It’s amazing that in a season full of defining moments, just two plays from one game might change a team’s outlook. Yet that’s exactly what happened to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Two plays.
Season flipped.
The Packers led the Denver Broncos 23-14 in the third quarter when Jordan Love took a deep shot to wide receiver Christian Watson. The pass was intercepted by Patrick Surtain II, instantly changing the feel of the game. Watson also suffered an injury on the play and didn’t return.
Two series later, with Green Bay clinging to a 23-21 lead, the Packers lost pass rusher Micah Parsons for the season with a torn ACL. The team was visibly deflated after that, and Denver went on to win the game.
In the span of less than an hour, the Packers went from looking like a potential top seed in the NFC to a team hanging on for dear life in the playoff race. Green Bay now sits seventh heading into a crucial road matchup against the Chicago Bears, who lead the NFC North.
Watson is the speed that makes the offense go. Parsons is the player who makes the defense go. Without them, what now?
And it wasn’t just those two losses. The Packers are also without tight end Tucker Kraft, who was having a career year, along with a slew of other key contributors. Against Denver, they lost right tackle Zach Tom — their best offensive lineman — and safety Evan Williams, arguably their best player on the back end this season.
How do they overcome all of that? I’m not sure they can.
The Packers drop to No. 10 in my power rankings this week after the loss to the Broncos. I picked Green Bay to reach the Super Bowl before the Parsons injury, but these injuries will be tough to overcome.
Is it impossible? Not if Jordan Love plays out of his mind and players like Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness emerge as dominant edge rushers. But it certainly won’t be easy.
The NFL being a survival test was on full display Sunday in Denver. The Packers’ season changed in a big way in less than an hour.