As the boos cascaded down from the Lambeau Field bleachers and onto the Green Bay Packers (1-2) in the midst of a 35-14 "Thursday Night Football" beatdown at the hands of the previously 0-2 Atlanta Falcons (1-2), general manager Brian Gutekunst knew he had to do something. There was too much evidence to ignore. After the Packers' largest home loss in eight seasons under coach Matt LaFleur, the numbers were eye-popping, but not in a positive direction.
Green Bay has trailed by double-digit points in each of the first three games of a season for the first time since 2014. In Week 3, the Packers were outrushed 242 yards to 17, the third-worst such margin for the proud franchise since 1980. Green Bay's 146 total team rushing yards are the fewest in the NFL through 9 weeks, and 97 fewer than the next-closest team, the Denver Broncos, with 243.
LaFleur doesn't trust his team's ability to run football, calling run plays on just 26.7% of the team's plays. The next-closest team is the Carolina Panthers, with a 34.2% run rate. Green Bay's passing offense is similarly struggling despite quarterback Jordan Love being one of the league's most efficient passers since becoming the Packers' starting quarterback in 2023.
Despite tossing multiple touchdowns in all three games this season, Love is uncharacteristically struggling with his accuracy in 2026 with a 52.4% completion percentage, the second-worst in the league. He's been pressured 59 times, the second-most in the NFL, with only Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who has been pressured 62 times, having been pressured more. Love's 28% off-target rate when pressured this season is the highest in the league, and as a result, the Packers are the least efficient third-down offense, converting for first downs at an NFL-low 27.8% rate.
Why is all this happening now after the Packers have had the league's 10th-highest scoring offense (24.2 points per game) across Love's first three seasons from 2023 to 2025? Green Bay horrifically miscalculated what they had along their offensive line. Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, one of the league's best at his position, went down in Week 2 at the New York Jets with a patellar tendon tear.
Left guard Aaron Banks has been in and out of the line with injuries as well. The rest of the line, outside of center Sean Rhyan, have looked young and overwhelmed. The 2026 season is 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan's first being able to start at his collegiate position, left tackle, and the rest of the young linemen at left guard (undrafted second-year vet Donovan Jennings and 2026 fifth-round pick Jager Burton), right guard (2024 fifth-round pick Jacob Monk) and right tackle (2025 second-round pick Anthony Belton) simply can't hang as NFL starters at their respective positions at the moment.
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