GREEN BAY -- “I don’t even know what to say.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur wore his disappointment on his sleeve following his team’s listless 27-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.
The loss drops Green Bay to 4-7 on the season, making any run to the playoffs difficult, even in the wide-open NFC.
Tennessee came into Thursday’s game ranked 31st in the NFL in passing offense, but veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill had his way with Green Bay’s secondary, completing 22-of-27 passes for 333 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
His one mistake came early in the fourth quarter with his team driving.
Tannehill’s pass over the middle intended for Treylon Burks was picked off by Rasul Douglas at the Green Bay 12. Douglas’ 22-yard return gave Green Bay life, down 27-17.
But the Packers offense was not up to the challenge. Two straight three-and-outs proved fatal, and Green Bay went down to defeat for the sixth time in their last seven games.
“We’re not in a very good position right now,” LaFleur added. “That’s for sure. Like I told the guys, there’s no margin for error. Period.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was able to find his newest favorite target for two more touchdown passes. Emerging star receiver Christian Watson caught four balls for 48 yards but had a propensity to get open when it counted for the second time in four days.
In doing so, Watson became the first Green Bay rookie to register multiple touchdown catches in back-to-back games since Max McGee in 1954. His five scores in the last two games match McGee’s mark for the most by a Green Bay rookie over a two-game span.
“Yes, we have to get him the ball more,” Rodgers said of Watson after the game.
Rodgers overall finished a disappointing 24-29 for 227 yards and the two scores to Watson. Still, his inconsistency throughout the night was a major factor in Green Bay’s offensive inefficiency.
“I’m not going to make excuses about my thumb,” he added. “It’s been the same since New York. I don’t know, I’ve got to go back and look at it. I felt like fundamentally I was in a good spot but just didn’t have the same type of consistent grip and the ball coming out the same way. I threw a lot of kind of wobblers tonight. There was some wind but (I) just missed a few throws I should have had.”
Green Bay’s path to the playoffs is complicated by their upcoming schedule. After taking a couple of days off to regroup, preparations for their road game at Philadelphia (8-1) begin. Also looming on their schedule are the upstart Dolphins (7-3) on the road and NFC North Division leading Minnesota (8-1) at home.
“The season’s not over,” said Rodgers. “There’s still six opportunities left. We’ve got a tough game, got to go to Philly. Hopefully we can use these few days to get a little healthier, refresh the mind and then obviously we’ve got to win these next games.”