Three Overreactions From Packers’ Victory Over Jets (Penalize Matt LaFleur)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Jets on Sunday. To be sure, an ugly overtime win against a team that lost 14 games last season isn’t a sign that the Pack Is Back. The reality is the Jets lost the game more than the Packers won it.

Here are our three big takeaways, and it starts with the complete lack of discipline shown by coach Matt LaFleur’s team.

1. Flag Daze

The Packers were penalized 14 times for 133 yards on Sunday. For additional context – not that any is needed – they finished the game with only 199 yards on offense.

Just how bad was it? Pro Football Reference has penalty data going back to at least 1941. The 14 penalties tied for the fifth-most over those 85 seasons. Only once since 1987 had the Packers been guilty of more assessed penalties, with the 2010 team coached by Mike McCarthy flagged for 18 in a loss at Chicago.

The yardage was the 11th-most and the first day of more than 100 yards in the Matt LaFleur era.

It was ugly. Maybe Scott Novak’s crew, to quote the legendary former Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy, were a bunch of “over-officious jerks.” After all, the Jets were penalized 13 times for 156 yards.

However, were the refs a bunch of jerks at Minnesota, too? (OK, maybe don’t answer that one.)

Through two games, the Packers have been penalized 26 times for 231 yards. That’s five more penalties for 27 more yards than any other team. (The Jets are second in both.)

And those are just the assessed ones. Including penalties that were declined or offsetting, the Packers have been flagged 32 times. That’s nine more than the Jets and Bears and at least 11 more than any other team. The league median is 17.

Penalties are going to happen. But some penalties are downright unacceptable. Karl Brooks jumped offside on third-and-4 on the opening drive being an obvious one. There were two penalties for illegal formation.

Other penalties are downright stupid and selfish. On the next third down after Brooks’ penalty, Javon Bullard was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, which handed the Jets another undeserved first down. Early in the fourth quarter with the Packers trailing 14-7, Chris McClellan was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a punt return, which cost the team 14 yards in field position.

“We’ve got to take a look at it,” LaFleur said. “Certainly the ones where, you know, Bull gets caught for taunting when we’re off the grass. Anything directed towards a player from another team [will be a penalty]. Even though that was his former teammate, the officials don’t know what you’re saying.

“So, we’ve got to keep emphasizing celebrating with each other, and you can’t do anything like that because it puts us in a tough situation. But the ones that are just mind-blowing are the false starts, jumping offsides, lining up offsides. Those are the ones that’ll get you beat.”

Here's our weekly analysis of the snap counts, plus one stud and one dud, from the Packers' victory over the Jets.⬇️https://t.co/eHANi4vap6
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 21, 2026

With the Monday night game to be played, the Packers according to NFL Penalties are:

First with four unnecessary-roughness penalties; the league average is 0.63.

First with two roughing-the-passer penalties.

First with five penalties for defensive offside/neutral-zone infraction.

Tied for first with eight penalties for offensive holding.

Tied for first with two illegal formations.

Tied for fifth with two defensive passer interference.

Tied for sixth with four false starts.

According to Stathead, Green Bay’s 26 accepted penalties are tied for the sixth-most in NFL history through two games. The yardage count ranks 13th. In Packers history, the previous record was 22 penalties in 1947 and 192 yards in 1951.

That’s terrible, unacceptable football, and it’s going to kill a team with little margin for error.

That starts with the coaching. It starts with LaFleur preaching the need to play with composure and the position coaches for teaching – and demanding – the proper techniques. The players aren’t without blame, of course. Everyone knows the rules. If you’re McClellan, cut out the tough-guy nonsense when you’re losing to the Jets.

“Yeah, I think that’s definitely an area we’ve got to improve on,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “That’s two weeks where we’ve had a lot of penalties that just put us back. Those are things that stop drives, put you behind the sticks, obviously, and it’s tough to overcome. That’s an area we’ve got to focus, clean up, figure out what’s going on, especially on just pre-snap alignment penalties, things like that. Definitely an area we’ve got to improve.”

Improve, or else.

2. Offensive Line Is Ruined

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Zach Bako-Bewele (50) is carted off the field agaisnt the Jets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Green Bay’s offensive line is terrible. It was a big question mark entering the season and now might be without premier right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele for the rest of the season. Combined with high-priced left guard Aaron Banks managing to play only two of nine quarters this season, the Packers are in big trouble.

How can the Packers beat real defensive lines with their makeshift offensive lines?

“We got to do it. It is what it is. Those are the circumstances,” LaFleur said. “There’s a lot of things that we don’t control, but we do control how we respond. And guys are going to have to step up, and that’s just the way it is. We’re going to have to do a great job coaching them up.”

Is offensive line coach Luke Butkus capable of getting the backups-turned-starters coached up? Any chance at reaching the playoffs will hinge on that answer.

3. The Losing Gamble

We hit on this after the game on Sunday, but it’s worth repeating and taking in another direction.

The Packers this offseason thinned the herd at receiver by letting Romeo Doubs go in free agency and trading Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles.

It was a huge bet by general manager Brian Gutekunst that Christian Watson and Jayden Reed – who he would later hand contract extensions – and former first-round Matthew Golden could carry the receiver corps.

It was one hell of a gamble considering their injury histories and the attrition that comes at the position. It took one game and two snaps to throw the Packers’ passing attack into scramble mode.

To be sure, nothing matters more than Reed’s health following Sunday’s neck injury. Reed posted a positive update from New Jersey after the game.

Doing much better, appreciate all the prayers and support 🙏🏾 #GPG🧀
— j.reed11💂🏾 (@JaydenReed5) September 20, 2026

However, combined with Savion Williams already on injured reserve and Bo Melton exiting with a stinger, the Packers finished the game with Watson, Golden, Skyy Moore and J. Michael Sturdivant as the only receivers.

Moore and Sturdivant were the lone additions to the receiver corps after parting ways with Doubs and Wicks. Moore was signed to return kicks – and he’s been excellent in that regard – and Sturdivant went undrafted.

Doubs caught 202 passes for 2,424 yards and 21 touchdowns in four seasons and Wicks caught 108 passes for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons. Imagine thinking Williams (who caught one downfield pass as a rookie), Melton (who went from 16 catches in 2023 to eight in 2024 to four in 2025), Moore (who caught five passes the previous two seasons) and Sturdivant (a rookie) were going to be good enough to pick up the slack.

Added together, the Packers are an undisciplined team with a bad offensive line and a depleted receiver corps. Otherwise, as the saying goes, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Prof. @JacobWestendorf has the grades from yesterday's Packers victory over the Jets. ⬇️https://t.co/rQSWWeyLfS
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 21, 2026

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