GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers saw a 41-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, Dec. 27.
Despite losing several key players throughout the season to serious injuries — including tight end Tucker Kraft (ACL), Defensive End Micah Parsons (ACL) and Quarterback Jordan Love (concussion) — the Packers battled to keep the game close until the fourth quarter.
When looking to close out the third quarter the Packers had cut their deficit to within a field goal (27-24) before injuries yet again plagued the Packers as they lost Quarterback Malik Willis to a concussion and Cornerback Kamal Hadden to a season-ending ankle injury.
When third-string quarterback Clayton Tune took the field to replace Willis in the fourth quarter on one of the most crucial drives of the game, disaster struck yet again when a pass straight to the hands of wide receiver Bo Melton was bobbled up in the air leading to an interception and turnover.
The Ravens offense continued to dismantle the Packers’ hopes of claiming a win in their final regular season home game with two consecutive touchdowns to close out the game with a score of 41-24, despite also being shorthanded without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“That is not our standard at all. It was very embarrassing. That’s just not us and we can’t have that. We just have to step it up,” said Packers Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.
“They came out to play and we didn’t. It’s the big boy league and this is what happens when you don’t give it your all every snap. Stuff like that is going to happen when you don’t give it your all.”
“We’ve got to lean on each other and hold each other accountable. These next couple of practices and meetings are going to be a lot more focused on our intentions and we’ve got to make sure we fix this,” added Cooper.
The Packers defense allowed 307 rushing yards against the Ravens while time of possession hung heavily in the hands of the Ravens being 40:16 to 19:44 as the Ravens ran 74 plays to the Packers’ 44 plays.
Packers Safety Evan Williams said that he also felt that the Packers should have come away with a win and that facing a loss by 23 points is unacceptable given other factors such as Willis’s performance behind the ball and how they have performed all season regardless of injuries.
“Any time you come out, you’ve got to have something to prove in this league on every snap. Otherwise, teams are good enough to come out and do what you just saw,” said Williams.
“It all starts with how hard we play, our aggression, our physicality at the point of attack. Everybody’s just got to look in the mirror and do a self-check and understand that that’s not going to get it done moving forward,” added Williams.
Despite the poor defensive performance, the Packers seemed to thrive offensively under Willis going 18/21 on passing for 288 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 rushes for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“He is going to sacrifice everything to make sure that this team is where it needs to be. You saw today that he put his body on the line and for him to come out and ball the way he did, that just speaks to the kind of guy that he is and the standard that he holds himself to,” said Williams.
Willis left the game mid-way through the fourth quarter due to a persistent shoulder injury.
The Packers will look to secure a win in their final regular season game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Jan. 4, at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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