The Green Bay Packers eked out a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, a 17-14 victory that saw the team improve to 2-2.
As important as it was, the Packers continued to show the sloppy style of play that simply won't do against better opponents moving forward.
Going up against a rookie quarterback in Jalon Daniels, many assumed this would be a game the Packers would handle with more ease, and they should have. They had a number of opportunities to go up big against the Buccaneers, who struggled to generate much on offense behind a quarterback so new to the league.
However, a trio of issues continued to plague the Packers during the game. Chief among those issues were penalties. Green Bay, which was already near the top of the league in penalties accepted and penalty yardage, once again got flagged a ton on Sunday.
Packers' play littered with penalties, drops, and turnovers through first four games
Penalties
The team had 10 penalties called against them for 68 yards, but what was worse than the number of penalties was when they occurred.
On three separate occasions, the Packers had penalties called on the first play of a drive, immediately putting the team in a 1st-and-20 situation that resulted in punts. For an offense already struggling for rhythm, undisciplined penalties like that make it impossible to generate anything.
Turnovers
Alongside penalties, turnovers were another big issue. This once again reared its head on Sunday in two huge ways.
Late in the game, the Packers had the ball at the Buccaneers' 2-yard line and looked ready to put the game away and go up 24-14. Instead, running back Kaleb Johnson lost a fumble right at the goal line, giving the Bucs the ball back.
After stopping the Bucs and regaining possession inside the 35-yard line with four minutes left, the Packers once again had a chance to put the game away. Instead, quarterback Jordan Love threw an interception on the second play, giving the Bucs yet another chance at a game-tying or game-winning drive.
It could've been even worse. MarShawn Lloyd fumbled a ball out of bounds, and Matthew Golden had a fumble call reversed to an incompletion.
While the Bucs ultimately didn't convert on any turnover opportunity, the Packers must find a way to limit them going forward. The team won't always be playing teams with no wins and rookie quarterbacks, and we've already seen what can happen when you have self-inflicted issues against a team that can score more effectively against the likes of the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.
Drops
Speaking of self-inflicted, the Packers' issues with drops continue to be a major problem.
Golden, Tucker Kraft, and Bo Melton all had drops that would've either scored a touchdown or continued a drive with a big play on third down. A week after a game against the Falcons in which the entire team had issues holding onto the ball, it's alarming to see it continue here.
Thankfully, there weren't as many drops Sunday as there were last week, but with the team already leading the league in the stat, and struggling to generate scoring drives as is, not being able to bring in a ball is yet another thorn that must be figured out.
Ultimately, the Packers will take being 2-2 with all these problems instead of 1-3 (or 0-4). A win is a win, and you should never be upset about one.
However, the Packers still face too many alarming issues they must fix, especially if they want to compete in the competitive NFC North and make a run in a tough conference.
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