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Green Bay allowed 29 unanswered points in the second half, and it’s getting harder to get around the narrative.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is shown during the first quarter of their game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Some brutal losses late last year forced the Green Bay Packers’ entire offseason narrative to be around finishing better and being more efficient while playing with the lead. Well, those narratives are not going away after how the Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings played out.
The Packers were leading 22-10 in the third quarter, and then collapsed. The team suffered 29 unanswered points, including bad plays from all three phases of the roster, and by the end had not shot at actually winning the game. After it, head coach Matt LaFleur admitted that the collapse will inevitably be a discussion externally, even though he doesn’t seem to be overly affected by it.
“It’ll be a topic of conversation for all you guys until we do it,” LaFleur said. “That’s the bottom line.”
How to overcome the bad vibes
The Packers were always going to have a tough time to start the regular season without Micah Parsons. But there’s no time to waste, and the opener loss creates more pressure for the next games, against the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons. That’s why, for LaFleur, getting back to work is more important than talking about the recent games.
“Get back to work. Be critical of the tape,” LaFleur explained. “I think everybody is of that mindset. It’s to stay together, and you’ve got to have a great week of prep. And we’re playing a team that I’m pretty sure the Jets won. That’s going to be 1-0, feeling pretty confident, and we’ve got to rebound. It’s always tough to go on the road in this league, and we’ve got a great challenge in front of us, and we’ve got to pick up the pieces.”
Green Bay will start the season with two consecutive road games. After losing to the Vikings in Minnesota, the next game against the New York Jets will be at MetLife Stadium next Sunday. The home opener comes just in Week 3, against the Atlanta Falcons on a “Thursday Night Football.”
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Green Bay was leading 22-10 at some point in the third quarter, but went through another second half collapse against an NFC North team.