The Green Bay Packers have had a habit of digging themselves a hole. The New York Giants took full advantage of this bad habit and got themselves a 27-22 victory.

I mentioned on Quick TO:SS the Giants would have to ugly this game up due to all the injuries they were dealing with. That meant a smash mouth football game lead by the league’s leading rushing, Saquan Barkley. Give New York credit, they did that, but they were helped by Green Bay’s ineptitude.

There was a time where this squad was built for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to be THE guy. Sling the ball all over the yard and be the great deodorant of a line and run game that stunk. That’s not how this team is built now.

The Packers have a good line and one of the best running back duos in league with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. You wouldn’t know it with the way head coach Matt LaFleur called the game. LaFleur dialed up 39 passes and just 20 runs. Oh, those runs generated 4.7 yards per carry. When you’re getting nearly five yards per carry on the ground, you continue running the football. I’m not sure what LaFleur saw out there, but he was wrong.

Defensively the Packers knew they’d be getting a heavy dose of Barkley, especially with a hobbled Daniel Jones at quarterback for the Giants. (He got loose late in the game.) They only allowed Barkley 70 yards on the ground but allowed 124 rushing yards overall. That loosens up the defense and opens up the passing game, regardless of how many injuries to wide receivers New York had.

Despite this fact, Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry stayed in his favorite zone defense, and began to get picked apart. It also doesn’t help when the front line pressure gets home and the positive play gets wiped out by a negative penalty in the secondary.

The lack of self-awareness by players and coaches is a shovel that continues to dig these holes. It will continue to cost them games.

With LaFleur’s request to not have a bye after this unfruitful foray in London granted, Green Bay gets the opportunity to wash this sour ale out of their mouths, back at Lambeau, against the New York Jets.