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Kalani Jones

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Co-Owner of the thirteen time world champion Green Bay Packers. Sometimes I write about them. Follow me on Twitter at https://x.com/kjones_in_co and on Substack for film breakdowns!

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Confessions of a Polluted Mindset - As the OL Turns...

JerseyAl — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:20:04 +0000

This week brought us the latest installment of everyone's favorite daytime show, "Guess the Packers Offensive Lineman for the Week." If you remember the plot from the last few episodes, it was quite apparent that Kevin Zeitler would be starting at right guard against the Lions, having now had almost a month to ramp up. But after being active for the last two games, he was left off the gameday roster on Sunday. Bet you didn't see that storyline developing! One has to ask, even if they didn't want to mess up this "great thing" they have going with Travis Glover at RG, why would Zeitler not be made available as an emergency backup, at least?

Actually, there is one theory I heard that could make some sense. My friend Myles Teteak of the Packers Weekly Podcast speculated that perhaps the short week was the reason. Maybe they didn't think it would be wise to make the change against the Lions and then have Zeitler play four days later. It's a somewhat plausible theory, but with the Packers' confounding history of offensive line management decisions, I'm more inclined to believe this was just more of the same.

Flip that around to the soap opera titled "The Curious Case of Aaron Banks" Subtitle: "The man who would be a football player (if his body allowed him)." In this episode, our hero again spends the whole week on the injured list, seeing only limited participation in practice. So obviously, he'll be in street clothes again. But Wait! In a real plot twist, the Packers choose to make Banks active for the game, even though he hasn't been able to practice for real for weeks!

In the end, the Packers rolled out the same starting five we've begrudgingly become accustomed to, but that didn't last long, did it? Faster than you can say Ol' Bag of Donuts, the Packers found themselves down to their emergency third string center, offensive tackle/guard John Williams. Frankly, ever since watching Williams play very well at left tackle in preseason , I've been waiting for him to get his opportunity to break into the offensive line unit, but I never thought it would be as a center. Surprisingly, despite his paucity of experience at the position, Williams handled the specifics of the position without any real gaffes or mishaps. Presumably, the holder of an Aerospace Engineering degree could be expected to be fast learner, and this rocket scientist did not disappoint. He did allow three pressures, but otherwise his blocking in the interior was no worse overall than Glover or Tomlinson's.

What will happen next? Tune in Thursday night, same Pack team, same Pack channel...

Moving off of the offensive line, which of the other Packers' issues shall we talk about? Drops? No running game? Penalties? Injuries? The Kicker? Coaching? Sure seems like a lot when you write it all out like that. But if I had to pick one thing that if corrected, would help this team the most RIGHT NOW, I'd pick the dropped passes. Even without a running game, this Packers offense can be explosive, but the biggest thing holding it back is the drops. Catch those passes from Jordan Love and more points will get scored. Despite their injuries, the defense is playing very well and keeping the Packers in games. Over the last four games, opponents have scored an average of 13.5 points per game. If Golden, Melton and Jacobs catch those passes last Sunday, you could reasonably expect the Packers to be winning by two touchdowns when the Lions get the ball for the final drive.

Now, the real question is, why are there so many drops? While some are lapses of concentration, many of them are in contested situations where the receivers are not winning the battle for the ball. If you want to be a top receiver in this league, you have to fight off the defender to make the catch. The best receivers do that. It feels to me like Golden and Watson are a bit too passive in contested catch situations.They often wait for the ball to come to them when they should be more proactive and go get the ball. That can mean using your body to shield the defender from the ball, that can mean hand-fighting, that can mean expanding your catch radius, that can mean high-pointing the ball instead of waiting for it to drop into your chest. That can also mean stop thinking you've been interfered with and appealing for flags on every contested incompletion. When you do it all the time, you're not going to get any sympathy from the refs. They're just going to roll their eyes and shake their heads at you.

Speaking of penalties, I'm not going to get into the ridiculous roughing the passer and taunting penalties that seem to just be applied to the Packers. It's been discussed ad nauseam and we know the NFL doesn't care. Actually, they care a lot. They love the attention and engagement it brings. They live by the mantra "there's no such thing as bad publicity."

I will however, leave you some interesting stats here. Check them out.

Green Bay Packers 2026 penalty numbers, specifically on all-important THIRD DOWN plays & in the FOURTH QTR of games The #Packers lead the #NFL in 4TH qtr penalty per game avg, recording historically high numbers in this category Compounding that, the @packers have off-the-charts numbers surrendering AUTOMATIC 1ST DOWNS via penalty on THIRD DOWN plays (& primarily in the 4th qtr) None of this is news to Green Bay players/coaches or fans Three games in particular this season (@Vikings @Lions & vs Cowboys) were beyond ridiculous w' officiating in the 4th qtr of those contests There are many numbers I can detail going back two decades but ill use 2021/2025 five-yr data as comparison to highlight the statistical improbablity of the 2026 stats Green Bay is surrendering 1.71 AUTOMATIC 1ST DOWNS per game on THIRD DOWN To put that in perspective, over the past 5 seasons the next highest avg in this category is the 2023 Titans (0.94 per game) & the 2021 #Bills at 0.89 per game GB is averaging almost DOUBLE per game of the next highest penalized team over past 5 seasons in this category In the FOURTH QTR, Green Bay is surrendering 1.29 AUTOMATIC 1ST DOWNS via penalty in 2026 The next closest to that the past five seasons is the 2024 Commanders at 0.90 per 4th qtr The bulk of Packers ROUGHING THE PASSER & UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS & ILLEGAL CONTACT penalties have occurred in the 4th qtr (see clip #GBvsMIN Week 1 w' Shawn Hochuli) For the record im not a Packers fan, just someone that studies data But I watch every game & the officiating in some GB contests this season has been diabolical late The general response is "just play better" so a bad call or calls have no impact on the final outcome That sounds great & im sure every team would love to be ahead 50-0 in the 4th so an atrocious UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS penalty has zero impact But the fact is most games come down to the final 10 mins & if you're on the wrong end of bad calls in the 4th qtr & particularly on 3rd down, its near impossible to overcome Its up to Matt LaFleur & Packers hierarchy to inform @NFLOfficiating & start calling out the one-sided numbers The positive would be these numbers can't continue indefinitely & GB does have 6 more games at Lambeau Field, where they historically have received better treatment #GoPackGo

— nflrefstats (@nflrefstats1) October 26, 2026

Getting pressured 110 times without drawing a single roughing the passer penalty is kind of incredible. https://t.co/mkqS7iAQMm

— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) October 26, 2026

GoPackGo!

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Jersey Al Bracco

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"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of various hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He's a lifetime Packers fan living in the land of the Giants (and Jets). Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.

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Pack-A-Day - Episode 3016: Mistakes Continue to Haunt the Packers...

AndyHerman — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:30:00 +0000

On today's show, Andy Herman is joined by Paul Farrington to discuss the recent success of the Vikings, that still comes with major concerns about Kyler Murray & the offense. Plus, can the Packers actually fix their mistakes and become a better team? Don't miss today's Behind Enemy Lines!!!

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Andy is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh and owns & operates the Pack-A-Day Podcast. Andy has taken multiple courses in NFL scouting and is an Editor for Packer Report. Andy grew up in Green Bay and is a lifelong season ticket holder - follow him on Twitter @AndyHermanNFL!

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Avoiding Cat-Astrophe Against the Panthers

PackerAaron — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 02:03:51 +0000

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Packers Daily: John Williams Has Something To Build On

PackerAaron — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:35:11 +0000

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Packers Vs. Lions - Three Things That Make You Go Hmmm

JerseyAl — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:40:10 +0000

After re-watching the Packers game, here are three plays that made me go hmmm, for various reasons. In general, I either focus on a theme, more nuanced observations, or just things I didn't notice watching live. These can be but are less likely to be "highlight" plays. I present these to you with a short explanation why I picked them and then let you readers discuss the plays.

There won't be a "Three Plays..." from me next week as I'll be on vacation. Hoping I can at lease get Polluted Mindset done for Wednesday morning.

Here are three quick things that made me go hmmm...

Hmmm, so Josh Jacobs still needs better OL play to be a real difference maker. I'll start with Jacob's very first carry as a Green Bay Packer in 2026. The one thing you can see immediately is Jacob's vision and decision-making. There is a running lane there initially, but he spots two Lions coming in to fill that hole. He cuts quickly to his left where there is a new gap but Jordan Morgan has failed to at least get in the way of Adrian Hutchinson behind the play, and Hutch is able to come across and take Jacobs down from behind. One more thing. Why are there four Packers on the right side of the line mashed together to block two Lions? Someone wasn't where they were supposed to be.and there was no blocking at all on the second level. The linebackers and DBs were all free to crash and attack the line of scrimmage.

Hmmm, so a lack of backside blocking is a consistent problem, huh? Next up is the first down handoff to Jacobs from the six yard line. Watching live, I wasn't happy that they ran the ball twice here. But upon rewatching, I realized this is how Jacobs piled up those touchdown stats in previous seasons.Of course, that was behind a ~~different~~ better offensive line. With some adequate blocking on the backside, this was a run Jacobs could have scored on. We've seen Jacobs have success with this before - he spots a crease, changes direction, squeezes through it and powers through to the end zone. Alas, Tomlinson's man easily sheds his block with only one arm and comes from the other side to take down Jacobs before he can get through the hole. Jordan Morgan doesn't do much either, and his man likely gets an assist on the tackle. Finally, Morgan compounds his poor play with a desperate (too late) attempt to reach his man and ends up crashing on top of Jacobs. Not pretty.

Hmmm, I was calling for some outside runs during the game, and when they finally did it, here you have Jacob's longest run of the game. In fact, Jacobs' second longest run of 8 yards was also off of Belton's outside shoulder. On this play, Belton and Redmond double the defensive end and then Redmond peels off to block a linebacker. Kraft handles the outside linebacker and Sturdivant helps out with some downfield blocking. This looks so easy, yet it took until 0:23 of the third quarter for the Packers to even try to run Jacobs anywhere but between the tackles. And there's an added benefit here - a lack of blocking on the backside doesn't matter. Morgan barely gets a hand on Hutchinson, but it's ok, there's just no way he's going to affect this play.

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Packers Get Ready for Panthers on Thursday Night

PackerAaron — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:42:08 +0000

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Around the NFC North: 2026 Week 7

Mike Price — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Once again, each of the inferior North teams has pulled off a win, while the Packers lose in large part because of insane officiating. Don't bother to bring up the whiny stuff about the Packers having a chance to win the game; we all know that, and it just makes it more annoying. They still could've won, but they should've won easily. And it isn't just a few plays either. It's the Lions' defensive strategy being all about holding with no calls, and then a super questionable PI being called on a Packers interception. It's about Jordan Love getting hit constantly and then two non-penalty rouging the passers extending drives. It's about Matthew Golden getting a 15-yard penalty for taunting one week and the entire Lions team launching into the dorkiest taunting dance routine you've ever seen and making the official NFL twitter account. Let's get into the games, I guess.

Lions

The last year or so of Chicago Bears fans losing their minds because they had their first good year in twenty really made me forget how annoying Lions fans are. Packers fans en masse are rightfully pissed about this travesty as a game, and the Lions fan response is, from almost every single one of them, "Yeah, but 11 years ago there was one penalty that I think is wrong before the Hail Mary throw." They don't mention that not only was there a finger in Rodgers' facemask, but it also turned his head. How would that ever not be called? Sure, you can go to slow-mo and zoom in 10x and question it, but give me a break. And even if it isn't a true facemask, call it is a make-up call. Go to the 11-minute mark in this video. In the play before the facemask, Jared Abbrederis is obviously interfered with. His jersey is pulled off his shoulder pad. Should've been called pass interference and wasn't. Packers would've been in clear field goal range and likely won the game. A make-up call 11 years ago doesn't dismiss the nonsense that happened on Sunday.

The Packers defense left a little to be desired in the game. The Lions offense is great, but they pretty much moved the ball at will all day. They had 415 yards, including 9.2 yards per attempt and 3.6 yards per carry. That low of a YPC is nice until you wake up sweating in the middle of the night remembering Jahmyr Gibbs running people over while four Lions offensive linemen attempt to hurt people diving onto the pile late for no reason at all.
Speaking of attempting to hurt people for no reason at all, Brian Branch returned and immediately attempted to concuss Tucker Kraft on a, surprisingly, uncalled dirty helmet-to-helmet attempt. Branch had an arm punt interception that is fruit of the poisonous tree since it came one play after an uncalled PI that would've moved the ball down the field and caused the play not to happen. Lions fans will surely hold onto that pick for years.
Jahmyr Gibbs had a lot of yards on a lot of touches, but the Sun God was the star for the Lions. He ate up the Packers zone defense all day and ended up with nine catches for 153 yards.

Green Bay Packers 2026 penalty numbers, specifically on all-important THIRD DOWN plays & in the FOURTH QTR of games The #Packers lead the #NFL in 4TH qtr penalty per game avg, recording historically high numbers in this category Compounding that, the @packers have off-the-charts numbers surrendering AUTOMATIC 1ST DOWNS via penalty on THIRD DOWN plays (& primarily in the 4th qtr) None of this is news to Green Bay players/coaches or fans Three games in particular this season (@Vikings @Lions & vs Cowboys) were beyond ridiculous w' officiating in the 4th qtr of those contests There are many numbers I can detail going back two decades but ill use 2021/2025 five-yr data as comparison to highlight the statistical improbablity of the 2026 stats Green Bay is surrendering 1.71 AUTOMATIC 1ST DOWNS per game on THIRD DOWN To put that in perspective, over the past 5 seasons the next highest avg in this category is the 2023 Titans (0.94 per game) & the 2021 #Bills at 0.89 per game GB is averaging almost DOUBLE per game of the next highest penalized team over past 5 seasons in this category In the FOURTH QTR, Green Bay is surrendering 1.29 AUTOMATIC 1ST DOWNS via penalty in 2026 The next closest to that the past five seasons is the 2024 Commanders at 0.90 per 4th qtr The bulk of Packers ROUGHING THE PASSER & UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS & ILLEGAL CONTACT penalties have occurred in the 4th qtr (see clip #GBvsMIN Week 1 w' Shawn Hochuli) For the record im not a Packers fan, just someone that studies data But I watch every game & the officiating in some GB contests this season has been diabolical late The general response is "just play better" so a bad call or calls have no impact on the final outcome That sounds great & im sure every team would love to be ahead 50-0 in the 4th so an atrocious UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS penalty has zero impact But the fact is most games come down to the final 10 mins & if you're on the wrong end of bad calls in the 4th qtr & particularly on 3rd down, its near impossible to overcome Its up to Matt LaFleur & Packers hierarchy to inform @NFLOfficiating & start calling out the one-sided numbers The positive would be these numbers can't continue indefinitely & GB does have 6 more games at Lambeau Field, where they historically have received better treatment #GoPackGo

— nflrefstats (@nflrefstats1) October 26, 2026

Bears

The Bears beat the Patriots 30-24 on Thursday night. After a week of criticism about his average depth of target, Caleb Williams attempted ten passes over ten yards and completed six of them. He was 14/15 on passes below seven yards and still has the lowest ADOT in the league by half a yard.
Luther Burden was the real MVP in this game for the Bears. He had 130 yards on 4 catches, much of it coming after the catch. All four catches came in the first half.
D'Andre Slow had a piddly 3.5 yards per carry on 22 attempts.
The Bears defense played better than you'd expect excepting a wild play at the end of the first half where Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 48-yard screen pass as time expired, and the Bears seemingly forgot the game was happening and hardly tried to tackle him.

The much awaited Drake Maye/Caleb Williams pass chart comparison from tonight’s game. https://t.co/TuVPmmRzBy

— Trey² (@PeanutChillman) October 23, 2026

Vikings

The blitzing has gone to a level almost never before seen. The Vikings beat the Colts 16-10 in a game where the blitzed on 85% of dropbacks. Daniel Jones, who was the Colts' savior just last year when they were the best team in the league for a few weeks, went 13/22 for 108 yards and a pick.
The Vikings have the best defense in the league, and basically every smart DC, including Jonathan Gannon, is now running a lot of the same types of simulated pressures. I have to say that is a relief after almost every DC in the league wanted to use umbrella coverage and bend but don't break defense for a few years. Horrific. If the Packers end up moving on from LaFleur, I hope Flores is the hire.
The Vikings' offense isn't as inspiring: Kyler Murray had a 90 QB rating, Justin Jefferson had 44 yards, and Aaron Jones had 26 before leaving with an injury. The immovable object vs. unstoppable force match-up comes next week when the Vikings and Lions play. Have to wonder if they both blew their whole ref payoff budget in their respective Packers games.

The Vikings are the last undefeated team in 2026 Their offense ranks 29th in EPA/play 30th in success rate 24th in EPA/pass 26th in pass success rate 27th in EPA/rush 30th in rush success rate 30th in YAC 22nd in YPA 24th in % of stuffed runs

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) October 26, 2026

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Mike Price is a lifelong Packers fan who recently moved from Utah to Stoughton (a Madison suberb). You can follow him on twitter at @themikeprice.

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Cory's Corner: What Exactly Are We Seeing?

CoryJennerjohn — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 11:07:21 +0000

DETROIT — I will continue to watch.

But after what I saw on Sunday, I’m not sure I want to. The Lions beat the Packers 20-17 in one of the oddest officiated games I’ve ever seen.

And since I ref plenty of baseball and basketball games, I steer clear of criticizing the zebras. It’s a tough job and there are always plenty of plays that can decide a game.

But we are beyond criticism. We are to the point of confusion. It all started with what the definition of a catch was — which is still hard for the majority of people watching a game.

And now we’ve moved on to roughing the passer. I get trying to protect the quarterback, because it is the most important position in all of sports. But when quarterbacks are turning into Premier League soccer players by flopping to the ground and begging for a roughing the passer penalty, something is wrong.

The first roughing the passer penalty was called on Brenton Cox Jr. in the third quarter. He made contact with Jared Goff and then Goff decided to fall to the ground, which drew the flag. The second one was called on Karl Brooks on the Lions final drive, which set up Detroit’s eventual 22-yard game-winning field goal.

I love that the NFL is trying to promote player safety, but I have a hard time believing that. The NFL plays nine international games in seven countries. That force feeds teams short rest in addition to playing on Wednesdays and Thursdays and will soon make a push to play 18 regular season games.

At some point, the NFL Players Association will have to draw a line in the sand. You cannot have games being decided by things that don’t make any sense. Like I said, I really want the NFL to focus on player safety, but I don’t want that hyper focus to be used in a negative way that affects the product on the field.

The Packers should’ve won that game after missing a 26-yard field goal and getting a 35-yard field goal blocked. Those have to be gimmes in the NFL. But even if the Packers would’ve won that game on Sunday, I still would be talking about how hard that game was to watch.

The NFL is always advocating for advancing its product and growing the game. Whether that’s with women, children or international fans. But how much fun can it be to watch if the game isn’t being played the same. Even FOX analyst Tom Brady showed his displeasure with the call against Brooks. “It’s a bang-bang play,” Brady said. “He rolls off his body. It’s a great throw by (Jared) Goff. That’s definitely not roughing the passer.”

And that’s coming from the best quarterback ever. You’d think Brady, of all people, would advocate for quarterbacks, but he is siding with what’s right in this case.

I mean, we are playing football. What are we doing? Goff had his hands on his hips and it actually looked like he was setting up to take a charge in basketball before Cox at best nudged him. Goff then made an Oscar-worthy flop and got the 15-yard penalty.

What’s striking is that the Packers have been flagged eight times just for roughing the passer. Jordan Love has yet to draw one roughing the passer penalty this season.

After the game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur didn’t say anything about it. And frankly, that’s not OK. He is afraid of getting fined, but after losing a division game that should’ve been a win, he should be fine with cutting a check to at least highlight how ridiculous the enforcement of roughing the passer has been.

If a quarterback is just going to fall over as a means to get 15 free yards, then the rules need to change. Once a defensive player comes in contact with a quarterback behind the line of scrimmage, should the play be over? You cannot keep bending the rules for the offense without finding an alternative to even it out the other way.

Let’s also not forget that the Packers had dropped passes, including a dropped touchdown, and the defense only had one quarterback hit.

But the state of the game is in a weird spot. It’s not about the competition, it’s about the confusion of not knowing what we’re seeing. We all want to know and understand this game, but it makes it hard when the goalposts keep getting moved.

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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn

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Pack-A-Day - Episode 3015: The Aftermath w/ Justis Mosqueda!

AndyHerman — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:30:00 +0000

On today's show, join Andy Herman & Justis Mosqueda as they take a deep dive into Packers/Lions, including what went wrong and how Green Bay can try to course correct going into TNF against the Panthers. Don't miss it!!!

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Packers Daily: We have no time for sorrows, Commander

PackerAaron — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:58:02 +0000

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Let's Talk Football: Jordan Love Can't Do It All Himself

PackerAaron — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 19:41:53 +0000

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It’s Time to End the MarShawn Lloyd Experiment

Dan Saia — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 19:00:00 +0000

The refs, the drops and the missed kicks all doomed the Green Bay Packers in a big way on Sunday in Detroit. A good football team can survive one, maybe even two of those but all three is an absolute kiss of death but despite all of that, the Packers should still have won the game. The good news if there is any is that the officiating shouldn’t be that bad on a weekly basis, rookie kicker Trey Smack should continue to improve and the drops while an issue all seasons have to get better (right?). One thing that is not getting better and that the Packers need to finally address is the MarShawn Llyod experiment.

The Green Bay Packers spent a third-round pick on MarShawn Lloyd in 2024 hoping they had found another explosive running back who could eventually become a valuable piece of Matt LaFleur’s offense. More than two years later, that investment has produced precious little on the field, and the Packers have reached a point where they need to seriously reconsider Lloyd’s future in Green Bay.

There is a difference between giving a young player time to develop and continuing to wait for a player to become available and productive. Lloyd has struggled to stay healthy, and when the opportunities finally arrived, he failed to establish himself as a reliable option. With Josh Jacobs back in the lineup, Green Bay has even less reason to keep waiting for the former USC standout to figure things out.

The numbers tell a pretty clear story.

Through seven appearances in the 2026 season, Lloyd has recorded 54 carries for 142 yards, averaging just 2.6 yards per attempt. He has scored twice on the ground, but those touchdowns have done little to offset his lack of efficiency. His longest run has gone for just 12 yards, and he has yet to demonstrate the big-play ability that made him an intriguing prospect coming out of college.

Those numbers are particularly disappointing considering the opportunity Lloyd received to begin the season.

With Jacobs unavailable for Green Bay’s first six games, Lloyd had a chance to take control of the backfield and prove he deserved a significant role moving forward. Instead, he struggled to generate consistent production, leaving the Packers searching for answers at a position that was supposed to be one of their offensive strengths.

There were occasional flashes. Lloyd scored two rushing touchdowns in Green Bay’s 31-7 victory over Chicago on Oct. 11, giving fans a glimpse of the potential that made him an appealing draft selection. However, he needed 10 carries to produce just 31 rushing yards that afternoon. The following week against Dallas, he managed only 10 yards on eight carries.

That is the problem with Lloyd. The occasional highlight or productive stretch has not translated into dependable production from week to week.

The situation became even more difficult to defend after Green Bay’s 20-17 overtime victory over the New York Jets in Week 2. Lloyd scored his first career regular-season touchdown on a six-yard reception, but he also lost a fumble deep in Packers territory during the fourth quarter. Green Bay stopped giving him opportunities after the turnover, and the mistake reinforced concerns about whether the young back could be trusted in important situations.

Turnovers are especially damaging for a running back trying to establish himself. Coaches can live with an occasional missed cut or a short gain, but putting the football on the ground can change a game in an instant. Lloyd has now put the ball on the ground twice in 2026, losing one of those fumbles.

His receiving production has offered some encouragement, with 12 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. But even that has not been enough to separate him from the other options on the roster.

Lloyd also missed the entire 2025 season because of soft-tissue injuries, following a rookie campaign in which he appeared in just one game and carried the ball six times. The injuries deserve consideration, and it would be unfair to pretend he has enjoyed a normal developmental path. Still, availability matters in the NFL, particularly for a running back whose value depends on contributing consistently.

The Packers cannot keep building their plans around what Lloyd might eventually become. They need players who can help them win now.

The Packers also have alternatives. With Josh Jacobs back in the fold hopefully for the rest of the season, he should unquestionably get the bulk of the carries. What Llyod turns into a 1-2 yard loss, Jacobs turns into a 1-2 yard gain. Chris Brooks has been more efficient on the ground, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on 15 attempts and he should be back from his injury soon, while Kaleb Johnson has averaged 3.7 yards on 28 carries. Johnson has been in the dog house since his goal line fumble against the Buccaneers but showed some promise when given an opportunity. Neither player has established himself as a long-term answer, but both provide reasons for Green Bay to evaluate its options rather than automatically reserving a role for Lloyd.

Jacobs' return should make the decision easier. In Sunday's 20-17 loss to Detroit, Lloyd managed 20 yards on six carries and added 15 receiving yards on two catches. Meanwhile Pierre Strong who provided a nice spark out in the passing game a week eariler against the cowboys logged only 8 snaps and did not touch the football.

The Packers can keep him on the roster while reducing his workload, or explore whether another team sees enough untapped potential to offer a reasonable trade albeit the chances of that are slim. What they should not do is continue treating him as the presumptive running back of the future.

General manager Brian Gutekunst has built this roster around developing young talent, and that approach has paid dividends. But draft position cannot become a reason to ignore what is happening on the field. Lloyd was a third-round investment, not an obligation to wait indefinitely.

The Packers need a dependable backfield behind Jacobs, particularly given how important the running game is to LaFleur's offense. If Lloyd cannot consistently produce positive yardage, protect the football and stay available, Green Bay must be willing to give someone else that opportunity.

There is still time for Lloyd to prove he belongs in the NFL. There is simply less reason to believe that breakthrough needs or will happen in Green Bay. After two seasons of injuries and an underwhelming return to the field, the Packers should stop banking on potential and start prioritizing production.

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Key Takeaways From Green Bay’s Loss at Detroit

cartersemb — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:44:21 +0000

“This is a tough one.”

Matt LaFleur summed up Sunday’s loss in Detroit pretty well. It was a tough one. It was frustrating. It was aggravating. It was a lot of things, but it wasn’t a win. The Packers fell to the Lions 20-17.

They had opportunities, quite a few of them, to win a tough game on the road, and they didn’t take advantage. Self-inflicted mistakes got the best of them once again, and this time they were too much to overcome. That’s what made it such a tough loss. Detroit didn’t outplay Green Bay. The Packers held up well in a hostile environment against one of the league’s best offenses and had chance after chance to win a divisional road game. They just let them slip away.

Yards came easily for both offenses, but points were harder to come by. Both teams moved the ball up and down the field in the first half, and it was only 10-7 at the break. A missed field goal by Green Bay and a red zone fumble by Detroit killed promising drives on both sides. “We left a lot of points out there that we didn’t finish in the red zone, didn’t finish with the kicks,” Jordan Love said after the game. “It’s disappointing. We did a decent job moving the ball, but should’ve scored more.”

All things considered, the Packers were fortunate to be down only three at halftime. They even caught a huge break to open the second half when Detroit fumbled for a second time, and Green Bay quickly cashed in, taking its first lead of the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Josh Jacobs. But Detroit answered on the very next possession, and the lead was short-lived.

The offense moved the ball all day but struggled in a lot of ways. They couldn’t run the football, converted just 5-of-15 on third down, and went 1-of-4 in the red zone. That’s how a team ends up scoring only 17 points, its second-lowest total of the season. “It comes down to finding ways to score points,” Love said. “We have to have a run game to be able to do that, and it comes down to throwing and catching. We didn’t do a good enough job today.”

One of the lone bright spots was the defense. Jonathan Gannon’s unit held strong against one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. They gave up 415 yards but held Detroit to just 20 points, and the Lions went 5-for-10 on third down and 2-for-5 in the red zone. Playing the Lions on their home turf is a tough task, and the defense did a pretty good job despite plenty of moments of adversity.

Sunday’s loss will stick with the Packers, but they need to move on quickly. They host the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, a team that will be eager to bounce back after getting boatraced by Tampa Bay yesterday. “Very disappointed right now. I thought our team competed; they battled,” LaFleur said. “It was just not capitalizing on premier opportunities right there. We didn’t capitalize on it and then missed a field goal. This is a tough one. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to learn; we have to move on. We have a tough opponent coming in on Thursday night.”

Before looking ahead to what’s next, let’s dive into some of the key takeaways from yesterday’s gut punch.

@NFL @NFLOfficiating let’s just go to flag football if everytime a qb gets touched it’s roughing the passer!

— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) October 25, 2026

The Elephant in the Room: The Officiating

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: the officiating.

Let’s get one thing straight: the Packers didn’t lose on Sunday solely because of the officiating. They had plenty of opportunities they didn’t convert. But the officiating played a major role, and it needs to be discussed. Green Bay had its chances, but Alex Moore and his crew made it a really tough day for the Packers.

Where do we even start? The no-call on Brian Branch's hit to Tucker Kraft's helmet? The unnecessary roughness call on Devonte Wyatt that wiped out a third-and-7 opportunity? The roughing-the-passer penalty on Brenton Cox that would’ve set up third-and-10? The defensive pass interference call that wiped out an interception? The intentional grounding on Jordan Love that forced a second-and-21? The other roughing-the-passer call on Karl Brooks? It was one tough call after the next.

After the game, LaFleur was very diplomatic, as usual. “I don’t even want to comment on any of the penalties. It is what it is. You’ve got to play above it. I thought there were some tough calls, but it is what it is. Sure, I can say what I really think, but I don’t think it does any good. It is what it is. You just have to overcome it.”

The locker room was a lot more willing to speak openly, to the point where some hefty fines are probably coming this week. “I see what’s going on and it’s killing us,” Xavier McKinney said. “We all see it. We all see what’s going on. Everyone sees what’s going on. The fans see what’s going on. We see what’s going on when we’re out there.

“If you asked me right now, I’d do the same thing 100 times over,” Wyatt said of his unnecessary roughness penalty, which came when he finished a play where Amon-Ra St. Brown kept running with the ball after no whistle had blown. “So that’s the refs. They gotta figure out what they need to do because I definitely did my job.”

Xavier McKinney was even more direct. “I don’t know how the NFL’s going to treat it, but I’m not a big fan of the refs right now,” he said. “I don’t think it’s great officiating, if I’m being completely honest. I think it’s bullsh– a lot of the time. I think there are drives where they make calls that don’t even make any sense. And then the fact that they’re not even reviewing what they’re calling... It’s a lot of sh– that doesn’t make sense right now.”

The biggest issue is that penalties aren’t being called the same way across the league. The Packers are obviously going to be upset about calls that go against them, but plenty of people around the league are confused by what they’re seeing too. Matthew Golden was flagged and fined last week for flexing after a big play. Yet nothing was called when the entire Detroit offense was dancing and taunting Green Bay’s defense after Brooks jumped offsides to basically end the game. One was unsportsmanlike conduct and the other wasn’t.

The intentional grounding call on Love in the fourth quarter was confusing as well. Love was out of the pocket and Kraft was clearly the intended target. The ball failed to reach the line of scrimmage and bounced five yards in front of Kraft, but the intent was fairly obvious. Earlier in that half, Jared Goff wasn’t flagged for the same thing on a play where he fired a pass from the pocket with no receiver in sight.

And to top it off, nobody seems to know what roughing the passer is anymore. The Packers defense has been called for eight roughing-the-passer penalties this year. Some were fair, some were questionable, but that’s a high total. Meanwhile, Love hasn’t drawn a single roughing call, despite being the most-hit quarterback in the league.

Unsurprisingly, Love declined to say anything about it, but his teammates weren’t shy. “We’re not seeing the same calls for our quarterback,” Keisean Nixon said. “We can’t leave it in the ref’s hands. They clearly don’t like Jordan Love; they throw none for him.”

To be fair, the Packers should’ve known there was an increased chance of a roughing call. Moore’s crew ranked first in roughing-the-passer calls last season and has thrown the third-most this year. But it’s becoming increasingly hard to know what to do other than avoid quarterbacks altogether.

Officiating is always controversial in the NFL, and the Packers have seen their fair share of blunders. NFL referees aren’t full-time employees, so issues are bound to come up, but the product on the field is getting worse. “It’s kinda f—ing up the games if I’m being honest,” McKinney said bluntly. “But at the end of the day, we’ve still got to try to go out there and win these games. It’s just making it a little harder when the officiating is that way.”

"That's definitely not roughing-the-passer." ~ @TomBrady "It wasn't late, his head is up, that's teach-tape tackle. That's not roughing-the-passer." ~ @DeanBlandino "That is certainly not a penalty." ~ @kevinburkhardt

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) October 25, 2026

Shooting Themselves in the Foot

Alright, back to the Packers. The officiating undoubtedly made life harder on Sunday, but it was the undisciplined mistakes that ultimately cost them the win in Detroit. No execution in the red zone. Drops. Untimely pre-snap penalties. No capitalizing on Detroit’s errors. Missed field goals. They shot themselves in the foot time and time again and couldn’t overcome it.

Seven points. The Packers got into the red zone four times and came away with just seven points. If you’re looking for why they lost by three, look no further. One trip ended with a missed field goal. Another ended on a failed fourth-down conversion. Another ended with a field goal that was partially blocked and missed. Score on any one of those possessions and it’s a different outcome.

“I think usually the better red zone teams can typically run the ball in the red zone. Then you put yourself in more manageable situations. I have to go back and look at it, but it’s not nearly as effective as it needs to be,” LaFleur said when asked about the red zone woes. “You gotta finish plays. Certainly some play calls I wish we had back, but then we’ve got to finish some plays.”

Not finishing? That sounds oddly familiar, and it showed up again in catching the football. PFF has the Packers with 21 drops on the season, and ESPN Insights has them at 18. Either way, that’s far too many. Last week, Matthew Golden and Christian Watson both dropped crucial passes that kept points off the board. This week, it was Golden and Josh Jacobs. The first came midway through the third quarter with the Packers trailing 17-14. Love rolled to his right and threw to Golden, who couldn’t hang on. The drop led to a three-and-out, and Green Bay punted two plays later.

Evan Williams even wanted in on the drop-fest. He dropped a potential interception early in the fourth quarter that would’ve given the Packers the ball and the momentum to take the lead. Then came Jacobs. Love took a shot to the end zone on third-and-5, and it went right through the hands of a diving Jacobs.

Was it a tough play? Sure, but it’s one he needs to make, and it would’ve given the Packers the lead. Instead, it led to the second of Smack’s misses. “I apologized to the guys,” Jacobs said. “At the end of the game, I called that play, where I dropped that touchdown in the end zone. For my standard, I like myself 10/10. That’s a play I gotta make. If you want to blame anybody, blame me.”

Generally speaking, the defense did a good job finishing throughout the day, but when push came to shove, it couldn’t finish either. With 2:00 to go and the clock stopped, Karl Brooks jumped offside on third-and-5 to all but seal the Lions’ win. Shortly after, Detroit converted on third down and ran the clock all the way down to 0:01. The defense played well, but it couldn’t finish.

“Hold them to 20 points; you have an opportunity to win the game. Offensively, we have to score points in the red zone; we didn’t do that. Missed a few kicks, had a few drops,” LaFleur said. “Defensively, we have to do some things better too; the offside penalties are killer. We keep having these repeat mistakes. We can’t do it. We have to grow up, and we have to grow up fast.”

The Green Bay Packers find themselves at 4-3 after their loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. How exactly did the Packers get here? 🏈Ranking last in Pass Block Win Rate (31%) 🏈Averaging a league-low 59.9 Rush YPG 🏈Leading the NFL with 18 drops 🏈Missing 7 FG/PAT, tied for most in the NFL

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 26, 2026

Jacobs Returns, Run Game Doesn’t

There was hope the running game would look better this week. Josh Jacobs returned to the starting lineup, the offensive line was starting to find some continuity, and the Lions don’t have a great run defense. But Green Bay’s rushing attack looked abysmal, again.

As a team, the Packers ran the ball 19 times for 60 yards, and their longest run of the day was just ten yards. Jacobs and MarShawn Lloyd both averaged only 3.3 yards per carry. It was even worse on first-down runs, where the Packers averaged just over two yards a carry for most of the day.

Jacobs was a welcome return for the league’s worst rushing offense, but he didn’t move the needle much. He’d been working out at the team facilities and sitting in meetings, but he hadn’t taken any actual football snaps until last week. “I feel like I’m like a half second slow to not where my eyes should be, but just making the initial reactions,” Jacobs said after the game. “A step late here. A step late there.”

“He sparked some good runs, but ultimately we’re still not running the ball consistently enough,” LaFleur added. Eventually, Jacobs should help the rushing attack, but it doesn’t fall solely on him. The offensive line needs to be better up front, and the play-calling needs to be less predictable on obvious run downs. Good teams find ways to run the football effectively, and if the Packers want to be considered one of the better teams in the NFC, they’ll need to find a way to do it down the stretch.

Pass Rush Disappears

In recent weeks, Jonathan Gannon’s defense has found ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks, but Sunday’s loss in Detroit was a much different story. After pressuring Dak Prescott 22 times a week ago, the Packers got to Jared Goff just four times. And it showed.

Goff had a pretty darn good day at the office, finishing 22-of-32 for 303 yards and two touchdowns. He stayed upright for most of the day and was sacked only once. When he was kept clean, he went 20-of-29 for 275 yards and a touchdown. It was just too easy.

Without Micah Parsons, Edgerrin Cooper, or Javon Hargrave, Gannon has still found ways to get after opposing quarterbacks, using disguised looks at the line of scrimmage, simulated pressure, and unique blitz packages. It had worked. But on Sunday, his plan to get after Goff wasn’t effective, and Goff took full advantage.

John Williams Steps Up

Let’s end on a positive note: John Williams. Starting center Sean Rhyan went down with an ankle injury on the first drive of the game, and top backup Jacob Monk got hurt shortly after. Just like that, the Packers were down to their third-string center, second-year player John Williams.

Williams has been active on most game days as the primary backup for left tackle Jordan Morgan, and left tackle is where he spent a lot of his time in training camp. But on Green Bay’s second offensive series, he was thrust into the game at center, a position he hasn’t spent much time at this season. “I can’t say enough about the job John Williams did, coming in in a hostile environment, handling the operation, the communication,” LaFleur said. “To lose two guys at center that quickly in the game was a little terrifying, but I thought he did a really good job.”

Williams finished the afternoon with 58 snaps and performed respectably, all things considered. He allowed three pressures on 41 dropbacks, per PFF. Most importantly, there were no issues with the snap exchange, under center or in shotgun. That’s not an easy situation for a young guy to step into, especially at a position he’s not used to. “He’s so intelligent. He’s got great command. Understands all the calls,” LaFleur added. “I commend him for the job he did, stepping in in a tough situation.”

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Carter Semb is a lifelong Packer fan, shareholder, and season ticket holder. He is a contributor for Cheesehead TV and Packers Talk. For commentary surrounding Wisconsin sports, he can be found on X at @cmsemb.

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Sean Rhyan Suffers High-Ankle Sprain In Loss To Lions

PackerAaron — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:14:00 +0000

The Packers could be looking at another shuffle up front. Center Sean Rhyan is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday’s loss to the Lions, according to NFL Media. X-rays were negative, with an MRI scheduled for today to determine the extent of the injury. A high-ankle sprain can mean a four-to-six-week absence, though Rhyan’s timetable remains uncertain pending further evaluation.

The encouraging part? John Williams came off the bench and played well. Getting thrown into the middle of a divisional game on the road is a considerable assignment for any reserve offensive lineman, particularly at center.

For an offensive line that has already dealt with plenty of disruption this season, losing Rhyan for an extended stretch would be another frustrating setback. But Williams’ performance was at least encouraging.

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