Coming into Monday’s game against the Giants, the Packers had a lot of momentum.
Winners of the last 3 games the team went from 3-6 to 6-6 and had the last seed in the playoffs.
But all that momentum and winning came to a screeching halt for Green Bay as they lost to the New York Giants 24-22.
It was a mistake filled game for all three phases of the team.
The offense had multiple turnovers and the special teams had one turnover as well.
And when it wasn’t the offense or special teams causing the issues, it was the defense allowing un drafted rookie Tommy DeVito who was running all over Green Bay’s defense.
Back to reality for Defense
The Giants who have allowed a lot of sack the past couple of weeks, did not allow Green Bay to get one sack .
DeVito was only 17-21 for 158 yards, he also rushed for 71 yards.
But he wasn’t the issue for the defense.
Saquon Barkley, who terrorized Green bay last year in London, was back to haunt Green Bay again.
Barkley was held in check for most of the game and was held to under 100 yards.
But when it mattered late in the 4th quarter the defense couldn’t stop him.
He finished the game with 20 carries for 86 yards.
Offensive Struggles
Jordan Love and the offense struggled to get anything going in the first half.
The absence of Aaron Jones and Christian Watson really affected the offense.
For the first time in almost a month Love threw an interception on a very wobbly pass to Dontayvion Wicks.
He also had one fumble that ended a promising drive that could’ve ended in points.
In the second half the offense had some success driving down into the red zone but struggled to get touchdowns.
Instead they settled for field goals.
But when it mattered the most, Love did his part driving the Packers down late in the game to score a touchdown to rookie Malik Heath to take the lead late in the game.
For the night Love was 25-39 for 218 yards and one touchdown.
The running game was a non factor.
A.J Dillon only got 15 carries for 53 yards, averaging only 3.5 yards a carry.
Bright spots on Offense
There were a couple bright spots for the Packers offense.
Jayden Reed showed that he is a definitely a dual threat both in the passing game and running game.
Reed ended the night with 8 catches for 27 yards along with 4 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Rookie Tight end Tucker Kraft was another bright spot.
Kraft was the leading receiver for the Packers with 4 catches for 64 yards.
Most of those yards came on a catch late in the fourth quarter that led to a Packers field goal.
Looking ahead
The Packers head into what is looking like a must win game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.
Both teams are 6-7 and are battling for the last spot in the NFC Playoffs.
A loss Sunday could have the Packers looking outside of the playoff picture.
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Hau Khuong has been a Packers fan since 1996. He currently works as a video editor in Green Bay and writes for PackersTalk.com and you can follow him on twitter at @HauKhuongSports.
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