From a certain point of view, the Green Bay Packers lost more than the Cleveland Browns won last week. That's always the worst way to feel about a loss, especially against a team that doesn't quite stack up on paper.
But the realities of the sport require controlling what you can control and executing your job to the best of your ability with maximum effort within the framework of the rules in order to have a chance at victory. The Packers didn't do a great job of that in Cleveland, and that's why Matt LaFleur's squad came away with a humiliating loss.
Green Bay was called for 14 penalties, tying the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the most in Week 3. While there is an argument to be made about the validity of some of those penalties, even if you strip away four penalties you disagree with, there are still 10.
Matt LaFleur searching for answers as Packers struggle with discipline
It's hard to deny that the Packers don't have a penalty problem early in the 2025 campaign. The Packers now have 28 penalties through the first three weeks of the season, the third-highest total in the NFL. Only the Minnesota Vikings, who have 29, have as many or more penalties as Green Bay and have a winning record.
Like Micah Parsons said, it's hard to win in the NFL. It's even harder when the turf is full of yellow tissues that are impeding your progress.
"Two offsides is unacceptable for myself, for this team. Just things we shouldn't be doing, I shouldn't be doing, it's unacceptable. I fully apologize for my actions," Parsons said after the game.
It's not often you hear apologies for penalties like that, but it's a comforting thing to hear from a leader who carries so much attention. How it permeates throughout the locker room will be another story worth watching for this team.
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After all, the last time the Packers had 14 penalties in a game was in Week 3 of the 2010 season. The Packers won the Super Bowl that year. Green Bay holds such aspirations this year, and they're no further now, after a humiliating cross-conference loss early in the season, than they were two days ago from reaching that goal.
If anything, the Packers have seen how their weaknesses can burn them. The next step is an obvious one, but it requires the effort of the entire roster, and that's growing from the mistakes and minimizing them going forward.
It also requires recognizing it's a mindset that must stand whether Green Bay is playing another Super Bowl contender or a team most believe will be picking in the top 10 of next year's draft.
Still, under LaFleur, penalties have remained a prevalent issue. In 2023, the team was the eighth-most penalized team. Last year, they were 10th. No matter how you spin it, it's an issue that needs to be addressed for the Packers to reach the heights of their own lofty expectations.