5 stats that tell the story of Packers blowout loss to Falcons - Packers Wire
The Green Bay Packers took one on the chin during the home opener at Lambeau Field, losing 35-14 to the Atlanta Falcons in a game Matt LaFleur's team led 7-0 early. The Falcons scored 27 straight points, took control of the game on both sides of the ball and cruised to a three-score win in Green Bay.
Jordan Love was under pressure on 23 dropbacks and took 12 more hits, continuing the trend of horrible play in pass protection. The Packers offensive line allowed 15 quick pressures, or a pressure on the quarterback happening within the first 2.5 seconds of a play. No quarterback could operate under these circumstances. In an incredible turn of events, the Packers actually lowered their pass-block win rate at ESPN from 18 percent coming out of Week 2 to 16 percent after three weeks. This is a historically bad pass-blocking offensive line in Green Bay.
The rushing total discrepancy. The Falcons turned 39 designed runs with Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson into 244 rushing yards (two kneeldowns reduced the Falcons' total to 242). The Packers, meanwhile, had eight designed run plays for all of 17 yards. The Falcons ran the ball whenever they wanted, and Bijan Robinson had a special, special night as a runner, producing 78 yards over expected. Matt LaFleur had no interest in running the ball, and can you blame him? MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson did nothing behind a line that can't block anyone.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. got off to a slow start, throwing an interception on his third pass attempt and having a 5-play, 9-yard drive on the Falcons second possession. But over the final three quarters of play? Penix settled in and completed 16 of 18 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown. The Packers had a chance to go up big on a young, inexperienced quarterback making his first start back following a major injury but failed, turning the takeaway into zero points and then letting the Falcons right back into the game with a defensive penalty on a third down and a 55-yard by Bijan Robinson. Once Penix got settled and comfortable, the Falcons offense rolled.
What happened to the Packers' pass-rush? Michael Penix Jr. was under pressure on only five of his 26 dropbacks, per PFF, and he completed 17 of 20 passes for 254 yards from clean pockets. The Packers got the early pick off a pressured throw, and Penix only had one completion for two yards over his five pressured dropbacks. But unlike Jordan Love, who had pressure on almost 50 percent of his dropbacks, Penix was under pressure on under 20 pressure of his. It's hard to win when the pressure battle is so drastically lopsided.
The Falcons came into Thursday night with zero trips into the red zone during the first two weeks. Against the Packers, the Falcons marched into the scoring area five times and came out with 32 points -- four touchdowns, three extra points, a two-point conversion and a field goal. The Packers, meanwhile, made four trips into the red zone and managed nothing more than 14 points. Green Bay got stopped on 4th-and-1 from the 7-yard line with the game at 17-7 to start the second half, and Jordan Love threw a pick from inside the 20-yard line in garbage. Throw in the blocked field goal from the 28-yard line, and the Packers threw away at least 17 points in a game they lost by 21.
