making his first start for Atlanta, and Jordan Love putting up a respectable 28 of 53 passing for 312 yards, it just didn’t matter. There are too many holes around Love for even him to fix.
The defense actually started hot, holding the Falcons to just 50 yards on their first 12 plays. Xavier McKinney even snagged his first interception of the season! But then, the 13th snap happened. Edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. got flagged for roughing the passer, a forearm to the helmet, on what should have been a third-down stop. It was a tough call, yeah, but probably the right one. And boom, just like that, everything changed. Given new life, Bijan Robinson exploded for a 55-yard carry on the very next play. The Falcons poured on 203 yards on their next 28 plays and scored all 17 of their first-half points after Green Bay had taken a 7-0 lead. It’s the same old story with this team, isn’t it? When things go south, they just curl up like a turtle. Head Coach Matt LaFleur was absolutely fuming at Cox on the sideline, and who could blame him?
Run Over and Outmatched
This Falcons game felt like a nightmare rerun of the 2019 NFC Championship. Remember that one? San Francisco ran for 285 yards and the Packers managed just 62. Well, the Falcons just put on a clinic, and it was brutal to watch. Bijan Robinson, who’s easily one of the best running backs in the league, went off for an insane 194 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns. But get this, it wasn’t just him! Backup Brian Robinson Jr. added 50 yards on 10 carries, even waltzing in for a 7-yard touchdown because the run lanes were so wide open. Atlanta combined for a mind-boggling 242 yards on 41 carries. Meanwhile, Green Bay’s own ground game? A pathetic 17 yards on 9 carries. That’s just unacceptable.
So, where do they go from here? The season is still early, but after falling to 1-2 and extending that awful losing streak from last year, it feels like this team has some serious soul-searching to do. They need to figure out how to handle adversity, and fast, because the numbers are getting harder and harder to ignore.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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