The Green Bay Packers turned in another rough performance on “Thursday Night Football,” falling to the Atlanta Falcons, 35-14, in what was supposed to be an energizing home opener at Lambeau Field. The loss left the roster with more questions than answers through three games, and a 1-2 record. So, let’s discuss the winners and losers from this one, starting with a lengthy list of concerns.

Losers

Matt LaFleur

For as much as Packers head coach Matt LaFleur deserves credit for what he’s built during his tenure in Green Bay, this season has been difficult to watch. And maybe the head coach is still suffering from how last season went. LaFleur is trying to build an offense that simply doesn’t have the talent to run his intended identity, and the Packers keep pounding the table trying to force things that aren’t working.

Instead of establishing rhythm with short passes to overcome a struggling offensive line, Green Bay continues leaning on runs and deep shots. That approach is exposing the offensive line issues, and that falls on the head coach and offensive play-caller. The team looks unprepared for situational football, and the stubbornness in scheme is becoming a legitimate problem. Late in the fourth quarter, the Packers finally used more quick passes, and that’s the drive that ended in a touchdown from Jordan Love to Matthew Golden.

The Packers gave LaFleur a long-term contract extension this offseason, so it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where Green Bay would move on from him before or even after the season with that type of deal in place. But the path toward this season going well is getting harder to see.

Tucker Kraft

It’s not where the Packers wanted him to be at this point, but Tucker Kraft has clearly not been himself since returning from an ACL injury. That’s natural considering that type of injury, but it’s also unfortunate that the Packers can’t exactly count on one of their best players even if he’s on the field.

Kraft has had some catches and short plays, but he’s certainly not that explosive version that he showed in 2025. The blocking part of his game is lacking, too, and good players underperforming is one of the biggest reasons why the Packers are so underwhelming to start this season.

MarShawn Lloyd

Even when the offensive line blocks well for Lloyd, he can’t see. His vision is awful. The hope was always that a healthy Lloyd would perform at a reasonable level at worst, but this is his third NFL season. He’s fully healthy now, and he can’t produce because of his lack of vision. The explosiveness isn’t there to compensate, either.

The Packers are obviously missing Josh Jacobs. Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson are potentially better options than Lloyd at this point, but neither is enough to overcome what the run offense has been. Green Bay counted on Lloyd to be the starting running back while Jacobs was out, and he can’t do that.

Run defense

Bijan Robinson is a special talent, and stopping him is a tall order for any defense. But the Packers missed a significant number of tackles on Thursday night. Even when they likely knew Robinson would get the ball, they couldn’t bring him down. Backup running back Brian Robinson also broke off some explosive plays.

The run defense problems weren’t apparent in the first two games. Green Bay’s run defense was solid against the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets. But those issues were exposed against Atlanta, even against an offense that doesn’t have a strong passing attack. With Bijan and Brian Robinson carrying the load, the Packers suffered at Lambeau Field.

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Winners

Matthew Golden

It’s hard to find winners after a loss like this, but Golden is the clear standout. The Packers offense ended up running through him. When Jordan Love needed a big play, Golden was the target, and he delivered with strong catches and some explosive plays. At one point, the running back situation was so dire that Golden aligned in the backfield as a pass-catching alternative, and it worked well.

Golden is establishing himself as one of the most important weapons for the Packers’ offense, even though the rest of the unit didn’t perform at a reasonable level.

Lukas Van Ness

Van Ness didn’t record a sack because Falcons quarterback Michael Penix intentionally grounded the ball at the exact moment Van Ness was about to bring him down. But Van Ness has consistently generated pressure through three games. With Micah Parsons out, the young edge rusher has been the leader of this defense, affecting the quarterback and disrupting the offensive line on a regular basis.

Van Ness has been exactly what the Packers expected when they drafted him in the first round. The defense had plenty of problems in this game, but Van Ness was a reliable piece of the unit.