There was little the Green Bay Packers could say to tame the waves of criticism or placate an angry and anxious fan base after the Atlanta Falcons blew them out at Lambeau Field in front of the entire country on Thursday Night Football, but some of the franchise greats chimed in with their takes on social media following the 21-point defeat.
Chief among them was former left tackle David Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro selection whose insight is particularly relevant because he was a star member of a once-great Green Bay offensive line that is now probably the deeply flawed roster’s most significant weakness.
“Promise you this: That locker room is gonna be silent with a lot of wide eyes,” Bakhtiari wrote on X.
Green Bay’s Run Game Was Non-Existent Against Atlanta on Thursday Night Football
The injuries to the Packers’ offensive line and the resulting lack of both high-end talent and positional depth across the unit leave the team desperately short of answers.
Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele is the best lineman on the roster by a mile, but a knee injury he suffered against the New York Jets in Week 2 will sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Starting offensive guard Aaron Banks missed Week 1 with knee tendonitis, left the game against the Jets with a toe injury and sat out Thursday night’s contest because of the same issue.
The Packers mustered a total of 17 yards on just nine carries, as head coach Matt LaFleur quit even contemplating an attempt at a run game given the combined lack of talent on the offensive front and in the backfield with Josh Jacobs still ineligible as he awaits a ruling from the NFL for a potential violation of its code of conduct policy.
In the meantime, Green Bay surrendered 12 QB hits. So while Jordan Love went down to a sack only once in the contest, the Falcons consistently pressured him and made their presence felt all night long.
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Facing Calls for His Firing After Ugly Home Loss to Falcons
This is to say nothing of a defense that surrendered 498 yards of total offense to a Falcons’ unit that had not made a trip inside the red zone during its first eight quarters of play to begin the season.
Atlanta was averaging eight points per contest across its 0-2 start before hanging 35 points on the Packers at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.
Social media was an ever-rising tide of criticism for the team, and most specifically for LaFleur, who the Packers just extended on a multi-year contract in January. Calls for the coach’s firing came fast and frequently from both fans and media members alike.
Where Green Bay goes from here is hard to say, though the team will have 10 days to sort itself out before traveling to Florida for a contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Packers Legend David Bakhtiari Sounds Off on GB After Blowout TNF Loss