The Green Bay Packers didn’t have left tackle David Bakhtiari, running back Aaron Jones or receiver Christian Watson for Sunday’s showdown with the Atlanta Falcons, and left guard Elgton Jenkins left in the first half with a knee injury.
The short-handed Packers also led 24-12 entering the fourth quarter but then suffered through what can only be described as a total, three-phased collapse.
Buy Packers TicketsAfter the 25-24 defeat at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, coach Matt LaFleur referenced an inability to play complementary football as the primary reason behind the crushing defeat.
Upon further review, an inability to accomplish much of anything on offense, defense and special teams cost the Packers what could have been a 2-0 start to the 2023 season.
On offense, the Packers ran 10 plays and gained a total of 11 yards over three drives in the fourth quarter. The result of the three drives: punt (three-and-out), punt (three-and-out), turnover on downs (four plays). Jordan Love nearly threw a pick-six, was 0-for-6 passing and botched a quarterback sneak. A.J. Dillon rushed four times for only 11 yards and was stuffed on 3rd-and-1.
On defense, the Packers gave up three straight scoring drives, including a 75-yard touchdown drive after the Packers took a 24-12 lead and a 12-play, 66-yard drive resulting in the go-ahead field goal with 57 seconds left. The Falcons converted five times on third or fourth down. The Packers allowed passing plays of 45 yards (Mack Hollins), 29 yards (Bijan Robinson) and 24 yards (Drake London) and 56 total rushing yards over the three drives.
On special teams, the Packers had a 15-yard penalty (face mask, Jonathan Owens) covering a punt and gave up 16 yards on another punt return, squandering what could have been long fields for the Falcons.
Overall, the Falcons held the football for roughly 11 minutes of game time and out-gained the Packers 166-11 in the fourth quarter.
| 4th Q drives | Result | Score (started 24-12) |
| ATL | 12 plays, 75 yards (TD) | Packers 24, Falcons 19 |
| GB | 3 plays, 2 yards (PUNT) | Packers 24, Falcons 19 |
| ATL | 8 plays, 44 yards (FG) | Packers 24, Falcons 22 |
| GB | 3 plays, 5 yards (PUNT) | Packers 24, Falcons 22 |
| ATL | 12 plays, 66 yards (FG) | Falcons 25, Packers 24 |
| GB | 4 plays, 0 yards (DOWNS) | Falcons 25, Packers 24 |
The final 15 minutes ruined what was an encouraging first 45. Love threw three touchdown passes, including a pair to rookie Jayden Reed and another to rookie Dontayvion Wicks, as the Packers took control of the game to open the second half. Despite not having four of their most important players on offense for most of the game, the Packers took a 7-3 lead in the first half, led 10-9 at half time and scored back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter to open up a big advantage. The game script was playing out very much like Week 1. While the Packers sealed the deal in Chicago, the Falcons dominated the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Blame for the collapse can be assigned accordingly, but all three phases of LaFleur’s team played a role in blowing a 24-12 lead and losing 25-24 on Sunday in Atlanta.
