After Mile High Misery, Legitimate Concerns About Packers

No, the Green Bay Packers’ 27-2 loss at the Denver Broncos on Sunday night wasn’t just a meaningless preseason game. “We’re going to have to … take a long, hard look in the mirror,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur during the second half against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Maybe it’s just the dog days of summer.

Or maybe that’s just making an excuse.

Maybe it was the fatigue of a few days in the Mile High City that were capped by playing a night game.

Or maybe that’s just making an excuse.

Maybe it was the byproduct of playing backups against starters.

Or maybe that’s just making an excuse.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur isn’t one for making excuses. And he wasn’t about to offer any after seeing his team get squashed like a bug on a windshield during Sunday night’s preseason game at the Denver Broncos.

After all, his starters didn’t exactly play well against the Broncos during Friday’s joint practice, either.

“That was a long night,” LaFleur said after a 27-2 loss, echoing the thoughts of everyone who endured all 2 hours and 54 minutes of whatever the hell that was.

“Certainly, I was hoping our guys would come out with more strain, effort, grit after kind of getting humbled the other day in practice. And then to have it happen again (is) not where you want to be.”

The Packers are about two-and-a-half weeks from kicking off the 2024 NFL season at the Philadelphia Eagles. So, it’s not exactly time to press the panic button. Sports, like life, is filled with peaks and valleys.

For the Packers, it’s time to start venturing out of this valley.

“I think it’s a good lesson for our guys in terms of, it doesn’t matter who’s out there,” LaFleur continued. “If you don’t put your best foot forward each and every time you go out on that field, these things happen to you.

“We’re going to have to regroup, take a long, hard look in the mirror. We’ve got to get better. We need that urgency from everybody.”

Those were the critical sentences. Winning and losing is irrelevant in August. Winning and losing is especially irrelevant when you put your backups on the field against another team’s starters.

But the 27-2 verdict on Sunday was the cherry on top of a crap sundae.

The $220 million quarterback hasn’t torn apart Green Bay’s defense at training camp and didn’t fare any better against the Broncos on Friday.

“We’re going to have to regroup, take a long, hard look in the mirror. We’ve got to get better. We need that urgency from everybody.”

- Packers coach Matt LaFleur

That deep and dynamic group of pass-catcher didn’t light up a Broncos secondary that’s fairly mediocre beyond cornerback Patrick Surtain.

The offensive line depth remains as deep as a puddle in the middle of the Sahara.

“Offensively, just want to see more fight from our guys,” LaFleur said. “That was frustrating, just the lack of ability to move the football, both in the running game and in the passing game. We’ve definitely just got to re-evaluate and take a long, hard look at everybody.”

Again, maybe it’s the middle of August and a bit of mental and physical exhaustion has struck. Or, perhaps this is a team that’s gotten ahead of its skis and bought into too much of the hype.

Certainly, to borrow one of LaFleur’s favorite words, he is a bit worried about his team’s trajectory.

That’s why he questioned the team’s “strain, effort (and) grit.” That’s why he wanted his team to play with more “urgency.” That’s why he implored the players take a “hard look in the mirror.”

There are some personnel problems confronting the Packers. Neither of the backup quarterbacks, Sean Clifford or Michael Pratt, look ready to win a game should something happen to Jordan Love. The offensive line depth is troubling. The defensive line, where there’s supposed to be depth, got overrun by the Broncos. Would you bet a dollar on any of the kickers making a 40-yarder with the game on the line?

All of those issues take a backseat to what happened in Denver this weekend.

Yes, with a nod to the football philosopher Allen Iverson, it was practice. Yes, it was a preseason game. But for LaFleur, 27-2 seemed to represent something more troubling.

It will be a gut check – and a pride check – this week with the Baltimore Ravens coming to Green Bay for a joint practice on Thursday and a preseason game on Saturday.

The Ravens are a perennial Super Bowl contender. They are battle-hardened. They are talented and physical. They take preseason games seriously.

It would be hyperbolic nonsense to say Thursday’s practice will be one of the biggest days of the season. But it will be telling to see how the team bounces back after getting smacked in the face in Denver.

“The thing I challenged our team on is, I said, ‘You’ve got to check yourself,’” LaFleur said. “On every play, are you giving your max effort? Are you straining the way that we want you to strain? Is the style of play what we want to see?’

“I think it’ll be a good opportunity for all of us to evaluate and see the guys that really want to put it all out there, not only for themselves but for the team.”

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It took some effort but @JacobWestendorf found some solid performances in the #Packers' loss at Denver. ⬇️https://t.co/NpeS2WnDoH

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 19, 2024

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