The Green Bay Packers hoped to make a statement at home against the Detroit Lions in Week 9, but it was the Lions who instead came into Lambeau Field and proved their preeminence in the NFC right now.
The Packers are very clearly a good team, but the Lions were too good for them on Sunday despite the fact that this was the first game Detroit has played outdoors this entire season. The elements were supposed to play into Green Bay's favor. The Lions were supposed to be due.
Instead, it's the Packers who are going to be waking up disappointed on Monday morning. And every loss tells a story, so who is to blame for this one? Let's take a look at a trio of players (and a coach) who are probably most at fault for Green Bay.
Packers who deserve the blame for brutal loss vs. Lions in Week 9
1. Jordan Love
You've obviously got to extend Jordan Love a little bit of grace, because he worked extremely hard to get on the field in this game in the first place. Love has been dealing with a groin injury, and we saw the effects of that injury throughout the course of this game against the Lions.
But even playing injured, you expect Love to make better decisions with the football. He's been a little bit too reckless this season, and it burned him in this game against the Lions. That included a bizarre play in which Love seemingly soft-tossed the ball right to Lions safety Kerby Joseph, who returned it the other direction for six points.
In a game in which the Packers' defense was actually able to play moderately well and keep it close enough, that defensive touchdown by Detroit was detrimental for Green Bay. This wasn't a one-score game, but Love's turnover was arguably the biggest difference in this contest, as it went from being a seven-point game to a 14-point game, and the Lions were in control at that point.
2. Dontayvion Wicks
It's important to remember how young some of these offensive skill players are for the Packers, and that they are not exempt from the occasional bad game. But Dontayvion Wicks has been such a strong playmaker for the Packers early on in his career that you tend to expect better than this from him:
- 3 targets
- 0 catches
- 2 dropped passes
The dropped passes for Wicks included a dropped touchdown late in the game that would have potentially kept the Packers in it at a crucial time. They proceeded to get stopped on the ensuing fourth down attempt.
Wicks was truly a magician on that play. He made an 11-play, 74-yard drive completely disappear before everyone's eyes. Those are the plays you absolutely have to have in big divisional games like this.
3. Matt LaFleur
LaFleur is obviously not out on the field executing the plays he's calling for the Packers, but he deserves plenty of blame for the way this game turned out. Here are three noteworthy moments:
- Punted after an intentional delay of game despite getting within reasonable field goal range (overly conservative)
- Decided not to go for it on another 4th-and-3 while down 24-3 in the third quarter
- Kicked a field goal down by 21 points
We might be splitting hairs on some of this stuff here, but LaFleur was conservative in a game where he needed to be the aggressor. As talented as the Packers are, the Lions are even more talented at this point, and they were the ones who came into Green Bay and stepped on the gas. LaFleur had his chances to do so and he paid the price for playing it too safe.
4. Quay Walker
Despite the fact that Eric Wilson has been playing some really good football for the Packers of late, Quay Walker returned to the lineup and immediately was one of the worst players on the field.
Packers fans were absolutely roasting Walker in this game for taking poor angles, not getting off of blocks, and just generally not making a positive impact on the game at all. The former first-round pick out of Georgia has not lived up to his NFL Draft status. He finished the game with a missed tackle while allowing almost every pass thrown into his coverage to be completed.
The Packers might have to pivot back to Wilson and admit defeat on their former first-rounder here.