It was an ugly performance by the Green Bay Packers from start to finish, chock-full of penalties, mental mistakes, and missed opportunities. All of that was pushed aside at the sight of Jordan Love writhing on the ground in the closing seconds with what appeared to be a serious leg injury.
Suddenly, the Pack’s season hangs in the balance as we await word on the severity of the injury. An extended absence would likely doom the 2024 season before it even started, a bitter pill to swallow for fans who just hours earlier were dreaming about this trendy team that was considered a serious Super Bowl dark horse.
To be clear, they played nothing like championship contenders on this cool Brazilian evening. They couldn’t make the Philadelphia Eagles pay for two early turnovers, settling for field goals. They committed untimely penalties throughout the game, sabotaging their own drives or extending Philadelphia’s. There were drops, slips, and missed tackles.
There was the 12-men-on-the-field penalty that negated a touchdown, a false start on a fourth-down play that forced Green Bay to punt, a Josh Jacobs fumble that could have been a game-changer, and a handful of missed throws by Love, who could easily have thrown a pick-six had it not been dropped. Later, Keisean Nixon let a potential pick-six fall through his hands.
There were special teams issues, with Nixon fielding a kickoff he shouldn’t have, Brayden Narveson missing a field goal, and the team failing on a two-point conversion.
That said, the Packers outgained the Eagles and did a good job defensively on third downs. If not for a pair of phantom defensive holding calls on Philadelphia’s last drive, they might have had a chance to go down the field for a game-winning score.
The defense showed some promise, with Xavier McKinney and Jaire Alexander coming down with big interceptions. They kept Hurts’ legs in check and only allowed the Eagles to convert four of 14 chances on third down, but they couldn’t contain free-agent prize Saquon Barkley when it mattered most, and A.J. Brown came up big against Alexander in a few key moments.
Offensively, it took a half, but Josh Jacobs found his legs and got into a nice rhythm. Jayden Reed was the star of the night, with a pair of explosive touchdowns. However, the other receivers had some crucial drops and slips throughout the game.
It’s always tempting to read too much into the first game of the season. For the most part, it’s the first live action any of the starters have seen all summer. That said, there is a ton to clean up on offense and the defense should improve as everyone gets more comfortable in the new system.
Of course, none of that really matters if Love’s season is over. Gotta believe Ryan Tannehill is warming up his arm in his backyard, in case the Pack gets the news they’re fearing.
For now, Packer Nation holds its collective breath and prays that Love will find a way.
