The Green Bay Packers suffered a disappointing defeat in Week 2 at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. Green Bay held a 12-point lead in the second half, but were unable to put the game away, allowing Atlanta to hand around and eventually steal the game, 25-24.
Head coach Matt LaFleur was not pleased when rewatching the tape on Monday, as he said it was tough to get through. There were a ton of missed opportunities for the Packers, who had every chance to pick up the victory and start the season 2-0.
Everything that went right in their Week 1 victory over the Chicago Bears went wrong against the Falcons. Several players who performed well in that game weren’t able to replicate their success, resulting in some ugly PFF grades.
Who struggled the most? Here are the five lowest-graded Packers players from their Week 2 loss to the Falcons.
5. RB Patrick Taylor
There was a huge void in the Packers’ backfield with Aaron Jones missing the game because of a hamstring injury. AJ Dillon was unable to answer the call and so was Patrick Taylor, who struggled during his snaps.
He was on the field for 11 total plays; seven passing plays, three pass-blocking plays and one run for an overall grade of 50.2. While Taylor was excellent in his pass blocking, receiving a grade of 80.6, the highest on the team, everything else was poor.
He dropped a pass on a screen play, gained only one yard on his single rushing attempt and was flagged for a penalty. Not the kind of performance you want to see from your No. 3 who had a chance to step up with the starter sidelined.
4. DL Karl Brooks
The Packers defensive front outside of Kenny Clark was manhandled on Sunday afternoon. Atlanta dominated in the trenches, which was a big reason why they were able to pull off the victory.
Brooks played 23 total snaps; 12 against the run and 11 as a pass rusher. He didn’t record a single pressure on those 11 pass-rushing attempts and was below average against the run as well.
Brooks wasn’t the only player along the defensive line to struggle, as a few more will be present on this list. His 48.6 overall grade is good compared to some of the other ones recorded.
3. DL Devonte Wyatt
Another defensive lineman who struggled against the Falcons was Devonte Wyatt. Wyatt was one of the best players on the field for the Packers in Week 1, but in Week 2, it was the exact opposite.
The 2022 first-round pick had an overall grade of 45.4 and succeeded in no areas of the game. He did manage to record a stop and three hurries but received poor marks across the board. His 38.7 run defense grade was especially discouraging.
2. TE Josiah Deguara
The Packers have a very specific role for Josiah Deguara. He is taking the role that Marcedes Lewis had in recent seasons as the main blocker at tight end and fullback. Against the Falcons, he failed to get the job done.
Deguara was on the field for 19 plays. He ran six routes in the passing game, was pass-blocking four times and run-blocking nine. All of his grades were below average, recording the lowest run-blocking grade on the team. Deguara needs to start performing better or his role is going to shrink more and more.
1. DL Colby Wooden
Taking home the lowest overall grade for the Packers this weekend was rookie defensive lineman Colby Wooden. The fourth-round pick struggled mightily with a grade of 36.9. His run-defense was abysmal, recording a 29.8; one of the lowest marks you will see this season.
Wooden was able to record one hurry in the game, but that was undone by the missed tackle that he had which resulted in a tackling grade of 20.7. Performances like this one are why people wondered whether or not the Packers would look to bring in another veteran along the defensive front.
