LONDON — Aaron Rodgers heard the talk even prior to any individual relayed what Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander mentioned in the locker room after Sunday’s dissatisfied loss to the New York Giants.
And he did not like.
Alexander, the Pro Bowl cornerback, mentioned he wasn’t frightened concerning the protection in spite of its function in the second-half meltdown that ended in Green Bay’s 27-22 loss in entrance of a pro-Packers crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. At least not but.
“I ain’t worried, but if we lose next week, then I’ll be worried,” Alexander mentioned, regarding subsequent Sunday’s sport in opposition to the New York Jets at Lambeau Field. “But it’s a new situation for everybody. New circumstances, sleep patterns. It’s a whole adjustment here in London.”
Rodgers, who publicly embraced the out of the country shuttle all week, did not like that message. And he wasn’t simply singling out Alexander; he heard it from others, too.
“Frankly, I don’t like all this conversation about losing next week,” Rodgers mentioned. “I’m a firm believer in the power of words and manifestation. And we’ve got to check ourselves on that, because talking about that is not winning football. There was conversation about it in the locker room, and I don’t like it. Ja’s my guy, but we don’t need to be talking like that.”
The Packers nearly undoubtedly might be a heavy favourite in opposition to the Jets, however that was once the case in opposition to the Giants, too. They misplaced as an 9-point favourite, making it the largest dissatisfied in the NFL up to now this season and the Packers’ worst loss since Week 13 of 2008, after they misplaced to the Cardinals as a 13.5-point favourite and trainer Mike McCarthy was once fired later on.
The Packers’ efficiency spoiled what were a festive week for the crew in its first world sport. They have been the final NFL crew that had not performed outdoor of the rustic. They jumped out to a 17-3 lead and nonetheless led 20-10 at halftime because of an efficient run sport and a few exact quick passes.
The moment half of grew to become as a result of:
• They attempted to throw deep. Rodgers averaged simply 3.5 air yards in the primary half of and had a 75% finishing touch price and two touchdowns doing so, consistent with ESPN Stats & Information analysis. He averaged 12.1 air yards in keeping with strive in the second one half of and finished simply 47% and not using a landing. He was once 0-for-5 on passes that traveled 20 or extra yards in the air, together with 0-for-4 in the second one half of.
Randall Cobb (seven catches for 99 yards) mentioned they are simply moderately off on deep balls. But Rogers was once requested whether or not the Packers — with Davante Adams traded and Marquez Valdes-Scantling leaving in unfastened company — don’t seem to be constructed to move deep and may want to stick with the run longer.
“You make a good point,” Rodgers mentioned. “It’s something to think about.”
• In a last-ditch effort to tie the sport, Rodgers had two passes batted down on consecutive performs — third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Giants’ 6-yard line. He had only one batted down up to now this season.
“We had a run-pass option on, and they loaded the box and went Cover 0, and we figured that’s what they were going to do,” trainer Matt LaFleur mentioned. “Unfortunately, had two batted passes.”
• They let Giants quarterback Daniel Jones entire 13 of 14 passes in the second one half of for 136 of his 217 passing yards. He additionally had 8 of his 9 rushes (for 34 of his 37 yards) in the second one half of. The Packers had seven consequences, 3 of them by means of cornerback Rasul Douglas. Two of them burnt up sacks, and certainly one of them a miffed Douglas mentioned the respectable referred to as as a result of he instructed him, “You’re bigger than him.”
“I just told everybody, ‘My fault,'” Douglas mentioned. “I had three uncharacteristic f—ing penalties that I don’t usually get, but I had them. I think that f—ed the whole defense up.”
It all added as much as a loss that dropped the Packers to 3-2 prior to an extended flight house.
“That’s what happens in this league when you don’t come ready to play,” LaFleur mentioned. “Not that we didn’t come ready to play, but they obviously outexecuted us in the second half. Like I told our team, it’s just disappointing, but we can’t let one loss compound into another.”