Matt LaFleur has said this league will humble you quickly. Nothing rang truer on Sunday afternoon, as the Packers were met with that exact fate. While last week they looked like a complete team, now the errors are completely under a microscope.
The Packers loss is absolutely embarrassing and an early wake up call. Anyone can win on any Sunday. You cannot look past your opponent. It seems as if the Packers assumed they were going to waltz into a victory.
However, while the defense had another stellar performance. The offense found no cohesion or rhythm. Jordan Love had a costly interception. Nonetheless, the offensive line did not give him a real chance to get comfortable in the pocket all day.
The team had fourteen penalties. While this officiating crew was pretty flag happy, it still was another sloppy performance. The special teams gave up what should have been a game winning field goal. The end result was a block and giving the ball right back to the Browns to win the game.
It is clear the Packers have an elite defense, as do the Browns. The Browns defense seems to be overlooked, as the team has been pretty dysfunctional overall. However, Kevin Stefanski is a former coach of the year, Joe Flacco is consistent, and Myles Garrett is one of the best players in the league.
If the offensive line play continues to be stagnant, it is going to be hard to string together wins. This loss will force the Packers to look in the mirror as they are in the primetime Sunday night football slot next week.
Yes, we already know what the main story line is going to be for next week. Micah Parsons coming back to Dallas after Jerry Jones traded him.
The Packers and the Cowboys have had a rich history in recent years. Most notably, the 2017 and 2023 playoff games where the Packers had impressive wins. However, the excitement is muddled on the Packers side after the loss to the Browns.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are potentially playing to save their season after back-to-back losses. In a divisional shoot out with the Giants, the Cowboys defense gave up a staggering 40 points.
The struggling Bears team was able to get right for their first win of the season, defeating the Cowboys 31-14. The Packers have to be able to learn from this game and come into Dallas ready to compete.
Rasheed Walker talked this week about going undefeated. While I love the confidence, the offensive line has to back up the talk. From now on, it looks like the Packers need to keep thinking on a week-to-week basis. As the recipe for long term success is to have the focus on the next opponent.
We do not need to panic on a week three loss. We can, however, learn a lot about what this team will be this year by how they respond to adversity. The adversity is here, and it is on the entire group to step up in a primetime game.
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