The Green Bay Packers fell to 1-1 on Sunday after blowing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead to the Atlanta Falcons. Green Bay came into the game missing three starters on offense and lost another in Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins during the second quarter. After the game, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Jenkins suffered an MCL sprain and will have an MRI to determine the severity.
Even though they were shorthanded, the Packers’ offense had its moments en route to building a double-digit cushion. However, they failed to get a single first down in the final quarter, putting the fate of the game into the hands of the defense. That turned out to be the difference, as the Falcons took advantage of a porous Green Bay run defense to get back into the game. On the final drive, Atlanta ran the clock down to under a minute remaining before kicking the go-ahead field goal.
“They shredded us. Consistently,” Matt LaFleur said of the Falcons using 211 rushing yards to escape with a 25-24 victory.
Despite a monumental collapse, the Packers still had a chance to win in the end. Unfortunately, Jordan Love couldn’t get anything going on the final drive and threw four straight incompletions to well-covered receivers.
Looking back, both the offense and the defense had chances to put this game out of reach, but neither side could get it done.
Next week, Green Bay will take on the New Orleans Saints, but before we look ahead, let’s highlight the standouts from Week 2.