The Green Bay Packers couldn’t get out of their own way in the home opener. Once again, a makeshift offensive line and head-scratching decision-making cost them a game they could've won with a 35-14 head-scratcher.
Despite Michael Penix Jr’s evident rust and questionable play, the Packers’ defense didn’t have an answer for what Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees cooked for Thursday Night Football.
As a result, the Packers are now 1-2 and have more questions than answers, from their league-worst offensive line to the head coach. So, without further ado and not many positive things to say, let’s talk winners and losers.
3 winners and 4 losers from Packers’ terrible loss to Falcons
Winners
Matthew Golden
Matthew Golden may have quietly established himself as the Packers’ go-to guy in the passing game— sometimes to a fault. Jordan Love trusted him with multiple deep shots, some of which were overthrown and forced.
Even so, the second-year wideout was the lone bright spot in this game, hauling in 5 receptions on a team-best 11 targets for 100 yards and one touchdown. He did his part, unlike most of his teammates.
Xavier McKinney
Xavier McKinney picked off Michael Penix Jr. early on in the game, and he was as active and sharp as usual, especially in the first half of the game, even though the final score might not necessarily reflect that.
The star safety finished the game with four total tackles (one assist) and one interception, and was the only high point on a secondary that struggled to keep the offense off the field for most of the contest.
Skyy Moore
With Jayden Reed out with a gruesome injury, the Packers gave special teams ace Skyy Moore a longer leash, and he made the most of the extended opportunities with his quick twitch and explosiveness.
Moore had some big gains and made crucial catches, including a screen pass to get the Packers into the Falcons’ red zone. He finished the game with three catches on seven targets for 31 yards and returned five kicks for 134 yards.
Losers
Jordan Love
Jordan Love never got into a rhythm here. He had multiple tipped passes, made bad decisions out of desperation, and had several overthrows and forced passes. It wasn’t all on him, though, but this was his worst game in a while.
Love had no time to get rid of the ball and was constantly surrounded by multiple white jerseys. His final stat line of 28 completions on 53 attempts for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick actually looks slightly better than the tape.
MarShawn Lloyd
It’s safe to say that the MarShawn Lloyd experiment has been a failure. Of course, the line can’t run-block to save their lives, but he hasn’t shown the elusiveness and explosiveness the Packers raved about.
Lloyd averaged just 2.8 yards per carry and has failed miserably to make the most of Josh Jacobs’ absence. This running game has officially reached crisis status. He had just four carries for 11 yards and two catches for seven yards.
The offensive line
Talking about crisis, the Packers don’t have a single starting-caliber player in their offensive line. They have multiple guys playing out of their position because of injuries, and it shows. They couldn't keep pressure off Love to save their lives.
Anthony Belton even got beat on special teams in a blocked field goal attempt, and Aaron Banks’ eventual return won’t do much to help, either. The Packers will have to make some moves, or they can kiss the season goodbye. It was a miracle that they only gave up one sack.
Packers fans
Packers fans rallied to welcome the team after two bad games, and they didn’t get the type of performance such a passionate fan base deserved in the home opener. Suffice to say, they didn't get their money's worth.
Matt LaFleur was way over his head (again) and got exposed by one of the worst teams in the league. It was sloppy execution from start to finish, and this was an unacceptable display of mediocre football in Titletown.
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