Turn away for a few minutes, and you may have missed the Green Bay Packers self-destruct. An epic collapse. Embarrassing. Shambolic. Humiliating.
Nobody said it would be easy. The Cleveland Browns' defense had answers to almost everything Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson could throw at them in the opening two games, but the Packers' worst enemy was wearing white and gold.
Jordan Love's interception, which came with a 10-3 lead and a little over three minutes remaining, changed everything. That one play didn't single-handedly destroy the Packers' chances, but the team then fell like dominoes in disarray.
Biggest winners and losers for the Packers after ugly defeat to Browns in Week 3
Winner: Rashan Gary
Nobody has benefited from Micah Parsons' arrival more than Rashan Gary. The breakout is here. He added two more sacks in this game, taking his tally to 4.5 in the opening three weeks. Add in two quarterback hits and three tackles for loss, and the box score truly captures his dominance. The Browns had no answer.
There was plenty of blame to go around for this loss, but none fell on the defense. They held Cleveland to 13 points, seven of which came on a drive that began at their own 5-yard line. Gary led the way for another incredible defensive effort.
Loser: Packers' offensive line
The Packers had it all their way along the defensive line, but the Browns flipped the script on the other side of the ball. Injuries didn't help, but that's no excuse.
Green Bay still had plenty of talent on the field, but it didn't matter. Five bowling pins would've offered more resistance to Cleveland's fierce defensive front. Per PFF, Elgton Jenkins allowed two pressures and two sacks, while Jordan Morgan and Sean Rhyan each surrendered three pressures and a sack.
Add in five penalties from the offensive line and a rushing attack averaging 2.6 yards per carry, and Sunday afternoon quickly turned into a nightmare for Jordan Love's bodyguards.
Winner: Lukas Van Ness
The sack numbers aren't there yet, but Lukas Van Ness is making a seismic impact on this defense. PFF had the 2023 first-round pick at five pressures entering Week 3, and he doubled his season tally with another five on Sunday. Blink, and you'd miss Van Ness bursting into the backfield.
Parsons' arrival has helped everyone, but saying this almost downplays the rise of Van Ness. He is finally breaking out and performing like the first-round talent the Packers hoped he could become. Alongside Parsons and Gary, there may not be a scarier pass rush.
Loser: Rich Bisaccia
You know what nobody is scared of? The Packers' special teams. Rich Bisaccia's unit rolled out the red carpet and practically begged the Browns to block a field goal. After coming close once, they shut down the Packers' almost-certain game-winner.
It's exhausting. It was clear a week ago that Bisaccia's unit had major concerns. Scrap that. It was clear two years ago that the Packers needed a new special teams coordinator. Sigh.
Winner: Matthew Golden
Here comes Matthew Golden. The offense provided precious little excitement in this game, but the Packers' first-round pick sure did. His four catches for 52 yards led the way, and Matt LaFleur also had him rush three times.
Golden almost broke away for a 96-yard touchdown that would've sealed the game at 17-0. It's unclear whether the rookie lost his bearings and thought he had stepped out of bounds, or if he simply lost balance. It was still a 34-yard connection, but with green grass in front of him, Golden may have taken it to the end zone if he had kept running.
Still, Golden's performance stands out as a highly encouraging sign.
Loser: Jordan Love
For three quarters, Love managed the game solidly, overcoming little help from his offensive line. But franchise quarterbacks need to make clutch plays when it matters most, and Love simply didn't do that. His brutal interception began the collapse.
He finished the day 18 of 25 for 183 yards, one touchdown, and the costly interception. Love's had worse days, and the offensive line offered no resistance in front of him, but he made a critical error at the worst moment.