The Playoffs might be ahead for the Packers, but if it is so, they face a tough road.
The turning point in the game was in the third quarter when the Packers wanted to get a huge play to Christian Watson.
Instead Pat Surtain II picked off Jordan Love and turned the momentum to the Broncos.
Furthurmore Watson was injured on the play with a chest injury and wouldn’t return to the game.
But the worst was yet to come.
Later in the game Micah Parsons, who leads the Packers in sacks with 12 and 1/2, was in pursuit of Bo Nix.
Parsons took an awkward step, fell and held his knee in pain.
An MRI Monday reveled a torn ACL that will end Parsons season.
Add in injuries to Evan Williams and Zack Tom and the Packers walked out of Denver a wounded team.
It won’t help that the Packers have a quick turnaround to face the division leading Bears this Saturday.
What now?
The Packers now face life without Parsons for the foreseeable future.
But that doesn’t mean they have to “Pack it in”.
Yes, Parsons production is something you cannot replicate.
But the Packers have Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness.
Both were taken in the first round for a reason.
While Gary has shown flashes of his potential, he hasn’t shown it since he signed a contract extension in 2023.
It is time for Gary to take over and step up.
The same can be said for Van Ness, who the Packers took in the first round in 2023.
After a great rookie season, Van Ness hasn’t quite taken the leap most expected him to take.
Both Gary and Van Ness account for only 9.0 sacks combined.
That will have to change if the Packers have any hopes of getting to the playoffs or the Super Bowl.
Escaping major injury
One a brighter note, Christian Watsons injury isn’t major, but the Packers will take it day to day with him.
But you saw how important Christian Watson was to the Packers offense.
Without Watson, there was no deep threat for the Packers offense.
The tandem of Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden and Bo Melton struggled after a hot start in the first half.
One of those WR needs to step up, if Watson can’t go Saturday.
Golden is one of those that can replicate what Watson can do.
With his speed and route running, you will definitely see more playing time for the first year rookie.
Conclusion
After the game head coach Matt LaFleur said that no one will feel sorry for us.
“We’ve got to rally around one another, and everybody is going to have to elevate their play”
For LaFleur and the Packers, this isn’t the first time they’ve faced adversity.
In 2022 and 2023, the Packers were at 3-6, with no one giving them a shot.
While the 2022 Packers fell short of the playoffs by 1 game, the 2023 Packers went on a run.
LaFleur’s teams tend to find a way to overcome adversity.
But there is a reason why football is the ultimate teams sport.
and Matt LaFleur is hoping a team effort will help propell the Packers to overcome this adversity.
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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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