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Com TW NOw News 2024

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Packers’ early path sadly all too familiar

Defensively, the missed tackles were tough to watch. Stopping the run was hit or miss. Too many explosive plays allowed.

It wasn’t the debut that new coordinator Jeff Hafley or anyone else was hoping for. Giving up 34 points and losing possession for five minutes makes it hard to win.

New safety Xavier McKinney, who made an interception on his first defensive series for the Packers, said he already knows where improvements are needed.

“It’s just one game, Week 1,” McKinney said. “The world hasn’t ended yet.”

That is also true. While the defense is in transition, the offense needs to mature again.

In that last respect, the Packers were a lot like the team that suffered insane road losses to the Raiders, Broncos and Steelers last fall. They were all winnable, but they all went down for largely the same reasons.

If there are any positives, this opponent was far more formidable than last year’s. The Eagles were a playoff team in 2023 and a Super Bowl contender 19 months ago. Yet the Packers held on despite various issues.

It was also Week 1 for the Eagles. They made their share of blunders, losing three turnovers and getting battered a few times. But in the end, they made fewer mistakes, were the better team in the red zone on both sides of the ball and proved to be the more experienced team in a flashy opener.

After the game, LaFleur suggested that the coaches made mistakes as well, without going into specifics. It was perhaps an acknowledgement that this team, especially on offense, is still young and that the coaches need to be at their best to get the most out of their developing game.

“We’ve got to take a good look at ourselves in the mirror and find ways to get better,” LaFleur said, referring to players and coaches. “It wasn’t good enough.

“When you look at it, it’s a collective loss. We’re all responsible for it, and it starts with me.”

Recovery begins with accountability. It always does. The Packers showed last year that the path works. No one wanted to be back on the same path this season, but that’s the reality based on this opening performance.

The good news? Three takeaways on defense is a nice start in a key category. New running back Josh Jacobs got going in the second half after a slow start, as the offensive line settled in and found its groove, literally and figuratively in this case.

Jordan Love’s leg injury may or may not complicate things in the coming weeks, but either way, the Packers should be able to get out of this year’s game sooner than they did last year.

They are still young, but they have been through this before and come out the other side. Having that as a foothold should make a difference this time and speed up the process.

And it’s just one game, week 1. The world hasn’t ended yet.