Cheese Curds, 9/12: Rough day at the office all over for Packers

Nothing really went well for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in Minnesota. For a second straight year, the Packers showed up in body but not in spirit for their week one game, looking disjointed and disconnected on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. When the dust settled on their 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers criticized the team’s offense play, though they largely pointed their fingers at themselves.

LaFleur talked about not having prepared the Packers thoroughly enough to play, a refrain that has become all too common when the team comes off a long layoff, whether an offseason or a bye week. Rodgers blamed himself for missing some throws, though he also pointed to numerous other mental errors by his teammates that found him being vocal with his displeasure on the field.

And then there’s the defense, which told a tale of two halves. In the first half, the group got thoroughly destroyed by wideout Justin Jefferson, to the tune of over 100 yards and two scores. Jefferson and the entire Vikings offense was less productive in the second half, so perhaps that is something for the unit to build on, as it was able to limit the damage from other players and allowed just two field goals after halftime.

All in all, it was another frustrating, disappointing opener and another ugly offensive performance. Here’s a look at how the rest of the media covering the Packers views Sunday’s game.

Offensive miscues, turnovers prove costly in loss to Vikings | Packers.com
Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon combined for 167 total yards on just 23 touches, but the rest of the offense was pretty ugly, especially early on. Two turnovers from Rodgers and numerous mental mistakes won't help that unit feel any better, either.

QB Aaron Rodgers says Green Bay Packers 'hurting ourselves' with 'too many mental mistakes' | ESPN
The errors run the gamut from running the wrong routes to missing protections or blocking in the wrong direction, and it was clear throughout most of the game that the unit simply was not on the same page.

Packers don't match Jaire Alexander with Justin Jefferson and pay | Packersnews.com
Meanwhile, Jaire Alexander barely ever lined up across from Justin Jefferson, with the coaching staff choosing not to match the two up. That proved disastrous after Jefferson put up 184 yards and two touchdowns, much of that coming in the first half.

Packers lose to Vikings in Week 1: Player of the game, play of the game | Packers Wire
Dillon earns player of the game honors for his 95-yard day on just 15 touches, while Aaron Jones' 29-yard run was the biggest highlight of the game.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (throwing hand) requires surgery, to miss several weeks | NFL.com
It could be worse for the Packers -- Dallas won't have its starting quarterback for some time after a 19-3 drubbing at home in prime time. Add that to major issues on the offensive line and it's already shaping up to be a rough year for Mike McCarthy.

Man runs Dunedin marathon inside giant homemade beer can | 1 News
Packers fans could be forgiven for wanting to spend all day inside a beer can today, though I suspect that most of us would rather just sit and wallow rather than run 26 miles.