For the last three weeks, the Green Bay Packers looked like they had put a ton of issues to bed.
Then, in the team's 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions, they all came back, costing the team yet another winnable game and proving there's still plenty to address if they want to reach their goals.
Blame for the Packers' loss to the Lions on Sunday could be laid at the feet of many people.
Trey Smack, who missed two chip-shot field goals, and the referees, who were lambasted on social media after the game by the NFL community at large for some of the egregious calls, are just a couple. Matt LaFleur, whose play-calling in certain situations continues to produce some truly head-scratching moments, is another.
However, the thing that hurt the Packers the most in their loss to the Lions, and what continues to rear its ugly head time and time again...is the Green Bay Packers. Sunday's loss to the Lions was yet another game where the Packers, for lack of a better word, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Drops, penalties, and undisciplined play continue to derail Packers' season
We can start with one of the most glaring problems the Packers have been facing all year: drops. The team currently leads the league in the category, and it's only getting worse. Last week, massive drops that cost the team touchdowns were easy enough to hand-wave away, as they didn't cost the Packers the game.
This week, though, they did.
Not only did Matthew Golden drop another ball that should've been caught, but running back Josh Jacobs dropped a perfectly thrown pass on 3rd-and-5 that would have been a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Instead of Jacobs scoring, the Packers settled for a field goal that Trey Smack promptly missed. Other players, like Bo Melton, dropped passes, and even the defense got involved, with Evan Williams dropping an easy interception late in the game.
As a whole, it's an issue that simply can't happen, but it's even more egregious when high-level players like Golden and Jacobs are the ones doing it. Beyond the drops, the Packers continue to commit self-inflicted, careless mistakes in the penalty department.
Like drops, the team also leads the league in penalties and shows no signs of stopping. We won't count stuff like the two roughing-the-passer calls or the intentional grounding call, but the Packers continued to commit the worst penalties at the worst time.
Familiar issues have plagued Packers throughout Matt LaFleur's tenure
On a Lions 3rd-and-5 with two minutes remaining, the Packers' defense had a chance to get off the field, force the Lions into an earlier field goal, and potentially give the offense the ball back.
Instead, Karl Brooks jumped offsides, giving the Lions a free first down and ensuring the offense would never touch the ball again. It's plays like this that are so frustrating, as they show the team still has issues with living in the moment of a game and being a bit too aggressive.
Despite the drops and penalties, though, the Packers continued to put themselves in good positions to score or win the game.
However, the final issue – discipline and fundamentals as a whole – ruined any chance of that. At several points in Sunday's game, the Packers just didn't look like the more stable and consistent team.
The biggest of those came when the team was attempting a fourth-down conversion from inside the Lions' 10-yard line. Jordan Love didn't wait long enough to see Pierre Strong Jr. open in the end zone, instead being forced into a panicked throw, a quick out to Matthew Golden that resulted in a turnover on downs.
On the play-calling side, as mentioned, the team did itself no favors either. Matt LaFleur continued to stick to a "run on first down" mentality, with the Packers running with the first play on six of nine drives (not counting the pre-halftime drive).
The Packers continue to operate like the team they have been for some time under LaFleur: a team that can be very good when playing a complete game of football, but cannot consistently do so. As a result, the team often finds itself in close games that, frankly, have no business being close.
Whether it's an issue of coaching, players, leadership, or all three, the Packers must figure it out sooner rather than later. The team has already lost three games, two of which were to division rivals and conference threats, and they can't really afford to have any more "losses that should be wins" throughout the season.
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