After five days in early September, the Green Bay Packers were 2-0 at Lambeau Field and in possession of two of the best wins of the early 2025 season. Fast forward two months, and the Packers have lost back-to-back home games and are now 3-3-1 since the 2-0 start after losing 10-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles on «Monday Night Football.»
A potentially special season has started to spiral on Matt LaFleur, and the Packers coach better get things turned around quick with a difficult part of the schedule coming up and considering the depth of the NFC North and conference overall.
Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward:
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— The Packers held Saquon Barkley to just 60 yards on 22 attempts, or 2.7 yards per attempt. Throw in seven runs from Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby, and the Packers allowed only 84 rushing yards on 29 attempts by running backs. The run defense was terrific.
— Josh Jacobs worked hard over 26 touches. He produced 107 total yards, many after contact in the run game, and scored the game’s only touchdown for the Packers on another overpowering run zone run.
— A few penalties in key spots were big, but the Packers finished with only four for 20 yards. The killer penalty was a procedural error that cost the Packers an explosive play to Christian Watson in the second half. The Eagles, meanwhile, had seven penalties for 61 yards, including a 21-yard defensive pass interference penalty setting up a touchdown.
What went wrong
— The pass game struggled all night. Matt LaFleur attempted to get the run game going to soften coverages, but it didn’t work, and Jordan Love never got in a rhythm. He took three sacks and had only two completions over 20 yards. Pass protection was an issue. The quarterback reading the field was an issue. Catching the ball was an issue. Mistakes were everywhere in the passing game.
— The offensive line just isn’t good enough at this point. The run game slogged, and Jordan Love was under pressure on over 40 percent of his dropbacks.
— The offense is in a cycle of hell. They can’t run the ball consistently. Teams are playing two deep coverages and begging the Packers to run. And Matt LaFleur continues to oblige, so the Packers beat their head against the wall repeatedly in the run game. How does this cycle end? It’s hard to say without better offensive line play.
— Mistakes in Eagles territory killed the offense. A sack losing 11 yards killed a drive. A sack resulting in a lost fumble killed another drive. A drop on fourth down ended a drive. A penalty negated an explosive play inside the 10-yard line. The Packers got into Eagles territory six times and scored only seven points.
— Everyone in the stadium (including the Eagles defensive front) knew the Packers were running it on 4th-and-1. In the game’s crucial moment, the Packers went to a predictable repeat call, and the Eagles stuffed it.
— The Packers were 6-for-16 on third or fourth down. Extending drives has become increasingly difficult for this team.
— Even after watching Brandon McManus miss short on an uncontested field goal try from 64 yards, Matt LaFleur ran him out there again, and the veteran kicker wasn’t even close on his second attempt, missing short and wide left. The terrible result was completely predictable.
— The Packers defense gave up a few explosive plays in the second half. The backbreaking sequence came in the fourth quarter when Saquon Barkley converted 3rd-and-7 with a 41-yard catch-and-run, and then Devonta Smith beat Evan Williams on a deep ball for a 36-yard score. It suddenly became 10-0, and 10 points were enough to win.
— While the defense was excellent down to down, the Packers did not produce a sack or a quarterback hit on Jalen Hurts.
What it means
The Packers have lost back-to-back games against NFC foes at home and are now at a fork in the road of the 2025 season. Through 10 weeks, Matt LaFleur’s team has only five wins and is barely in the NFC playoff picture as the seventh seed. Although the Packers go to New York to play the two-win Giants next week, the schedule is about to get difficult — with five of the last seven games away from home and five more games against the division. Can the Packers get this offense turned around in time to save the season? Giving up 26 combined points but scoring only 20 points at home in back-to-back losses is just not good enough. The 2-0 start feels like a distant memory.
What’s next
The Packers will go on the road in Week 11 to play the Giants at MetLife Stadium. Could chaos be in store? The Giants just fired coach Brian Daboll and will be under the direction of an interim coach on Sunday. Also, quarterback Jaxson Dart is in the concussion protocol, so veteran Russell Wilson might be in line to start. Throw in a road trip and a short week for the Packers, and who knows what will happen in New York this week. The Packers will be desperate for a win, but never underestimate a team that just changed coaches.
