The Green Bay Packers suffered another embarrassing loss on Sunday, falling to the Detroit Lions after they had the game all but squared away.

For a team that is not expected to struggle, it’s getting difficult to defend some aspects of the product that the organization is putting on the field, and in my opinion, Jacob Morley of Packers Report summed it up best: the high-level stuff from this team can trick you into thinking that they could be great.

In reality?

This team is nothing more than subpar.

We Have A Problem (Again)

Of the many things that the Packers have continued to trick us with, kicker Trey Smack’s downfall may be the most disappointing.

After a promising preseason in which he missed zero kicks, and a few impressive distance makes through the first few weeks, the wheels seem to have fallen off.

Over the past three games, Smack has missed five kicks, and two of those came in the loss to the Lions.

His performance is ultimately what cost us on Sunday, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t see this one coming.

Although one of attempts in Detroit was blocked at the line, the kicks Smack have been missing are not typical NFL misses.

On the first drive, Smack failed to convert from twenty-six yards, and even when you consider the fact that his own unit backed him up five yards with a delay of game, the result is still unacceptable.

His initial twenty-one yard attempt was barely good, and the later blocked kick was a direct result of Smack not getting enough elevation on the ball, something that has been pointed out by several people thus far.

If Smack can’t make the gimmies in a domed stadium, there’s plenty of reason to believe that he can’t be this team’s kicker in January at Lambeau Field.

I think there’s a bit of a leash left, especially as a draft pick, and head coach Matt LaFleur has already confirmed that the Packers will be sticking with Smack, but if he costs us anymore games, he should be cut as soon as possible.

Attention to Detail

As has been the case for what feels like the past few seasons, the Packers are one of the most penalized teams in football.

Over the past two contests, quarterback Jordan Love has seen five would-be touchdowns dropped by his pass-catchers, including one from Josh Jacobs on the Packers’ final drive in Detroit that ended in a missed field goal.

Since Love became the starter in 2023, the ninety-nine drops by his complement lead the league, and it’s not for a lack of talent.

The fundamentals and the buy-in simply aren’t there, and they won’t be.

During Aaron Rodgers’ tenure, he would get on players for mistakes and make sure they saw a reduction in opportunity.

Jordan Love doesn’t do that, but it might be time for him to start.

It doesn’t help that the Packers continue to be one of the most poorly officiated teams in the league this season, with bogus roughing the passer and personal foul calls running rampant, but a lot of the penalties are due to a lack of discipline.

Green Bay ranks last in the league in penalty luck, and as safety Xavier McKinney was bold enough to mention, the current standard for refereeing in the NFL is significantly altering games.

Those calls I mentioned before, as well as a truly questionable intentional grounding, had an impact on the outcome.


At the end of the day however, the Packers still had every chance to overcome, and they simply didn’t.

Forcing a turnover on downs on the Lions side of the field with just a few minutes to go should have put the game away.

The Packers were already in field goal range.

Instead, the stand ended up meaning nothing, and for the first time in a long time as a fan, I find myself feeling more and more at odds with this offense.

The explosives are great when they happen, but they’re letting this defense down time and time again with poor execution.

For years, it was the other way around.

Now, even when the defense forces a big play, they’re being instantly deflated by the offense’s inability to capitalize instead of building momentum.

Every time you dare to think that this team might have grit, they end up falling flat.

A Quick Turnaround

For better or for worse, the Green Bay Packers won’t have much time to dwell on their loss to Detroit.

For the second time this season, the Packers will take part in Thursday Night Football, and this time, they’ll draw a matchup with the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers are a scrappy team, and coming off a blowout loss to the Buccaneers, they’ll likely be disgruntled.

It would be a mistake to underestimate them, and the Packers will likely be without their starting and backup center.

That means we’ll be seeing more of John Williams, who put together a pretty valiant effort against the Lions.

Regardless who’s on the field, this game is a must have.

With a loss the Packers’ playoff chances drop to just 28%.

With a win, it’s still right around 50/50.

Micah Parsons should begin practicing next week, which will be a boost, but it may not matter when the issues are everywhere else but the defense.

Moving forward, we can only hope for the best.