Week 4 Packers Winners and Losers vs. the Lions

Oh dear, oh my. The Green Bay Packers just lost to the Detroit Lions for the fourth straight game. Though it looked like the Packers might come back, it was but a fleeting moment of happiness. The final score was a not-pretty 34-20, but believe it or not, the full game was even uglier. Here’s a glimpse at this week’s winners and losers.

Disclaimer: Until I mention him as a winner, consider Joe Barry a loser every week. Thank you.

Winner: Christian Watson

Welcome back, Scoot. In his season debut, Christian Watson had a quiet 2 receptions for 25 yards, one of his catches being 24 yards, the other being a 1-yard TD. Normally, this wouldn’t go down in the “win” column, but I’m trying to find the good in this mess of a game, so please give me some grace. Even more importantly—Watson looks healthy! Given the recent heartbreaking news of David Bakhtiari’s lingering injury, it’s great to feel like we’ve got Watson back for the season. Here’s to hoping the connection with QB Jordan Love continues to develop in a positive way.

Loser: Jordan Love

I am once again chalking most of this up to growing pains, but Jordan Love could’ve had a better start to the game. The offense looked very dull coming out of the gate, and Love had some huge misses. The first interception of the night came from a tipped pass, however it looked like the pass was going to be overthrown to Watson anyways. Surprisingly, when the game started to come down to the wire and the Packers were in “must score” mode, Love seemed more composed than he had when the game first started. This is encouraging, but also...weird? When the game moves quickly, he’s in the zone. If we can see more of that quick decision making throughout the entirety of the game, we’re golden.

Loser: Offensive Line

Jordan Love could’ve had a better game, but the offensive line was atrocious tonight and certainly did him no favors. The pocket collapsed quickly, giving Love little room for error. And the run game? Well, the run game was almost non-existent because of how quickly the Lions’ lead jumped. When the Packers did try to run the ball, however, it was a disaster. On a total of 12 carries, the team accumulated 27 yards. Looking at these numbers, you would never guess Aaron Jones played a single down in this game. Rasheed Walker, seemingly the permanent replacement for David Bakhtiari this season, had a less-than-stellar night. Josh Myers, Royce Newman, and Jon Runyan Jr. all had one of the worst nights of their careers, and if this is a preview of what’s to come the rest of this season, we should all be very worried. Expect a high draft pick to be used on the offensive line in 2024.

Winner: Quay Walker

Quay Walker is having a stellar sophomore season. It feels like we say this every week, but Quay. Is. Everywhere. With 19 total tackles tonight, he more than doubled the player with the second-most tackles (Isaiah McDuffie, 9). His speed and power have been an integral part of the defense, and with tackling being an issue with this team year after year, it’s refreshing seeing someone use their arms to wrap someone up for once.

Loser: Quay Walker

We can’t not talk about it, guys. I don’t know what happened during that field goal attempt. Did he black out? The one thing you’re not supposed to do during a field goal, he did. In the most pivotal moment of tonight’s game, Walker unfortunately jumped over the line, and what would’ve been a 3-point Lions drive turned into some of the most costly 7 points I’ve ever seen. After the Lions scored this touchdown, there was no coming back for the Packers. To be fair, the Packers should never have let it get to this point in the first place (Joe!! Joe Barry!), but this Lions touchdown really hurt.

Winner: The refs’ pockets after my check to them cleared

The clock definitely hit 0:00, and the Packers definitely benefitted from the refs’ brief moment of time-blindness. But they lost, so it’s fine.