Since we are a few days removed from the Green Bay Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil, I thought it would be a good time to discuss what went wrong for the Green and Gold in Week 1. Missed opportunities were a key reason the Packers couldn’t bring a win back to the United States.
There were certainly other factors contributing to Green Bay’s loss. Corinthians Arena in Brazil had poor field conditions that weren’t up to the NFL’s standards. And Ron Torbert’s officiating crew occasionally seemed more interested in screen time than letting the players play – calling 17 penalties for 128 yards.
However, that’s not what ultimately cost the Packers this game.
They were simply too sloppy and missed too many opportunities to take over the game. Not only did they have the chance to put the Eagles away, but they could have done so early and changed the course of the game. Despite the Packers leading 6-0 at the end of the first quarter and heading into halftime with a 19-17 lead, the Eagles took control late and left Brazil with a win.
Let’s take a look at the missed opportunities that cost the Packers.
Turnovers
One of the most encouraging aspects of Week 1 was that the Packers won the turnover battle with a plus-2 advantage over the Eagles, finishing with three takeaways. However, they only managed to score nine points off those turnovers.
Immediately after the Packers kicked a field goal to take a 3-0 lead, Jalen Hurts had pressure in his face and threw a duck over the middle of the field. It fell right into Xavier McKinney’s waiting arms, setting Green Bay’s offense up with a short field and a chance to go up by double digits early.
Due to penalties and red-zone ineffectiveness, the Packers had to settle for another field goal, only going up 6-0. Scoring a touchdown on that drive would have forced the Eagles to adjust their playcalling. They may have had to make their offense one-dimensional and keep the ball out of Saquon Barkley’s hands.
Later in the game, with the Packers down by just four points – the difference between that field goal and a touchdown referenced earlier – the Eagles were driving when Green Bay got another gift from Hurts. Jaire Alexander read Hurts perfectly and intercepted him in the end zone, keeping Philly off the scoreboard and giving Green Bay’s offense another opportunity to take the lead.
Once again, they couldn’t fully capitalize and had to settle for a field goal. The Packers wouldn’t score again for the rest of the game. It feels like it has been forever since Green Bay’s defense forced three turnovers in a game. In fact, it’s not quite forever but it was all the way back in the 2022 season. Turning takeaways into game-changing points is crucial to winning.
Scoring only nine points off three turnovers is not how you win in the NFL, especially against strong teams like the Eagles.
Red-zone offense
The Packers were the NFL’s best team in the red zone last year, finishing the season with a 95% red-zone touchdown rate. For some perspective on how good they were, the next best team was the 49ers at 83%. Therefore, it is understandable that they wouldn’t keep that pace up to start the season.
However, they got off to a terrible start in 2024, going just 1/4 in the red zone on Friday night. After two early trips deep into enemy territory, Green Bay’s offense had to settle for field goals. Instead of being up 14-0, they were only up 6-0.
Later in the game, a drive that ended at the eight-yard line was another missed opportunity to put pressure back on the Eagles. Yet again, the offense couldn’t punch it in and had to rely on Brayden Narveson, hoping the defense could give them another opportunity.
Was it Matt LaFleur’s play calling? Or was it penalties that stalled drives? Whatever the reason, the offense needs to be much sharper in the red zone, especially with the inexperienced Malik Willis under center for the next few weeks. Points will be at a premium while Willis gets comfortable leading the squad.
Points left on the field
By my count, the Packers left at least five points on the field at Corinthians Arena on Friday night. First, LaFleur took an extra point off the board when he decided to go for a two-point conversion after an Eagles penalty. Then rookie kicker Narveson doinked a 43-yarder off the upright later in the contest. While 43-yarders aren’t automatic, NFL kickers should be reliable from within 50, especially in near-perfect weather like Friday night.
These five points don’t account for the touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Jayden Reed on a third-and-six early in the game that would have put the Packers up by a touchdown within the first five minutes. Instead, the play was called back due to a 12-men-on-the-field penalty against the offense.
Love was trying to catch the Eagles with 12 men on the field (and he did), but he didn’t see Green Bay’s player running off before the snap. Love threw an incompletion on the next play, forcing Green Bay to punt. The Packers have a very exciting offense, but most teams aren’t good enough to win games when leaving this many points on the field.
Despite all these missed opportunities on both sides of the ball, the Packers still had a chance to win at the end, which is a positive sign. If they can clean up some of these areas and avoid unforced errors in future games, this season still has a real chance to end positively.
