Well, we knew there would be days like this. A tough loss arrived for the Green Bay Packers against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday after they controlled the game for much of the day.
As always, here are my instant takeaways from the Packers performance.
Buy Packers Tickets— This was one of those games that you knew the Packers would lose this season. One where it felt like they should win, but ultimately a young offense couldn’t come up with the first down or big play they needed in the fourth quarter to slow the Falcons’ charge. There are likely going to be more other losses that feel this way this season. It’s an unfortunate part of the growing pains.
— Without David Bakhtiari, Rasheed Walker took over at left tackle. It was an up and down start with a penalty and what looked like a missed block on a third down blitz, but Walker seemed to settle in. This unit seemed to hold their own in pass protection, but the Packers ability to move the ball on the ground was still very inconsistent. Running outside has been a challenge both weeks, while AJ Dillon struggles to pick up more than three or four yards—and that seems to be if things are going well.
— Jenkins would leave the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. On a third down run by Dillon, Jenkins appeared to be shaken up, but he finished out that drive before exiting. Royce Newman stepped in for Jenkins and held up well.
— For three quarters, it was a really sound performance from Jordan Love. He took care of the football. He was accurate, for the most part, and took advantage of what was available by getting the ball to players in space or in favorable matchups. However, Love and the offense went very quiet in the fourth quarter. The offense was discombobulated. Love was inaccurate, and some of the issues can be contributed to the Packers inability to pick up consistent yards on the ground.
— Injuries on the offensive line. The offense was missing Aaron Jones and Christian Watson, but Matt LaFleur had a really solid day from a play-calling standpoint. He gave the Falcons a ton of different looks to deal with. Had the running and passing games playing off each other really well, along with having a good mix of inside and outside runs. In the passing game, it led to a lot of one-on-ones and the pass catchers getting into space, with the touchdowns to Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks being good examples of the play design helping to create those opportunities.
— The Falcons offense were run and quick game heavy against the Panthers. To try to mix things up against the Packers, Desmond Ridder came out throwing the ball. He had as many pass attempts in the first half against Green Bay as he did all of Week 1. Atlanta found some success with that approach, specifically over the middle and on some intermediate routes, but this offense was at it’s best once Bijan Robinson became the focal point.
— We have to take some time to talk about Robinson: this Falcons offense was completely different once he started getting the ball regularly. Whether as a ball carrier or in the passing game, he is so tough to bring down. His presence also helped open up opportunities for others in the passing game. At the end of the day, not being able to stop Robinson was why the defense ran into struggles late.
— Drake London had six receptions for 67 yards and Kyle Pitts two for 15. London had just one target in Week 1, and while he didn’t dominate this game, he had a touchdown and a big play to spark the Falcons’ go ahead scoring drive. That’s the challenge this Atlanta offense provides. If you get too focused on Robinson, Pitts and London can hurt you. With that said, coming into the game, priority No. 1 should have been focusing on Robinson.
— Kenny Clark didn’t fill the stat sheet with sacks, but he dominated the Falcons interior offensive line. Quay Walker also had a really nice day. I would bet that several of those runs from Robinson go for a lot more yards if he wasn’t flying around making tackles.
— The Packers have elevated Patrick Taylor twice to primarily help on special teams, but on a few occasions we saw his value on offense as a blocker. Once on a blitz pickup that resulted in a big run from Love and on the other he was the lead blocker on Jayden Reed’s touchdown run.
— Rashan Gary was again on a snap count, utilized on obvious passing situations.
— On several plays we saw the Packers again using six offensive lineman. They’ve done that in each game this season. Also, this game was a prime example in the value of having the as much depth as the Packers have on the offensive line.
— Penalites were still a bit of an issue for the Packers as they were called for six. They weren’t nearly as effective on third downs, which contributed to their issues on offense, converting just three of their eight attempts. They were also two-for-three in the red zone.
— It was feast or famine for the Packers offense. They ran just 46 offensive plays. They basically either put together a scoring drive or went three-and-out. The Falcons, meanwhile, ran 78 plays, controlling the game and the clock with their ground game.
— The Packers won the turnover battle 1-to-0, but it could have been even better, with Walker and Jaire Alexander both dropping interceptions that could have led to scoring drives for the offense. There’s a chance that the game ends differently if those plays are made.
— Anders Carlson has another perfect day, going 3-for-3 on extra points and making his lone field goal attempt. There were a lot of ups and downs this summer but a strong start to the season for him.
— At least on the initial viewing, when Ridder did hold the ball as he waited for longer developing routes to open up, he oftentimes had the time he needed. It seemed like the Falcons offensive line held their own in pass protection.
