No Excuse, But Injuries Make Packers’ Loss to Falcons Excusable

The Green Bay Packers were without four of their top players on offense by the end of Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Football, as the players like to point out, is a sport with a 100 percent interest rate.

But, two weeks into the season, the Green Bay Packers have faced an epidemic of injuries that perhaps robbed them of a victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and has put the season on a gurney.

What could be worse than putting running back Aaron Jones, the team’s biggest playmaker, and receiver Christian Watson, the team’s big-play threat, on the pregame inactive list? Adding five-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari to the inactives list and losing two-time Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins before halftime with what’s reportedly an MCL sprain.

“It’s tough not having those guys out there but it’s never an excuse,” quarterback Jordan Love said after a 25-24 loss. “It’s always next man up. Other guys got to step up. I think guys did step up, but it sucks not having them.”

Love has it exactly right. Excuses are for losers. But the next man up is the next man up for a reason. AJ Dillon, who started at running back, is not as good as Jones. Dontayvion Wicks, who started at receiver, is not as good as Watson. Rasheed Walker, who started at left tackle, is not as good as Bakhtiari. Royce Newman, who stepped in at left guard, is not as good as Jenkins.

In all four cases, the next men up are not even close to as good as the first men up.

When the offense stepped onto the field for the first time in the fourth quarter, their 12-point lead had been trimmed to 24-19. From there, the Packers went:

- Three-and-out and gained 2 yards when up by five points.

- Three-and-out and gained 5 yards when up by two points.

- Four-and-out and gained 0 yards on a must-score final drive.

Talk about an Icy Hot mess.

Packers RB AJ Dillon fights for yardage against the Falcons :: Photo by Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports Images

Would the Packers have put away the game on that first drive had Watson been matched against A.J. Terrell instead of Malik Heath on third-and-8?

Would the Packers have put away the game on that second drive had Jones gotten the ball on three consecutive carries instead of Dillon?

Would the Packers have rallied to win the game had Bakhtiari and Jenkins been on the field to protect Love for the do-or-die final drive?

The good news is Watson could return next week for the home opener against the New Orleans Saints. He practiced on Friday so might be close to a return. Jones could be back in the lineup, too.

To state the obvious, Green Bay’s offense is much more explosive with Jones, who ranks among the NFL’s all-time leaders in yards per carry, and Watson, who ranked second in the NFL in yards per target during the second half of his rookie season.

While Green Bay’s skill group could be intact against the Saints, who knows about the offensive line.

Bakhtiari pitched a shutout against the Bears in Week 1. On Friday, coach Matt LaFleur listed him as questionable but said Bakhtiari hadn’t suffered a setback. On Sunday, LaFleur said the playing surface wasn’t a factor in the decision for Bakhtiari to not play.

“We all know that Dave’s been dealing with this and, so, no,” LaFleur said.

LaFleur, frustrated over the outcome of the game and the regular questions about an injury it which there seem to be no clear-cut answers, wouldn’t elaborate when asked if Bakhtiari might sit out the final three artificial-turf games on the schedule.

“I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “We all know this is two years now. I’m not going to get into it. It’s probably going to be like this from here on out.”

According to NFL Network, Jenkins sustained a sprained MCL. Depending on the results from an MRI, he could return in a couple weeks or a couple months.

“Anytime a guy goes out of the game and isn’t able to finish, there’s concern,” LaFleur said.

Ultimately, without playmakers to make plays and blockers to block, a winnable game slipped through their fingers.

Of course, the injuries had no impact on a defense that got destroyed on the ground and gave up four consecutive scores to end the game. Football is a team sport. The shorthanded offense failed to deliver, yes, but the full-strength defense crumbled with the game in hand.

“I don’t think it was no statement that we didn’t play good without our running back and our tackle,” cornerback Rasul Douglas said. “We all grown men. It’s always next man up. We play games without both of those guys. It’s like we’ve got to make plays. We all know what the standard is. It shouldn’t matter who’s not in. It just matters who’s in and then making plays. It would’ve been a statement. I think we knew we should’ve won this game but we didn’t.”

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