The Green Bay Packers came into their Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions looking for a fourth straight win, and a second win against a division opponent. By the end of the game, the team was left searching for answers to problems that have begun to threaten to derail their entire season.
In a game where the Packers held the Lions to just 20 points, Green Bay came away with a 20-17 loss. The loss dropped them to 4-3 and featured many of the hallmarks of the issues the team has faced all season. Penalties, drops, poor decisions, and even another bad showing from the officiating all played a hand in a game that seemed like it was the Packers for the taking.
The Packers have a short week yet again, but before they play the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football, let's look at some of the biggest reasons for the loss.
Five reasons the Packers lost to the Lions in Week 7
1. Trey Smack
Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Packers officially have a kicker problem. After hoping their woes at the position would end when they drafted Trey Smack in April, things looked great for a bit. Smack displayed the ability to drill long-distance field goals and seemed steady in the big games.
Over the last couple of weeks, though, that has completely unraveled. Smack had an abysmal game against the Chicago Bears, missing two field goals and an extra point, which fortunately didn't end up costing the team in any meaningful way. He followed that up with a fine game against the Dallas Cowboys, but against the Lions, the rookie completely fell apart.
Smack missed two field goals again against the Lions, both inside 35 yards. While he did make a 43-yard kick, Smack's two misses took six points off the board in an eventual three-point loss. Though his second missed kick was barely tipped, both were completely drifting when kicked.
A miss from 50-plus-yards is understandable in the NFL, but missing two kicks that are essentially at extra-point distance is inexcusable, and it's not at all hyperbole to say Smack cost them the game today. Matt LaFleur has already expressed confidence in the young kicker, though, so all fans can hope for is that he fixes whatever issue he may be having.
2. Drops
Smack will shoulder much of the blame, but truthfully, the game shouldn't have even come down to a field goal if the Packers could just execute. That starts with drops, as the Packers yet again had several major plays fall apart simply because someone couldn't catch.
That includes a would-be touchdown on the final drive of the game, where Jordan Love floated an absolutely perfect ball that hit Josh Jacobs in the hands in the end zone. However, Jacobs couldn't haul it in, and the Packers were forced to kick a field goal that Smack would go on to miss. Green Bay would never get the ball back in the game.
Drops have been an issue all season. The Packers lead the league in drops, and while some in a game are understandable, when it begins to hurt you as it has, something has to be done.
3. Another awfully officiated game
It would be silly not to talk about the downright awful officiating. While I wouldn't point to the refs as the real reason the Packers lost, they played a part once the team's own mistakes allowed the game to be as close as it was.
The Packers, already one of the most penalized teams in the league, had some of the worst calls made against them at crucial points in the game. This included two awful roughing-the-passer calls, as well as a questionable pass interference call on a play where Brandon Cisse intercepted the ball.
Usually, arguing about flags is silly, but these calls were so egregious that even those on the game's broadcast couldn't understand them. This issue is not localized to the Packers, as the NFL as a whole has seen a number of bad officiating calls this year. It's unclear what the fix is, but there is a clear issue that has to be addressed by the NFL in the offseason.
4. Matt LaFleur
LaFleur deserves both a ton of credit and criticism for this game. By and large, the head coach for the Packers dialed up some awesome plays and really put the team in position to succeed.
Unfortunately, the team responded by dropping a ton of passes, or simply not making the right read, as Jordan Love didn't on a fourth-down attempt from the goal line that saw Pierre Strong Jr. wide open, but the play went to Matthew Golden for a turnover on downs instead.
However, LaFleur deserves criticism for his decision-making on certain downs. On six of the Packers' nine offensive drives (not including the one right before halftime), they ran the ball on the first play. Even with starting running back Josh Jacobs back, the team generated just 12 total yards on those plays.
Wanting to establish the run is a fine endeavor, but the Packers simply do not have the offensive line or running back talent capable of doing so right now. As it stands, running the ball simply to do it is essentially just wasting a down and setting the team back for no reason, and LaFleur has to know that.
5. The Green Bay Packers
The officials might not have done the Packers any favors, but they didn't help themselves, either. Once again, the Packers' worst enemy in a game they lost was...the Packers.
Including the roughing-the-passer calls, the Packers were penalized eight times for 81 yards against the Lions. Taking away the "bad" calls, the team was still penalized six times, including a completely self-inflicted offsides call that essentially ended any chance of getting the ball back at the end of the game.
"Self-inflicted" is the operative word here, and really might end up being the best word that summarizes the Packers' 2026 season. The team clearly has the talent to beat anyone, but it consistently shows a lack of discipline and an inability to execute at a consistent level.
It's getting dangerously close to becoming the precedent for the team. Until that changes, the team will likely continue to struggle in every game, and even lose ones where it looks like they should've won.
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