A brutal 35-14 loss to the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football is exactly how the Green Bay Packers kicked off Week 3, a complete goose egg in their home opener after a season-opening loss and then a big win last week. It was a big fat doozy of a game, and man, there’s a lot to unpack after that disaster.
The Bright Spots In A Dark, Dark Game
Believe it or not, there were a couple of players who showed up despite the feeling of dread hanging over the entire stadium. Rookie DB Brandon Cisse put together a genuinely nice game for himself. This kid was all over the field, delivering some great coverage that forced incompletions and making good tackles right at the line of scrimmage or at the point of catch, preventing some huge plays. Sure, big plays still happened, but Cisse was a problem for the Falcons. Aside from one rookie mistake with an illegal contact foul (I swear I watched some of this with my eyes closed, so don’t quote me), there wasn’t much to complain about. He was a real bright spot in a seriously dark game.
And then there’s Matthew Golden. This second-year wide receiver’s breakout season is absolutely off to a fantastic start! Golden did an amazing job adjusting in the first half to haul in a ridiculous 45-yard heave from Jordan Love. He also snagged his first regular season touchdown with another equally impressive catch. But wait, there’s more: this dude is an absolute magnet for defensive pass interference calls! You gotta love that! It’s clear he’s gonna be a problem for defenses all season.
This Offense Is Completely Lost
Alright, let’s talk about the ugly, and unfortunately, there was a lot of ugly. Jordan Love looked absolutely scared out there, and while you can’t entirely blame him given the circumstances, it’s time for him to get it together. He had some truly horrendous throws on Thursday night, overthrowing, underthrowing, and just being wildly off target. There was even a hospital ball he threw to Christian Watson. Love hesitated way too much, and other times, he just panicked. He looked totally lost against a very bad football team like the Falcons, and the offense completely failed to capitalize on any big plays the defense managed to make. They did get into a bit of a rhythm during their second drive, which ended in their first touchdown, but honestly, that was about it for the night. He looked awful, but in fairness, I’m not sure how much better anyone else would’ve looked.
The problems weren’t just with the QB though. My running back, MarShawn Lloyd, my sweet little built-like-a-bowling-ball RB, looked blind out there. Seriously, he couldn’t find an opening if a sinkhole swallowed the entire field! And the offensive line? Don’t even get me started. “Something special” is definitely one way to put it, if by “special” you mean a complete mess.
So, the team heads into a desperately needed mini-bye week with a 1-2 record, and frankly, a whole lot to think about. Their next game is Sunday, October 4th, in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers. It kicks off at 1PM ET/12PM CT, and they better figure things out fast. That’s not a suggestion, that’s a threat.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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