The Green Bay Packers took a 3-0 lead after an early takeaway but then gave up 27 straight points on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions, setting the stage for an “embarrassing” first half and a blowout victory for the visitors at Lambeau Field.
The Lions won 34-20 and took over first place in the NFC North.
Buy Packers Tickets“They manhandled us, really, in every phase,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It was very humbling.”
Here’s everything that went wrong for the Packers on Thursday night:
Can't protect Jordan Love
Love was under pressure on 20 of his 42 dropbacks, according to PFF. The Packers offensive line was credited with allowing 22 total pressures, by far a season high. The Lions only blitzed with five or more rushers on eight of 42 dropbacks, so most of the pressure and disrupted pockets came from a standard four-man rush. It’s worth noting that the Packers were playing with backups at left tackle and left guard, and both the right guard (Jon Runyan Jr, ankle) and right tackle (Zach Tom) were dealing with injuries. The Lions devoured this group, especially in the first half.
Can't run the ball, can't stop the run
The Packers allowed 211 yards on 43 rushing attempts but gained only 27 yards on 12 rushing attempts, creating a massive disparity on the ground. The Lions asserted their dominance along the line of scrimmage not only by pressuring Jordan Love, but by grounding Joe Barry’s defense to dust.
“Any time you go out there and you can’t effectively run the football and conversely can’t stop the run, that’s a recipe for losing football,” coach Matt LaFleur said.
Per PFF, the Lions created 120 rushing yards after first contact, and David Montgomery forced eight missed tackles in the run game. Kalif Raymond set up a score with a 40-yard run on a gadget play, so the Lions were both more physical and more creative than the Packers in the run game.
Through four games, Packers running backs are averaging 3.0 yards per carry on designed runs. The run-blocking from the offensive front continues to be a big problem.
Another slow start
For the second straight week, the Packers fell behind big in the first half. On Sunday, it was 17-0 to the Saints. Four days later, it was 27-3 to the Lions. The Packers jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Rudy Ford’s interception but then gave up 27 consecutive points in the first half. Matt LaFleur’s team gave up over 200 total yards and had just 22 total yards. The offense — and specifically quarterback Jordan Love — must find ways of starting faster in games. And the defense has to be able to hold down the fort while a young offense goes through lulls.
Costly penalty
The Packers would have been in trouble at 30-17 with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the game wouldn’t have been over. Quay Walker’s costly penalty on a field goal attempt handed the Lions four points and the game’s dagger. David Montgomery plunged into the end zone on fourth down to seal the deal. Coach Matt LaFleur said the Packers have to do a better job educating players on the rules in important situations. Walker’s penalty was one of four penalties on the Packers special teams on Thursday night.
Third-and-long
The Packers were stuck in third-and-long for most of the night. Penalties, sacks, negative plays and a lack of a run game were all to blame. The Packers faced 3rd-and-19, 3rd-and-16 and 3rd-and-21 in the first half and 3rd-and-21 on a key drive in the fourth quarter. Not surprisingly, the offense finished 3-for-11 on third down and struggled to sustain drives. No offense can consistently survive third-and-long.
Limited touches for top playmakers
Neither Aaron Jones nor Christian Watson — who made their returns from hamstring injuries — touched the ball before the Packers were down 24-3. They were both on pitch counts, but Jones received six touches on 20 snaps and Watson caught two of four targets on 26 snaps. The Packers needed both playmakers to help ignite the offense. Instead, Jones and Watson barely saw the football.
Turnover margin
The Packers turned the ball over twice — once in each half — and the defense’s lone takeaway resulted in nothing more than a field goal. The Lions picked off Jordan Love in the first half, creating a 7-yard touchdown drive. Later, the Lions got him again with the Packers in the red zone. The margin of error is far too thin for the Packers to be turning the ball over while creating easy touchdowns and erasing points.
Love struggles to handle pressure
Not only did the offensive line struggle to protect Jordan Love, but Love struggled to handle the pressure. To be fair, no quarterback consistently performs under duress. But the best in the game can mitigate the damage. Love made some big-time throws in the second half, but the final numbers under pressure weren’t pretty. He completed 6 of 14 passes for 48 yards and took five sacks losing 43 yards. Do the easy math: Love’s dropbacks under pressure netted all of five total yards.
