2 winners (and 3 losers) for Packers in Week 4 loss to Lions
You can't win 'em all, but for the Green Bay Packers to lose again at home to the Detroit Lions? Well, there seems to be a bit of a pattern going there. The Lions officially have a winning record against the Packers over the last 10 years (11-10) and Detroit has won four matchups in a row.
The Packers obviously need to get back to the drawing board and they will, but not before we determine some of the top individual winners and losers from the game.
Even in defeat, you can still evaluate some positive things for the team and there definitely were some of those for the Packers. But there were also some unfortunate red flags that came up, and we're going to unpack that. Let's take a look at the top winners and losers for the Packers in their Week 4 loss to the Lions.
2 winners and 3 losers from Green Bay Packers Week 4 loss
Loser: Joe Barry/Packers run defense
The Green Bay Packers' run defense the last two weeks has been atrocious. It hasn't quite been on the level of the Denver Broncos, but it's been frustrating nonetheless. The Packers' run defense was bad against Atlanta in Week 2. They've given up a whopping 621 rushing yards in four games, 31st in the NFL (again, thanks Broncos) and you can't help but think defensive coordinator Joe Barry is at least partially to blame here.
The Lions, tactically speaking, knew that their offensive line and running game were at an advantage all night, despite the fact that the Green Bay Packers have one of the most talented defensive fronts in the NFL right now. The Lions' running game ripped off big gains, converted in the red zone, converted in short-yardage, and converted on third- and fourth-down plays.
The Packers have been run on all year. Teams are averaging 33 rushing attempts per game against this defense. The ability to run on the Packers negates arguably their greatest strength, which is the pass rush.
If all teams have to do is get out to an early lead against Green Bay and then run the ball, it could be a long season.