Tag: good bad ugly

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 20-19 win over Bears in Week 11

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 20-19 win over the Bears in Week 11.

The Green Bay Packers scored a touchdown on their opening possession and final possession of Sunday’s back-and-forth showdown with the Chicago Bears, but it still took a blocked field goal from Karl Brooks to secure a 20-19 win over their NFC North rivals at Soldier Field.

The dramatic finish — Brooks got a few fingers on Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired — sent the Packers to an 11th straight win over the Bears, a record streak in the rivalry.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Lions:

The Good

Christian Watson and Josh Jacobs: The pair combined for 284 yards and five explosive plays. Watson produced a career-high 150 receiving yards, including catches of 27 yards and 60 yards setting up touchdowns. He also had a conversion on third-and-long and a contested catch downfield for 48 yards. Jacobs was once again productive, turning 21 touches into 134 total yards and a score. The veteran running back had a season-high 58 receiving yards, including two catches over 20 yards. Jacobs has six straight games with 90 or more total yards and three straight with 100 or more.

Karl Brooks: What a play to save the day. The 2023 sixth-round pick fired off the ball, beat his block and got just enough of the ball to kill the field goal attempt as time expired. It could be a season-changing play. The difference between 7-3 and 6-4 with a 0-3 mark in the NFC North is huge.

The Bad

Another Jordan Love interception: Make it eight games in a row with an interception for Love, who sailed a throw to Tucker Kraft on third down in the red zone. It was his worst throw of the day by a substantial margin, but it was a huge turning point in the game. Instead of the Packers taking a 10-3 or even 14-3 lead, Love threw a pick inside the 20-yard line, and the Bears proceeded to march down the field and take the lead before the half.

Red zone: While the Packers scored three touchdowns inside the 20, they also had two empty red-zone trips and a failed a two-point conversion. Love threw a pick inside the 20 in the first half, and the Packers also had a turnover on downs from the 6-yard line in the second half. The two-point attempt had no chance but got stuffed. The Packers are still leaving way too many points on the field each week.

The Ugly

Third and fourth down defense: The Packers could not get off the field. The Bears converted nine third downs and three fourth downs on their way to a commanding advantage in plays run (68-43) and time of possession (36:21-23:39). Caleb Williams twice scrambled for first downs on third-and-long, out-running Edgerrin Cooper to the corner each time. Quay Walker had a chance to end two different drives and failed on tackles in big spots. On every Bears scoring drive, the Packers allowed multiple third or fourth down conversions. And on the final drive, the Packers had the Bears backed up at 3rd-and-20 but allowed a conversion — opening the door for the late dramatics on the field goal. It should have never come down to a blocked field goal.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 24-14 loss to Lions in Week 9

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 24-14 loss to the Lions in Week 9.

After an encouraging opening possession that featured an effective run game, the Green Bay Packers fell apart inside a wet and rainy Lambeau Field — giving up 24 straight points while committing too many penalties and dropping too many passes in a 24-14 defeat.

The Packers are now 0-2 inside the division to start 2024, and both losses came at home to the top contenders inside the NFC North.

The only good news is the Packers are still in a playoff spot at 6-3 and now have a chance to get healthy and regroup during the bye.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Lions:

The Good

Run game: Josh Jacobs rushed for 95 yards on only 13 carries and had five carries of at least eight yards and three over 10. Emanuel Wilson had a 19-yard run on third down and a 2-yard touchdown. Chris Brooks even produced a 9-yard run in the red zone. By success rate, 12 of the Packers’ 20 attempted runs were successful — including a 61.5 success rate for Jacobs. The Packers ran the ball well early — especially on the opening drive — but fell behind late in the second quarter and all but abandoned the run game. Jacobs received only three attempts in the second half. With a better game script, the Packers could have pounded away at the Lions front. Instead, a big deficit — which erupted from seven points to 21 in the blink of an eye — made the Packers one-dimensional and essentially took Jacobs out of the game.

The Bad

More penalties: The Packers finished with 10 penalties. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the opening kickoff ruined good field position. An encroachment penalty on fourth down on the Lions’ final drive made the conversion a little easier. A false start turned a 3rd-and-3 into 3rd-and-8 and a punt in Lions territory. Kamal Hadden’s holding on punt return cost the Packers 10 yards of field position. Jordan Morgan was flagged for holding. Keisean Nixon extended the Lions’ first scoring drive of the second half with a holding penalty on third down. And a false start from Zach Tom on first down eventually created third-and-long. Overall, the Packers had four false start penalties. Matt LaFleur’s team has the sixth most penalties in the NFL, and they are now one of five teams with three games of 10 or more penalties in 2024.

The Ugly

The pick-six: A truly awful play and the game’s obvious turning point. Down 10-3, the Packers had the ball and a chance to go cut into the lead or tie the game before the half. Instead, Jordan Love threw a terrible pass under pressure and Kerby Joseph returned the interception for a back-breaking touchdown. Love attempted to dump the ball to Josh Jacobs, but he missed badly inside, and Joseph made the leaping pick. Jordan Morgan, who was making his first career start, gave up the pressure that led to the pick. Just a disastrous play.

More drops: The Packers dropped as many as six passes, and the big drops came in big spots. Chris Brooks dropped a likely first-down conversion on third down in the red zone on the first drive, potentially costing the Packers four points. Tucker Kraft dropped a likely third-down conversion before Brandon McManus’ missed field goal. Dontayvion Wicks dropped a sure-fire third-down conversion on the Packers’ first drive of the second half and a would-be touchdown on third down one play before Josh Jacobs was stuffed on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Sunday plays out in drastically different fashion if the Packers just catch the football. The rain can’t be blamed because the Lions had no issues making catches for Jared Goff.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 30-27 win over Jaguars in Week 8

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 30-27 win over the Jaguars in Week 8.

The Green Bay Packers failed to take advantage of a dominant start in the first half, twice gave up leads in the second half and lost quarterback Jordan Love to injury, but Matt LaFleur’s resilient team still found a way to finish the job in a 30-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

The Packers are now 6-2 after winning a fourth straight game.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Jaguars:

The Good

Response: Jordan Love exited the game with an injury, and the Jaguars promptly took the lead, 17-13. On the road, in the Florida heat and with a hurt quarterback, the Packers could have folded up shop and started thinking about next week’s showdown with the Detroit Lions. Instead, Matt LaFleur’s team delivered exactly the type of response to adversity that all contenders need to show. Malik Willis delivered a third-down conversion and a 20-yard scramble, and Josh Jacobs re-took the lead with an impressive 38-yard touchdown run. Three plays later, Edgerrin Cooper stripped Trevor Lawrence, creating a turnover inside the 10-yard line that immediately resulted in a touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft. In the blink of an eye, the Packers turned a 17-13 deficit in adverse conditions to a 27-17 lead. Credit LaFleur’s team for the super effective counter punch.

The Bad

Late defense: The Packers defense began the day by forcing three three-and-outs and a takeaway on the first four Jaguars possessions, but the ending didn’t match the start. Up 27-17 with under 10 minutes to go, the Packers proceeded to allow two quick scoring drives, including an 87-yard touchdown march that took just over two minutes. The Jaguars produced four explosive plays over the two drives, and Trevor Lawrence tied the game with just under two minutes to go with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram. The Jaguars ended up averaging 7.0 yards per play and 9.1 yards per pass, in large part due to two highly efficient drives late. The Packers defense had a chance to slam the door shut but instead allowed a two-score lead to evaporate.

The Ugly

The red zone: The Packers finished 2-for-6 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, including one turnover (Jordan Love interception) and three short field goals. The Jaguars defense came into Week 8 with the worst red-zone defense in football, so the production in the scoring area has to be considered disappointing. Meanwhile, the Jaguars scored touchdowns on all three trips inside the 20, including the game-tying touchdown late. The issues in the red zone cost the Packers a chance to take a commanding lead early and nearly cost them a win late.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 24-22 win over Texans in Week 7

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 24-22 win over the Texans in Week 7.

The Green Bay Packers trailed the Houston Texans at four different points in the game, but Jordan Love threw three go-ahead touchdown passes and new kicker Brandon McManus put the Packers ahead for good when he connected on a 45-yard field goal as time expired on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The come-from-behind win was the Packers’ third straight victory and improved the team’s record to 5-2 after seven games.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Texans:

The Good

Pass rush and coverage: The Packers didn’t have a takeaway, but Jeff Hafley’s ascending defense showed how suffocating they can be when they mix coverage and pressure against a top quarterback. Green Bay had C.J. Stroud under pressure on almost half of his dropbacks, and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 finished with only 10 completions and 55 net passing yards — both career lows. The Packers sacked him four times. Receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell combined for five catches on 11 targets for only 23 yards.

Depth shines again: On one drive in the first half, seven different players touched the ball as the Packers marched down the field and scored. Three different players caught touchdown passes from Jordan Love, Romeo Doubs led the team with eight catches and 94 yards and Josh Jacobs turned 17 touches into 92 yards. Even on a day when Christian Watson and Jayden Reed were quiet, the Packers were productive enough on offense to win. Tucker Kraft and Dontayvion Wicks both caught their team-leading fourth touchdown passes. Bo Melton and Emanuel Wilson both had third-down conversions on scoring drives.

The Bad

Two more Jordan Love interceptions: Love threw two more interceptions — one on a deflected ball by Jalen Pitre on the first series and another on an overthrow under pressure. Love now has eight picks — tied with Patrick Mahomes for the NFL lead — in only five starts. What’s the concern level? Turnovers are never a good thing, but Love is a big-game hunter who trusts his arm talent and will always be aggressive. On the first pick, he appeared to make the right read against the coverage but the defender made a terrific individual play, sensing the route combination and coming off coverage on Romeo Doubs. Later, Love drifted against pressure and sailed a throw when he needed an accurate ball to beat the coverage. If anything, these are mistakes Love can learn from moving forward. The Texans scored 10 of their 22 points following Love’s interceptions.

The Ugly

Punt returns: The Packers had big issues returning punts. Keisean Nixon failed to catch one in the first half, and the bouncing ball hit off Corey Ballentine for an avoidable turnover. Later, Nixon had a return blocked up in front of him, but he hesitated after the catch and tried to get outside containment on what amounted to only an 8-yard return. Finally, Jayden Reed caught a punt at the 1-yard line and was stopped inside the 5.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 34-13 win over Cardinals in Week 6

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 34-13 win over Cardinals in Week 6.

The Green Bay Packers flew past the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Lambeau Field, using four straight scores in the first half to build a 24-0 lead and three takeaways in the second half to seal the deal on a 21-point victory.

The 34-13 victory improved the Packers’ record to 4-2 through six games.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Cardinals:

The Good

The start: The Packers scored on four straight possessions and forced punts on four straight possessions to build a 24-0 lead in the first half. Complementary football got it done early. The pivotal sequence came in the second quarter when a turnover on a fumbled punt turned into a Christian Watson touchdown when offsetting penalties negated the turnover and gave Keisean Nixon a chance to flip the field.

Depth of playmaking on offense: Ten different players produced at least 10 total yards, and the Packers had four different players with an explosive run of 10 or more yards and four different players with an explosive catch of 18 or more yards. Jordan Love completed 22 passes, and nine different players had a catch. Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs caught touchdown passes. No player had more than 90 total yards, but the Packers still finished with 437 total yards. This offense is deep and diverse, and it’s increasingly hard to defend when everyone is involved.

Three more takeaways: For the fifth time in six games, the Packers produced three takeaways — all coming in the second half as Jeff Hafley’s group made sure there would be no comeback attempt. The Packers rank first in the NFL in takeaways, and they became just the ninth team since 2010 to produce 17 or more takeaways in the first six games of a season. Karl Brooks and Evan Williams both made terrific individual plays to create turnovers on Sunday.

The Bad

Melton slip: An unfortunate play in wet conditions led to an unnecessary turnover. With the passing game rolling late in the first half, Bo Melton slipped down mid-route and turned what would have been an easy completion near midfield into an interception. The Cardinals turned the takeaway into three points, cutting the deficit to 24-10 at the half.

The Ugly

Another Narveson miss: Packers kicker Brayden Narveson missed from 44 yards, marking his fourth game with a miss in six games. Narveson’s field goal percentage of 70.6 ranks dead last among 33 qualified kickers. He’s missed four kicks between 40-49 yards, by far the most among NFL kickers this season, and his five total misses are also the most. Matt LaFleur once again expressed confidence in his rookie kicker, and Narveson did come back from the miss to hit from 41 yards out on the next possession. But when will the patience run out in Green Bay?

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 24-19 win over Rams in Week 5

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 24-19 win over the Rams in Week 5.

The Green Bay Packers created what could be one of the team’s best plays of the year and also one of the worst plays of the NFL season so far during Sunday’s 24-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Jordan Love’s incredible deep ball to Jayden Reed early got the Packers rolling, but his pick-six — on a truly wild play — put Matt LaFleur’s team in a first-half hole. It took star efforts from a few teammates to help the Packers sort out the mess and escape Los Angeles with a much-needed road win.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Rams:

The Good

Tucker Kraft and Xavier McKinney: Two players helped turn the game around for the Packers in the second half. A pair of McKinney takeaways — a fumble recovery and an interception — turned into a pair of Kraft touchdown catches, giving the Packers what ended up being a decisive 24-13 lead. How good has McKinney been at taking the ball away? Not only does he have an interception in five straight games, but his six total takeaways are equal or more than 21 NFL teams through five weeks. Kraft has 10 catches, 141 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games.

Jayden Reed’s catch: There’s a good chance this will be the catch of the year in Green Bay. Maybe the throw of the year, too. Jordan Love’s deep toss — which traveled over 60 yards in the air — landed right in the hands of Reed, who was between three defenders. The 53-yarder set up Josh Jacobs’ short touchdown run.

The Bad

Packers run defense: The Rams averaged 4.8 yards per rush, and Kyren Williams went over 100 rushing yards. The Packers have now allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of five games in 2024. To be fair, Jeff Hafley’s group has faced a gauntlet of running backs, including Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Aaron Jones and now Williams. Especially early, the Packers looked out of sorts up front. The Rams beat them with perimeter runs, and Williams consistently fought for tough yards between the tackles. The Packers face James Conner, Joe Mixon, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery over the next three games. Can the run defense find some answers?

The Ugly

This sequence: It will be hard to top this for the worst play of the Packers season. Blown protection, near safety, pick-six. This is the definition of ugly from Jordan Love and the Packers.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/184304151887530

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 31-29 loss to the Vikings in Week 4

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 31-29 loss to the Vikings in Week 4.

The Green Bay Packers dug a 28-0 hole, got back into the game with a 22-0 run but then ran out of gas late in a 31-29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 divisional opener on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Matt LaFleur’s team in the first half. A strong second half wasn’t enough to overcome the stink of the first 30 minutes.

The Packers are now 2-2 and staring up at the unbeaten Vikings in the NFC North standings after four weeks.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Vikings:

The Good

The potential of the passing game: Sure, Jordan Love threw three interceptions, and receivers failed over and over again to make a play on a misplaced throw. But even though the Packers passing game sputtered early and made too many mistakes overall, it’s impossible to miss the enormous potential bubbling under the surface. It’s one thing for a passing game to struggle due to covered receivers, or poor blocking, or misreads from the quarterback. It’s another when a rusty quarterback has erratic accuracy in his first game back from an injury and otherwise talented receiver are open but not finishing plays. Throwing the football consistently at the NFL level takes precision. The Packers don’t have it right now, but the foundation looks incredibly strong. As Love settles in and the timing and execution improves, the passing game could explode in production and efficiency. It’s all there. The Packers must get marginally better in a few areas and the sleeping giant will awaken.

WR Jayden Reed: Eight touches, seven receptions, 141 total yards, three explosive plays and a touchdown. Reed is a star. Through four games, Reed has 427 total yards, three touchdowns and 11 explosive plays — seven receptions of 20 or more yards and four rushes of 15 or more yards.

X goes 4/4: The streak continues for Xavier McKinney — four games, four interceptions. His pick in front of Aaron Jones prevented points in the second half and made team history — McKinney became the first player in franchise history to intercept a pass in his first four games with the team.

The Bad

The pass rush: In a game without Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine available, the Packers desperately needed the defensive front to take over the game. But after sacking Will Levis eight times last week, the Packers struggled to disrupt the pocket against Sam Darnold on Sunday. He played from too many clean pockets, especially on key passing downs. The Packers had only three quarterback hits, and two of the three came on sacks from Quay Walker and Keisean Nixon off blitzes. The four-man pass-rushing group from the Packers — led by Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark — wasn’t nearly good enough. Both Gary and Clark need to make more plays. It didn’t help to lose Devonte Wyatt to an ankle injury in the second half.

K Brayden Narveson: He missed from 37 yards off the up right, and his 49-yarder never had a chance. Not only did his two first-half misses cost the Packers six important points, but Matt LaFleur later went for it on 4th-and-10 inside field goal range. Let’s say Narveson made his first two kicks, and the Packers trailed 28-6 when the 4th-and-10 decision from the Vikings’ 34-yard line arrived. Does LaFleur kick? The lost points from the special teams really hurt in a two-point defeat. Narveson has missed four field goals in four games.

The Ugly

The first half: It would have been difficult to script a more nightmarish start for the Packers. Jordan Love threw a pair of interceptions resulting in touchdowns. Brayden Narveson missed two field goals. The Vikings scored on their first three possessions and four of their first five. Christian Watson suffered an injury. Penalties were a recurring issue. It took a crazy sequence — featuring a muffed punt, a 15-yard penalty on coach Matt LaFleur and a touchdown pass from Love to Jayden Reed — to salvage the first 30 minutes after the Packers fell behind 28-0. In the victorious visitors’ locker room, Kevin O’Connell said his team created an “avalanche” in the first half. Hard to argue with the description. The Packers looked buried under the weight of their own mistakes.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 30-14 win over Titans in Week 3

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 30-14 win over the Titans in Week 3.

The Green Bay Packers earned a second consecutive win without Jordan Love under center on Sunday in Tennessee and could now be in a position to welcome back their starting quarterback for a big-time showdown with the Minnesota Vikings next week at Lambeau Field.

Love can thank the playcalling genius of Matt LaFleur, the calm and cool demeanor of Malik Willis and a swarming defense coordinated by Jeff Hafley for salvaging what could have been a nightmare start to the 2024 season. Instead of starting 1-2 or 0-3, the Packers are 2-1 and swelling with confidence after taking care of business against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans in back-to-back weeks. And Love could be back next week for a visit from the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Titans:

The Good

Defensive dominance: For the second consecutive week, the Packers defense stepped up to the challenge of helping a backup quarterback win a football game. On Sunday, Hafley’s defense delivered eight sacks, three takeaways, a pick-six and a fourth-down stop, and the Titans were held scoreless on nine of 11 possessions. The Packers stuffed the run early, built a lead and then harassed Will Levis for seven sacks in the second half.

Malik Willis on third down early: The Packers knew they needed to make a few more plays in big spots against a testy Titans defense, and Willis delivered, especially in the first half. He hit Christian Watson for 30 yards on 3rd-and-6 on the first drive, ran for a pair of first downs on third down to set up a field goal and delivered strikes to Romeo Doubs and Watson to convert third-and-longs on a field goal drive before the half. That’s 13 points off big conversions from Willis. The Packers won by 16.

Even more interceptions: Jaire Alexander produced his first-career pick-six, and Xavier McKinney grabbed an interception for the third consecutive game to start his Packers career. Alexander’s touchdown gave the Packers a 17-7 lead in the first quarter, McKinney’s pick sealed the deal late. The Packers now have seven picks in 2024, matching the team’s total from 2023.

Winning with a backup: The Packers did all the things required of playing winning football with a backup quarterback. No turnovers. Win the line of scrimmage. Explosive plays from playmakers. Defensive dominance. Takeaways. The Packers are winning with a formula that works regardless of who is playing quarterback.

The Bad

Red zone: The Packers are still having issues turning red-zone trips into touchdowns. With just one touchdown on three trips on Sunday, the Packers are now 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) to start 2024. Green Bay had 1st-and-goal from the 2-yard line on their second possession but ended up settling for a 21-yard field goal. Late in the first half, the Packers got to the Titans 13-yard line with 1:27 left but ended up kicking a 26-yard field goal as time expired following a third-down sack of Malik Willis. Margins on thin in the scoring area, and the Packers haven’t executed well enough, especially in the run game. Willis did score a 5-yard rushing touchdown on the first drive. The Titans, meanwhile, converted both of their red-zone trips into touchdowns.

The Ugly

Yellow flags everywhere: The Packers were penalized 10 more times on Sunday, and that’s not even counting a few offsetting or declined penalties. Rasheed Walker was flagged for a pair of penalties on one drive, Elgton Jenkins had two holding penalties negate successful runs and Zach Tom got dinged for a procedural penalty. On the Titans’ first scoring drive, Preston Smith was offsides on 3rd-and-8, negating what would have been a drive-ending sack from Rashan Gary. The Titans converted given a second chance and scored a touchdown soon after. The special teams also had a pair of penalties, including one on a punt that ended up costing the Packers 20 yards in field position. The Packers finished with 75 penalty yards, compared to just 15 yards on two penalties from the Titans. Matt LaFleur’s team now has two games in three weeks with 10 penalties.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 16-10 win over Colts in Week 2

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 16-10 win over the Colts in Week 2.

Complementary football helped the Green Bay Packers beat the Indianapolis Colts with backup quarterback Malik Willis under center on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The offense ran the ball consistently and controlled the clock, the defense allowed only 10 points and had three takeaways, and the special teams created points and flipped the field.

The end result wasn’t a dominant win — the Packers escaped with a 16-10 victory after intercepting Anthony Richardson’s Hail Mary attempt as time expired — but style points mean nothing. The Packers got a win without Jordan Love under center.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Colts:

The Good

Reinventing on offense: With an athletic but inexperienced quarterback under center, Packers coach Matt LaFleur reinvented his offense on the fly, crafting a dense and complex run attack to hammer away at the Colts’ biggest weakness. The production was relentless early. The Packers had 164 rushing yards in the first quarter, 237 in the first half and 261 total. LaFleur ran the football 53 times, protecting Malik Willis in his first start. The Packers didn’t just try to plug Willis into the existing offensive structure; LaFleur schemed up his offense to fit the strengths of what Willis could do and handle after arriving in Green Bay 19 days ago.

Playstyle of Malik Willis: The Packers ran the ball over and over and rarely asked Willis to make a big play in the passing game, but the former Titan did exactly what is required of a backup: He played efficiently (completing 12 of 14 passes) and safely (zero turnovers, zero sacks), and when the Packers needed him to make a play, he generally did. Four times, Willis found a completion converting on third down, including a dart to Dontayvion Wicks for a touchdown in the red zone. Completing 86 percent of passes and averaging almost 9.0 yards per completion while never putting the ball in danger made for a near-perfect performance from a backup with limited playing experience and limited experience in the scheme.

More interceptions: The Packers intercepted seven passes last season. Matt LaFleur and new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley both prioritized taking away the ball, and the early results are fantastic. The defense delivered three more takeaways on Sunday. Two interceptions halted Colts drives in Packers territory, while the third ended the game. The Packers now have five picks in two games, including two from newcomer Xavier McKinney.

The Bad

Josh Jacobs fumble: A legitimate blowout was brewing early on with the Packers up 10 and driving following an interception, but Jacobs — who finished with 151 rushing yards on 32 carries — fumbled a moment before getting into the end zone. A score there would have put the Packers up 17-0. Instead, the Packers didn’t score again until midway through the third quarter. Considering the Packers fumbled at the 1-yard line and missed a 45-yard field goal, at least 10 points were left on the field. What turned out to be a 16-10 final could have easily been a comfortable 26-13 win (Colts also missed a field goal).

Narv’s 3/4 start: In back-to-back weeks, rookie kicker Brayden Narveson has made three straight field goals before missing a kick in the second half. In Week 1, he missed from 43. on Sunday, he missed from 45. There are only seven kickers under 80 percent on field goals to start the 2024 season, and Narveson is one of them. Will consistency continue to be elusive in the kicking game?

The Ugly

Injuries to rookies: First-round pick Jordan Morgan departed with a shoulder injury and didn’t return, creating concern he aggravated the injury that cost him precious time and reps during training camp. Morgan was gaining valuable experience in a rotation with Sean Rhyan at right guard, but now there is a real possibility of him missing time. Later, third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd suffered his third lower-body injury since the start of training camp. The rookie running back injured his hip early in camp, injured his hamstring in the preseason opener and now injured his ankle in his NFL debut. Lloyd looked dynamic on a few touches Sunday. His injury luck couldn’t be worse.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 34-29 loss to Eagles in Week 1

The good, the bad and the ugly from the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Week 1.

The Green Bay Packers labored through a sloppy and mistake-prone season opener, which ended with quarterback Jordan Love watching from the sideline after he suffered an apparent lower body injury on the third to last play from scrimmage of the 34-29 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

Starting the year 0-1 has never ended a team’s season, but losing Love would likely destroy the Packers’ chances of competing in 2024. The disappointing loss stings but the only thing that matters coming out of Friday night is Love’s injury situation, which remains unclear as of Saturday morning.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Packers’ loss:

The Good

WR Jayden Reed: The man they call “Bird” soared in Brazil. The second-year receiver produced four catches for 138 yards, one rush for 33 yards, 171 total yards and two total touchdowns. He broke tackles on both of his long touchdowns — the first a 33-yard run, the second a 70-yard catch. Reed also hauled in an incredible 33-yard catch along the sideline on the final drive. The only shame was that Reed got only five touches.

Run game: While it took time to get moving, the Packers run game ended up producing 163 total yards — and Reed, Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson all had an explosive run of 15 or more yards. Reed made a man miss in the open field on his touchdown run, Wilson got a touchdown drive going with runs of 14 and 18 yards and Jacobs produced 80 of his 84 rushing yards in the second half.

Takeaways: The defense struggled overall, but Jeff Hafley’s group did produce three takeaways — an area of emphasis after the Packers produced only 18 takeaways over 17 games in the final year of Joe Barry’s defense. Xavier McKinney got a pick on the Eagles’ third play from scrimmage, and Jaire Alexander took points off the board with a pick in the end zone. Twice, the Packers were set up inside the 20-yard line off takeaways. While the defense didn’t play well enough against a talented offense to win the game, securing three turnovers is going to be good enough to win most weeks in the NFL.

The Bad

Mistakes galore: The Packers finished 1-for-4 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, turned three takeaways into just nine points, committed 10 penalties, had a half-dozen or more slips, misfires or drops in the passing game, missed a half-dozen or more tackles and generally missed opportunity after opportunity to take hold of the game. Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t want to take away anything from the Eagles, but his immediate post-game reaction was that his team lost the game more than the Eagles won it.

How many mistakes did the Packers have in what LaFleur called a “slop fest” of a performance? Andy Herman counted 39:

https://twitter.com/AndyHermanNFL/status/1832324683141623976

The Ugly

Love’s injury: Losing by five points to an NFC contender in the season opener wouldn’t have been a disaster, but losing Love to a significant injury absolutely would be. On the third to last play, Love got hit on the side of his left leg and then was rolled up on as he lateraled the ball to Josh Jacobs. He was down in agonizing pain before being helped from the field. The Packers will hope for something positive from additional testing in Green Bay this weekend. The fate of this highly anticipated season rests on good news.

The field: A soccer field in Brazil couldn’t handle a professional football game. Both teams had to deal with the slippery playing surface, but does this look like an acceptable field for a game in the National Football League?

https://twitter.com/DaireCarragher/status/1832277531367526812