The Green Bay Packers started slow again, turned the ball over three times — including twice in the fourth quarter — and lost 17-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night, dropping Matt LaFleur’s team to 2-3 with a two-game losing streak entering the Week 6 bye.
The Packers don’t play again until Oct. 22. They’ll have almost two weeks to figure what exactly happened during primetime losses to the Lions and Raiders in back-to-back weeks.
Buy Packers TicketsHere’s what went right, what went wrong, what it means and what’s next for the Packers coming out of Week 5:
What went right
— Despite giving up two 75-yard touchdown drives, the Packers defense allowed just 4.4 yards per play, delivered four sacks, and had a takeaway resulting in seven points. The Raiders averaged only 3.3 yards per rush. It was a winning performance in most circumstances.
— With his older brother on the opposite sideline and most of his family in the stands, Packers rookie kicker Anders Carlson made all three of his kicks, including two short field goals. He remains perfect through five games.
— Rudy Ford had an interception setting up quick and easy points for the Packers offense for the second consecutive game.
— Christian Watson produced an explosive play on a busted coverage. His 77-yard catch-and-run set up the Packers with 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line.
— A.J. Dillon rumbled to 76 yards and a score. He gained 34 of his rushing yards and scored his lone touchdown on the Packers’ first drive of the second half. It was his best performance of the season, maybe by a wide margin, but he still got hit in the backfield on too many plays.
— Overall, the Packers rushed for a season-high nine first downs.
— Kenny Clark, Preston Smith and Rashan Gary all ended Raiders drives with sacks on third down.
— Davante Adams played most of the game but caught only four passes for 45 yards. Then again, he had critical catches on the Raiders’ go-ahead touchdown drive in the second half.
— After a penalty bonanza during the first four games, the Packers committed only four for 28 yards.
What went wrong
— Jordan Love threw three interceptions of varying awfulness and magnitude. The first — thrown directly to Robert Spillane — was Love’s worst decision and throw of the season. The turnover led to a quick Raiders field goal. Later, he threw an interception on a deflected pass into tight coverage with the Packers in Raiders territory early in the fourth quarter. Finally, he underthrew Christian Watson in the end zone on a third-down deep ball with under a minute to go.
— No team — but especially this Packers team — can expect to lose the turnover battle 3-1 on the road and expect to win. The Raiders came into Week 5 with just one takeaway and a minus-9 turnover differential.
— Maxx Crosby terrorized the Packers offense. He finished with five tackles, four tackles for losses and one sack. More than anything, his presence was felt on every snap.
— The Packers scored only three points and trailed 10-3 at half. Over the last three games, the Packers have trailed 17-0, 27-3 and 10-3 at halftime.
— The offense was 4-for-12 converting on third down and 1-for-3 scoring touchdowns in the red zone. The failures inside the red zone were particularly meaningful to the outcome. Not scoring a touchdown after Watson’s 77-yard catch ended up being the difference.
— The Raiders converted 3rd-and-11, 3rd-and-5, 4th-and-1, 3rd-and-4 and 3rd-and-3 on the offense’s two touchdown drives.
— Romeo Doubs and Luke Musgrave both had critical drops during the two plays before Jordan Love’s game-sealing interception.
— Patrick Taylor, who was signed from the practice squad, carried twice and saw five targets. His seven opportunities netted seven total yards.
— The Packers continue to look like the NFL’s worst passing offense in terms of throwing the ball down the field. The willingness is there, but the execution is way off at this point.
What it means
This one will sting. The Packers had 10 days to prepare for a struggling, identity-less Raiders team riding a three-game losing streak but still managed to start slow and come up small in the biggest moments. Jordan Love, after getting harassed by the Lions, played what appears to be his worst game of the season. The Packers are young and learning some lessons the hard way on offense, and progression is never linear, but the constant regression on offense — both at quarterback and especially around the quarterback — since Week 1 is concerning. This was a game that, if the Packers were going to be contenders in 2023, many had circled as a win. Instead, the Packers let a very winnable game slip through the cracks. Through five games, it’d be hard to classify the Packers as anything more than a middling team that needs to improve in almost every facet.
What's next
A much-needed week off. Injuries continue to haunt Matt LaFleur’s team, so maybe the bye week can provide an opportunity for the Packers to finally put some lingering injuries behind them. This offense desperately needs Aaron Jones. It’s clear Christian Watson isn’t yet 100 percent. Elgton Jenkins, Jon Runyan Jr. and Zach Tom are playing through injuries. De’Vondre Campbell has missed two straight games. Quay Walker and Darnell Savage both exited Monday night with new injuries. Coming out of the bye, the Packers face the Denver Broncos, who are 1-4 and needed a huge comeback in Chicago to get their only win. But the Packers aren’t good enough to consider any game a layup. They need to regroup, get healthy and come ready to play Oct. 22 in Denver or this season could spiral quickly.
