Green Bay Packers: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. Redskins in Week 3

The Green Bay Packers lost their first game of the 2018 season in a bad game all around. What are the three big takeaways from a brutal loss in Washington?

Some adjectives that can describe the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in Week 3 include, sluggish, lethargic and generally poor. Facing a Washington Redskins team that had an ugly loss last week to the Colts, this game looked like a lock on paper. That’s the problem, though — any team can win on any given Sunday. Ask the Vikings, they’ll back me up on that. Finding a bright spot is a challenge. Nothing positive came out of the game.

It’s only Week 3, however. There is a lot of football left to be played. The Packers have historically been a second-half team, especially in the Aaron Rodgers era of Green Bay football.

For the third week in a row, Clay Matthews was charged with a roughing the passer penalty. For the second week in a row, it was a horrible call by the NFL referees. He did not lead with his helmet. He did not drive Alex Smith into the ground. Why was he called for a penalty then?

According to NFL Football Operations, Matthews violated the “Aaron Rodgers rule,” which states if the defender lands “with all or most of the defender’s weight” on the passer, it’s a 15-yard penalty. How can you calculate how much weight a defender puts on a quarterback? What about an earlier hit on Rodgers in the game? Why was that not called when that hit looked much worse compared to Matthews’?

Enough about the referees. The Packers had opportunities to come back and win the game. We will get to that.