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Three Overreactions From Packers’ Loss to Falcons (With Record Prediction)

Here are our three big takeaways from the Green Bay Packers’ horrendous loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.
Bill Huber|
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is shown during the first quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is shown during the first quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur called Thursday’s humiliating loss to the Atlanta Falcons a “butt-whoppin’.”

At least he got that part right.

The Packers were trounced 35-14, the most lopsided home loss in the LaFleur era. Right when you think there’s nowhere to go but up after the Meltdown in Minnesota and the Escape from New Jersey, Green Bay’s 13-year winning streak in home openers was set ablaze by its all-around ineptitude against a team that lost at home by 31 four days earlier.

Here are our three big takeaways.

1. Dazed, Confused, Abused

Green Bay’s offensive line stinks. The “organizational malpractice” is something we hit on a couple weeks ago and we’ll dive back into this weekend. But the Packers have absolutely no chance of saving this season unless drastic changes are made on the offensive line.

Whether that’s personnel additions, lineup moves or coaching changes, LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst better be spending a big chunk of the three-day mini-bye trying to come up with solutions. Otherwise, $220 million quarterback Jordan Love is going to spend time on the sideline wearing a sling or a cast.

It’s not as if Gutekunst hasn’t addressed the offensive line. The starting group on Thursday included first-round pick Jordan Morgan at left tackle, second-round pick Anthony Belton at right tackle and third-round pick (and contract-extended) Sean Rhyan at center. There should be a $77 million starter at left guard. The fifth starter is Jacob Monk, a former fifth-round pick who won the starting job at right guard early in camp and wasn’t challenged the rest of the summer.

Did Gutekunst draft bad players? Were those players poorly developed by position coach Luke Butkus? Is it the right players but in the wrong positions?

The Packers have three days to figure it out.

It’s one thing to get beat physically. That happens.

It’s another thing to get beat mentally. Or to be beaten by lack of communication. That just shouldn’t happen with a professional offensive line playing at home.

After the game, LaFleur was asked how he can fix the offensive line. During his response, he pointed to the lack of a running game.

“Anytime you drop back 50-some-odd times in a game and have nine rushes, it’s usually not going to bode well for you,” LaFleur said.

That’s true. It’s also true the play-calling split was 12 passes and three runs in the first quarter when it was a 7-7 game, and it was 17 passes and five runs when the score was 10-7. Remind me, who creates the game plan and calls the plays?

Given the investment, it’s fair to question what Butkus is coaching his players to do during the week. LaFleur, though, was aggravated when asked if changes needed to be considered.

“Oh, I’m not even going to respond to that question,” LaFleur said.

What’s true more than anything is Love is not going to survive the full 17-game season at this rate. Not when he’s taking clean shots like this one.

With a 1-2 record during the “soft” part of the schedule, the season has already reached a tipping point. The Atlanta game was always the biggest game in the early slate. You could guess the Packers would lose at Minnesota but win at the Jets. The Atlanta game was the only one at home, a winnable matchup but against a team with some high-end talent.

In this crucial game, the Packers weren’t competitive for the final three quarters because the offensive line is made of a combination of Swiss cheese and paper mache.

Love can’t fix the offensive line. Micah Parsons can’t fix the offensive line. It’s up to Gutekunst, LaFleur, Butkus and the players themselves to fix the offensive line. Otherwise, the boobirds will be flocking to Lambeau for an irrelevant final two months of the season, and then the restless fans can enjoy another offseason with no cap space or first-round pick.

2. Matt LaFleur’s Stupidest Coaching Decision

The Falcons stomped out the last flickering ashes when their touchdown and two-point conversion made it 35-14 with 3:33 to go.

The game was over. It should have been time to clear the bench, hand Love an ice pack, give MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson some reps in the run game, and get the hell off the field.

Instead, LaFleur called 13 consecutive passing plays in some bizarro quest to find some deodorizer for the manure pile.

“Yeah, we’re just trying to get something going,” LaFleur explained. “You’re just trying to play your way out of it. Certainly, I knew the risk there. I never like seeing him get hit like that, and yeah, that’s why we kept rolling.”

Play their way out of it? By completing some passes in garbage time against a defense that continued to blitz? Would scoring a lipstick-on-a-pig touchdown have done anything to build momentum for the game at Tampa Bay in a week-and-a-half?

Love was hit and taken to the ground four times during the final drive, including this play after the 2-minute warning.

And this play in which the Falcons could have tacked on a pick-six but showed some mercy.

For everything that went wrong against Atlanta, LaFleur’s decision to throw his quarterback back to the wolves was the most foolish.

3. Revising Packers’ Final Record Prediction

Before the season, I predicted an 8-9 final record. What about now? Let’s take a quick look at the rest of the schedule.

Week 4: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers, who are 0-2 headed into Sunday’s home game against the Vikings, just lost at home to Cleveland, so maybe the Packers can rebound. But the Bucs are 13th in pass-rush win rate and have a great run defense. Prediction: Lose.

Week 5: Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson probably senses blood in the water, especially if Caleb Williams is back in the lineup. Prediction: Lose (depending on Williams’ status).

Week 6: Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys’ pass rush remains terrible without Micah Parsons, who might make his debut in this game. Prediction: Win.

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

On offense, the Lions can score points by the bushel. On defense, they are eighth in pass-rush win rate. The homefield edge could make this one ugly. Prediction: Lose.

Week 8: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers gave 59 points to the Bears and three points to the Falcons. So, who knows. The presence of Parsons swings this game in Green Bay’s direction. Prediction: Win.

Week 9: at New England Patriots

Mike Vrabel’s defense has given up 16 points in the first two games. The Patriots are physical. The Packers? Prediction: Lose.

Week 10: Minnesota Vikings

Brian Flores blitzed Jordan Love from start to finish in Week 1, no different than he did at Lambeau Field last season. Clearly, he believes the Packers can’t handle his pressure. Parsons was the X-factor in last year’s win at Lambeau and will be again. Prediction: Win.

Week 12: at Los Angeles Rams

Happy Thanksgiving Eve. Enjoy the turkey after watching Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald and Byron Young attack Green Bay’s line and knocking the stuffing out of Jordan Love. Prediction: Lose.

Week 13: at New Orleans Saints

The Saints almost won at Detroit in Week 1 and they did win at Baltimore in Week 2. The noise inside the Superdome won’t help Green Bay’s porous pass protection. Prediction: Lose.

Week 14: Buffalo Bills

This is supposed to be on Sunday night on NBC. The Packers might prefer this game to be played at noon. Or 5:30 a.m. On public access. Prediction: Lose.

Week 15: Miami Dolphins

The Packers might not be very good, but the Dolphins are terrible. Prediction: Win.

Week 16: at Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson thought about going for two late in the game against Carolina so the Bears could hit 60 points in Week 1. What will he want to do to Matt LaFleur? Oh, Merry Christmas. Prediction: Lose.

Week 17: Houston Texans

This is supposed to be a Monday night game. Jordan Love might want to call in sick given the potential mismatch of his offensive line against a Texans defense that ranks sixth against the run and third in sack percentage. Prediction: Lose.

Week 18: Detroit Lions

The Lions might be playing for something. Will the same be true for the Packers? Prediction: Lose.

Final Record

That adds up to a 5-12 record. That seems harsh and is probably a byproduct of my own recency bias. The potential return of Josh Jacobs would impact the bottom line. Regardless, unless Green Bay can fix its offensive line and find a running game, this is shaping up to be another lost season.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.