The Green Bay Packers’ collapse in Cleveland, despite another strong defensive performance, surprised those who had been high on the Packers’ Super Bowl chances after two games.
But it’s predictable that the 13-10 loss on the road to the Browns has dropped the Packers out of the top group in NFL power rankings.
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Ex-Dallas defensive star Micah Parsons will be the center of attention as the Packers travel to Texas to face the Cowboys on Sept. 28. But, as a few national writers point out, this might be a bigger game for Jordan Love and the Packers’ sputtering offense. The Cowboys are surrendering more than 30 points a game over the first three weeks.
Bad losses often put fans into an unnecessary panic mode, but the Packers’ depleted offensive line has set off a few alarm bells.
Here’s a roundup of the Packers’ slight tumble in NFL power rankings:
The Athletic: 7
The Packers aren’t healthy on the offensive line, but Love isn’t exactly facing the Dallas Doomsday defense, as Chad Graff and Josh Kendall of The Athletic point out:
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“A matchup against Jim Schwartz and the Browns defense eventually thwarted Love’s efficient start. But even while often flummoxed, Love drove the Packers into field-goal range Sunday before a block set up Cleveland’s game winner in the biggest upset of Week 3. Still, Love will be fine. Nothing to see here.”
Bleacher Report: 6
The Packers didn’t play well in Cleveland, but Kris Knox points out that great teams find a way to win those games:
“Anyone who crowned the Packers as the new best team in football may have done so prematurely. What we saw from Green Bay over the first two weeks wasn’t exactly a mirage, but championship-caliber teams find ways to win mistake-filled games on the road.
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“Yes, injuries along the offensive line made things incredibly difficult for Love and the Packers offense, but Green Bay still should have moved to 3-0. A late, ill-advised interception by Love and a blocked go-ahead field goal let Cleveland back in the game.
“The good news is that Green Bay isn’t going to face a defensive front as disruptive as Cleveland’s every week. The bad news is that the Zach Tom and Aaron Banks injuries loom large.”
CBS Sports: 5
You can’t win if you don’t score and the Packers were blanked by the Browns in the fourth quarter:
Pete Prisco asks, “Where is the offense? The defense has been dominant, but they aren’t getting enough from the offense. It cost them in Cleveland.”
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ESPN: 5
Yes, the defense has often been dominant, but the inability to cause turnovers is an early trend the Packers need to fix, writes Rob Demovsky:
“A season ago, the Packers tied for fourth in the NFL with 31 takeaways and ranked third in interceptions with 17. They have a grand total of two takeaways this season: Evan Williams’ interception in Week 1 against the Lions and Xavier McKinney’s interception on Sunday. McKinney’s pick was essentially a punt by the Browns, who threw a deep shot on fourth-and-8 with just 12 seconds left in the first half. The Packers spent training camp stressing punching the ball out and causing fumbles, but they haven’t forced one yet.”
Yahoo! Sports: 4
Frank Schwab tries to find the proper perspective:
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“With less than four minutes left, the Packers led 10-0 at Cleveland. In the last four minutes they gave up 13 points and lost. It doesn’t mean they’re a bad team, or won’t be in the No. 1 spot again, but that’s a really bad loss after a great start to the season.”
For The Win: 6
Christian D’Andrea asks if the Packers should be worried about their quarterback against teams with a legitimate pass rush:
“How harshly should we judge the Packers for having their offense entirely derailed by Myles Garrett after losing 40 percent of their offensive line due to injury? This could be a speed bump on a road to greater things. Or it could be the blueprint for opponents to frustrate Jordan Love until his brain is broken.”
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NFL.com: 6
Eric Edholm chose not to mince words about the shocking collapse in Cleveland:
“No sugar-coating it: That was easily one of the worst — and strangest — losses of Matt LaFleur’s career. The Packers were looking to ice the game on Brandon McManus’ short field-goal try with less than 30 seconds left in a tie game. That cannot turn into a loss in regulation, but somehow it did. The floodgates opened after Jordan Love’s awful interception, inviting a host of questions about whether this offense has what it takes to make the Packers Super Bowl contenders. Love was under heavy pressure all game, taking five sacks against a very good Browns defense. Zach Tom and Aaron Banks both left the game with injuries, and Green Bay has to find some blocking answers up front. But still, the breakdowns were too glaring to ignore, even if the Pack had pulled this game out. ”
USA TODAY: 5
The spotlight will be on Parsons’ return to Dallas, but the bigger Green Bay story is the wounded offensive line, according to Nate Davis.
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“Maybe Micah Parsons and Co. — specifically his teammates — were looking ahead to Dallas this week … even though this franchise hasn’t lost to the Cowboys in nearly nine years? While all the focus this week will be on Parsons, the Pack’s potentially makeshift O-line better ensure it can protect QB Jordan Love and find RB Josh Jacobs at least a sliver of daylight in Big D. ”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Packers fall from top tier of NFL power rankings after loss to Browns
