Green Bay is no stranger to dense flurries. Usually, they don't come in September. And usually, those squalls aren't of the vociferous nature from locals fed up with the football team.
Thursday night, Packers fans showered their club with boos during an embarrassing 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
"Well, that was a humbling night," coach Matt LaFleur said. "Certainly, I don't think anybody is pleased about this. And, you know, we've got a couple extra days here, and everybody's got to take a long, hard look at themselves and we've got to find solutions and just come back ready to work. But it certainly was a tough night."
Tough doesn't begin to describe the ugly watch, as the Packers gave up 27 unanswered points at one point. LaFleur's offense couldn't move the ball. The defense couldn't stop Bijan Robinson or Drake London. Green Bay made a previously 0-2 Falcons squad look like the '89 Niners.
"It was a butt-whooping," LaFleur noted. "I'm not going to put it on one thing. Certainly, we definitely have to respond better, but that was at least three quarters of butt-whooping right there."
Atlanta lost, 34-3, at home to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Was the return of Michael Penix Jr. worth a 52-point swing? The quarterback certainly got Kevin Stefanski's offense motoring without the clutch-crippling miscues from QB3 and QB4 who played in the first two games. Thursday's tilt, however, said much more about the Packers than the Falcons.
LaFleur's squad is a mismanaged game by Jets coach Aaron Glenn from starting 0-3.
Green Bay has lost two of its first three games by at least 17 points in 2026. It is the first time the Packers have lost multiple games by 17+ points in an entire season since 2017. Their 21-point loss in Week 3 versus the Falcons is their largest home loss in prime time since Week 5, 2004 against Steve McNair and the Titans (lost 48-27). Their -35 point differential in 2026 is their worst through three games since 1988.
The defense has struggled to get stops. On Thursday, the Packers missed a trove of tackles, and the back end got burned when they stepped up to try to slow Robinson.
More concerning is an offense playing as if it's in quicksand. The shuffled offensive line is a mess; it can't pass block or open holes. The running game is cripplingly bad, with RBs who miss holes, rarely break tackles or try to bounce everything outside. And Jordan Love has been an inaccurate disaster.
Whether the pressure has gotten to the QB, who entered his fourth year as a starter, or he's simply panicking, Love's play has been dismal through three games. Love was pressured 23 times (41.8% pressure rate) in Week 3 against the Falcons, completing eight of 21 pass attempts for 71 yards and one interception. To start the season, Love has been pressured on 42.1% of his dropbacks, completing just 18 passes under pressure for 47 yards and two interceptions.
The lack of a rushing attack has been a problem. It was a surprise during the offseason that Green Bay didn't do more to bolster the RB room, given Josh Jacobs' legal quandary. With the veteran on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, that problem has been exacerbated. The Packers rushed for 17 total yards on nine carries on Thursday. The Falcons had three runs of at least 16 yards.
"I think we've got to continue to work with these guys and try to figure out what we do well, because right now, I don't know what we're doing well offensively," LaFleur admitted.
It was obvious to the home fans, who booed the Packers' play relentlessly.
Tight end Tucker Kraft, who suffered several drops, took issue with the Green Bay fanatics, voicing their negative opinion.
"That's pretty tough. Like everyone pictures Lambeau Field and not boos," Kraft said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. "I don't picture boos. I picture my home stadium. That's tough. It's pretty disappointing, especially for a home opener. It's pretty disappointing. It's not going to help us win. Like I don't know what people think that's going to rally us or something like that. But that's -- we're grown men. We're mentally strong enough, capable enough to get back on the field and play ball. But it'd probably much easier with the 70,000 people behind us rather than opposing us."
The loyalty of Packers fans is unquestioned. If they're booing, it's because the product is not up to the level of excellence the organization has established. Blind support is for sheep.
The extra few days before the Packers take the field again in Tampa Bay are as pivotal a stretch as LaFleur has faced in his tenure in Green Bay.
