ClutchPoints
It was a rough afternoon for the Green Bay Packers, who didn’t get it done defensively and had plenty of blame to share. The Packers certainly have talent, but they are officially on fraud watch after blowing a home game against the Panthers.
Carolina strolled into Lambeau Field and the Panthers danced out with a 16-13 win that few people saw coming.
As good as the Packers’ record says they are, the results of most games suggest a team that might not be as good as 5-2-1. If nothing else, the Packers certainly aren’t casting fear across the NFC.
It’s called “fraud watch” because this team is still good. But at some point, the picture needs to look like a playoff team.
That was the case in the first two games of the season. The Packers easily handled the Lions before taking down a then-mostly healthy Commanders squad.
Since then, it has been a mess. They suffered an unacceptable 13-10 road loss to the Browns. Then, with the whole country watching, their defense got embarrassed in a 40-40 tie against the Cowboys. It was a game the Packers barely tied, thanks to questionable late-game clock management by head coach Matt LaFleur.
Their next win came against a Joe Burrow-less Bengals team with a treacherously bad defense. But the Packers led only 24-18 with 4:11 remaining.
Up next, the Arizona Cardinals came in on the heels of four straight losses and without their starting quarterback. And yet, the Packers didn’t take the lead until 1:50 left in the game.
Then the Packers trailed the Steelers by five points entering the fourth quarter before rallying for the win.
This is simply a team that hasn’t been impressive over the last six weeks. And that’s about a third of a season.
Fraud watch, indeed.
It doesn’t help matters that the Packers might have to go forward without one of their best offensive weapons. Tight end Tucker Craft suffered what may be a serious knee injury in the loss to the Panthers, according to Packers.com
“Everybody knows the type of season Tuck is having, the type of player he is for Green Bay,” edge rusher Rashan Gary said. “The type of player he is on the practice field, in the locker room, just as a man.
“When you see a guy who’s been working his butt off from OTAs to offseason to camp, you see him preparing, getting ready to have a great year as he is – that’s a guy we need on the team.”
Josh Jacobs added, “I know who he is for this team and what he means for this team. That’s a heavy blow for us. A lot of guys, even in the locker room and even the huddle afterwards, we felt that. He’s a leader on this team. He’s a captain, and he’s one of those guys that you really love to have on your...
