The Green Bay Packers are one of those teams that I expect to be pretty good, but normally never quite good enough to get to the final dance. They have winning seasons and if you look back at their record inside their conference they normally will finish near the top of the NFC North despite the fact that they are competing against the Lions, the Bears, and the Vikings, all of which tend to be pretty solid franchises.
When the Packers play, especially at Lambeau field, you expect a good showing. This was not what the fans and the NFL fans of the world got last night though.
This loss of 35-14 wouldn't be such a big of a deal if they were playing away to the Eagles or 49ers, but they were playing at home against what is rumored among many to be possibly the worst team in the NFL in 2026. Not only did they lose, but they were sloppy across the board.
Green Bay is the only team in the NFL that is "owned" by the fans. They do not have a corporate master or a billionaire owner. The fans all own small parts of the team and the team is not for sale. Green Bay is impossible to dislike (for me, I'm sure Chicago fans feel differently!) because of this.
Packers QB Jordon Love has played with Green Bay since 2021 and he normally manages to do pretty well. His QB rating was decent at around 75 but he DID manage two turnovers. One on an interception and the other on a fumble. There was only one other turnover by fumble by the entire team. These are pretty common stats and nobody can point the finger at Love for having butterfingers that day.
So what is the problem?
I'm not going to dive too much into the technical side of things because it isn't necessary. The fact of the matter is that Green Bay played like their entire team had the flu or dysentery during the entire game. Atlanta over-performed, espcially after their crushing loss to the Carolina Panthers a week ago, but much of this can be attributed to the massive holes the defense left on the field. I didn't watch much of the game but on more than one instance I found myself saying "damn Green Bay! They could have driven a truck through that hole you left in the defense!"
The Packers haven't dropped a home opener in many years and it is a point of pride for the Green Bay locals. It might be a record of some sort but I don't want to look it up. Let's just say that it is very rare for the Packers to lose at home during the first game of the season.
It is especially embarrassing when it is against a team that nobody gives a shot in hell to as far as making the post-season is concerned.
While the odds (in gambling) went up and down over the week Green Bay was favored by as much as 8 points for this one, and instead they were defeated by 3 touchdowns (21 points).
I kind of laughed when Atlanta went for a completely unnecessary 2-point conversion late in the 4th quarter, and converted it.
The home fans were not pleased when by the start of the 4th quarter their team was performing like hell and was down 27-7. Towards the middle of the 4th, the home fans loudly booed their own team.
It will be interesting to see if the Packers can turn it around when the visit Tampa Bay next week to play another NFC south team that basically nobody thinks is worth a damn, including Buccaneer fans. The odds have shifted in that game after the Falcons walked all over Green Bay and it now stands at -1.5 in favor of Green Bay. I'd take that bet if I were you, in favor of Green Bay. They have a lot to prove in this next week. Their team gets held accountable by a much bigger boss than the billionaire that will sell you in a heartbeat. The fans run this team, and they get a lot more angry than some guy who leaves the stadium on his or her private helicopter.
