The Green Bay Packers' dreams of going undefeated came to a shocking end on Sunday with the Cleveland Browns pulling off the 13-10 upset win. Everything about this game screamed a team that has been reading its own headlines and buying in. The Browns were hungrier and far more focused than a Green Bay roster that appeared to believe their simple presence would be enough for the Browns to roll over. Even after an incredibly difficult first half, the Packers refused to wake up.
Green Bay beat writer Ryan Wood noted this, pointing out that it was a "valuable lesson" that you must show up each and every week. There is no reasonable fan or pundit who thinks the Browns are a better roster or have more talented stars. Everything about this loss is a waving red flag that the Packers had too much confidence after back-to-back dominating wins over the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders. Suddenly, two teams are right back in line with the Packers in the postseason race.
Packers Must Learn fromAwful Week 3 Loss Moving Deeper into 2025 Season
The lesson here for a young team is clear: you're now among the league's elite, and this means each and every week expect the best shot of whoever is on the schedule. It doesn't matter if it's a top playoff contender or the lowly Cleveland Browns, you're going to be given a focused effort, and if you don't meet this same standard, history will repeat itself. It is the type of loss Packers players are going to be kicking themselves over deeper into the season.
Green Bay is in an incredibly tight NFC North race and looking to establish itself as a threat for the NFC's top seed. Both of these efforts were incredibly damaged by a loss that was on the shoulders of a roster that simply overlooked what they deemed to be an inferior team. Even when it was clear things weren't going their way, the energy never seemed to shift.
The Browns hung in the game based on the refusal of the Packers to take advantage of numerous opportunities to put them away. Two late clutch drives by an aging Joe Flacco allowed the upset and the ultimate lesson for the Packers.
With the Packers facing the Bengals and Cowboys in the next two weeks, there must be a return to form of the first two weeks. You cannot choose just to get up and focus on the games that you deem are important or an equal matchup.
A lesson the Packers hopefully learned in a frustrating loss that shouldn't have happened. Fans can only hope it served as the kick the roster needed to maintain its focus throughout the rest of the year to chase greatness.