That's your home opener?!
A performance so unexplainable, so unacceptable, so underwhelming. The Green Bay Packers were left humiliated by the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football, a 35-14 defeat, and their first loss in a home opener since 2012.
And for it to happen against the Falcons?! Not the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills or the Los Angeles Rams, but a Falcons team coming off two abysmal losses, with a defense that had just allowed 287 yards and three touchdowns to Bryce Young in a 31-point loss.
The Packers' arrow is pointing directly downward. It's hardly surprising, then, that we have far more losers than winners.
Winners and losers for Packers after humbling defeat to Falcons in Week 3
Winner: Matthew Golden
For a brief moment, it looked like Matthew Golden was about to celebrate his first regular-season touchdown, and also his first at Lambeau Field. But then reality hit, and Golden remembered his team still trailed by 13 points with only eight minutes remaining. No Lambeau Leap. No grand celebration. What a shame, because Golden should have his head held high.
He's looked every bit the difference-maker the Packers hoped he'd become this season. Golden was one of the few bright spots on the night, hauling in five catches for exactly 100 yards and a touchdown. That also doesn't factor in the pass-interference penalty he caused, which gave the Packers an additional 34 yards.
The Packers had many problems, but Golden wasn't one of them.
Winner: Skyy Moore
It's not a hot take to say Skyy Moore is the Packers' best offseason addition. He's already stepped up with some big returns, and he made plays on offense against the Falcons.
Moore chipped in with three catches for 31 yards, which might not sound like much to write home about, but it was a valuable contribution with Jayden Reed out. Moore also averaged 26.8 yards on his kick returns, including a 32-yarder.
Loser: Matt LaFleur
And so the Matt LaFleur Hot Seat discourse returns. If you're hoping to see the Packers make a coaching change anytime soon, I've got bad news for you. We can forget about it until at least the end of the season, barring a spectacular failure. Even then, the Packers may stick with the coach they only just handed a multi-year extension.
But the outside noise is justified. It's not all on LaFleur, especially with Brian Gutekunst handing him an offensive line not fit for purpose, but much of this performance does fall on the head coach.
The lack of discipline. The penalties. The same frustrating mistakes from last season, repeating over and over like Groundhog Day. It's the Packers' identity at this point, and that's a direct reflection of the head coach.
Loser: Jordan Love
It's hard not to feel sorry for Jordan Love. He has zero reason to trust his protection. He has no run game to lean on. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, the Packers' 146 rushing yards this season are their lowest through the opening three games since 1933.
The defense allowed 498 total yards, including 242 on the ground.
None of that is Love's fault, and it puts so much burden onto shoulders. The problem is he is starting to play like a quarterback carrying that weight. Love is missing easy passes, making uncharacteristic mistakes, and not doing enough to elevate those around him.
Per PFF, Love had zero big-time throws but three turnover-worthy plays and an adjusted completion percentage of just 64.6 percent. He put the ball in harm's way too often and rarely tilted the field in the Packers' favor.
It's hard to blame Love too much because of the chaos surrounding him, but the Packers need more from their quarterback.
Loser: Offensive line
Anyone else sick of talking about the offensive line? It was the same unacceptable story on Thursday Night Football.
It doesn't matter who starts. The Packers keep playing musical chairs with their lineup, but they're getting the same results no matter what.
Jager Burton stepped in at left guard but endured a nightmarish debut. By PFF's early count, the rookie allowed a team-high eight pressures with a pass-blocking grade of just 12.5(!). You don't see many grades that low. Jacob Monk wasn't much better, allowing six pressures and two hits and receiving a pass-blocking grade of 17.5.
And that's before even discussing the woeful run blocking. The running backs deserve their share of the blame, but 17 rushing yards at 1.9 yards per attempt is an awful reflection of the offensive line play.
Loser: MarShawn Lloyd
MarShawn Lloyd isn't getting much help, but he's also falling well short of expectations. Where is the explosiveness? The speed? The vision? We've seen it at training camp, but Lloyd has been unable to make an impact in the regular season.
He looks so hesitant and indecisive with the ball in his hands. It's also concerning how easily Lloyd goes down on first contact – per PFF, he averaged just 0.75 yards per carry after contact against Atlanta. It would appear the Packers haven't been too impressed, as his 15 snaps in this game suggest he's the RB3.
Loser: Tucker Kraft
Tucker Kraft wasn't happy with the booing at Lambeau, but fans have every right to express their opinion. The Packers need to play much better, and that very much includes Kraft.
He's only just returning from a significant injury, and it's important to remember that, but Kraft hasn't looked anywhere near his best. It's one thing to lack some explosiveness or timing while he works his way back, but that doesn't excuse the dropped passes and unforced errors.
Kraft had two drops in this game, and one was probably lucky not to be ruled a fumble.
Loser: Jonathan Gannon
Jonathan Gannon's defense kept the Packers in the game against the New York Jets last week, but they were humiliated by the Falcons. It was like Joe Barry never left.
It didn't matter if you knew it was coming – the Falcons piled up 242 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries. The Packers had no answer. They also got burned badly through the air by Drake London, who caught nine passes for 194 yards.
Has Atlanta found the blueprint? Michael Penix Jr. got the ball out quickly, which blunted the Packers' pass rush, and they leaned heavily on the ground game. Green Bay had shut down the run in Weeks 1 and 2, but this game got out of hand fast.
Loser: Brandon Cisse
Welcome to the NFL, Brandon Cisse.
The Packers' rookie cornerback has shown a ton of promise already this season, but this was a night to learn from. Penix went after him early and often. By PFF's count, Cisse allowed five completions on seven targets for 111 yards, a passer rating of 113.7.
It's not time to panic. Cisse will be fine. But this is a reminder that relying on a rookie to fix a glaring weakness on the roster will come with its ups and downs. This was a tough night for the Packers' second-round pick.
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