What was probably most frustrating about this loss for fans was the fact that the Packers have made some really tough road wins this season while this was to be one of their easiest road games of the season. The Chargers’ defense made Green Bay their bitch with Rodgers having his worst game of the season(23/65, 161 yards, 1TD). RB Aaron Jones had only 30-yards on the ground and had a single reception for -1. The Packers managed 184 total yards for the game while the Chargers claimed 442.
The Packers had no interceptions and no forced fumbles in a season that has relied heavily upon their ability to create turnovers. They were forced to punt 5 times while the Chargers only did so once.
The good news is that the NFC North went 0-4 this week so the Packers are still on top of the division as the Vikings fell to the Chiefs. As long as there were no major injuries sustained in the game, it’s not that big of a deal as they are now 7-2. What’s concerning is if we’re going to see this terrible play any more in the future and I am more than willing to bet that this is the worst the Packers will play this year. They face a tough game at home next week against the Carolina Panthers and then they’ll get a much deserved bye week to heal up. After that, they face the run-dominant San Francisco 49ers in an away game that is very likely to be their hardest of the season.
While it was nice to see WR Davante Adams back on the field, he ended up with an average of 5.9 yards per catch while the wunderkind Allen Lazard, who barely had a presence in the first half, led receivers with 44-yards on 3 receptions for an average of 14.7. Lazard did have an illegal block in the back penalty in the 2nd quarter, but there were a few penalties on the offense that drive.
One notable change for the game was that Tremon Smith is now returning kicks/punts in place of Darrius Shepherd — who is now on the practice squad where he belongs.
Aaron Rodgers took the loss with some class and chalked it up to a serving of humble pie:
“This is a good slice of humble pie for us,” Rodgers said after he threw for a season-low 161 yards on 23-of-35 passing for just one touchdown.
“We’re kind of rolling, 7-1, and starting to listen to the chatter maybe a little too much. I think this will be a good thing for us. We’ll regroup, go back home and play another good team [Carolina] before the bye.”
The game was riddled with low-energy performance and several false start and delay of game penalties. Let’s hope LaFleur learns to not let his team get complacent with a winning streak and to treat every game as a must-win effort.
In other news, the Patriots finally played a real team and lost. The AFC is a sad joke and has been for awhile. I’m just glad we’re doing inter-conference play unlike the old days so AFC fans can watch some real football every now and then.