LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have scored a total of six first-half points in their last three games.
And for the second consecutive week, an early deficit was too much to overcome, as the Packers lost 17-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.
“Yeah, it’s tough, we had a lot of opportunities,” Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love said. “Defense did a great job giving us those opportunities. And we just didn’t do enough. I didn’t do enough. Obviously, it’s a lot of good stuff to learn from, but it’s tough because we had opportunities to go win it. And we couldn’t do it.”
Unfortunately, for the Packers (2-3), most of those opportunities came late in the game, including their final drive when Love threw his third interception of the game.
Love, who finished 16 of 30 for 182 yards and three interceptions, was just 7 of 12 for 56 yards and one interception in the first half.
“We got to find something to get us going to jumpstart us,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think just reflecting how the game kind of laid out, probably needed to stick with the run a little bit more.”
It certainly didn’t help that lead running back Aaron Jones was scratched before the game with a hamstring injury.
The Packers rushed for 56 yards in the first half, 36 coming from Love on two rushes, including a 26-yard scamper. AJ Dillon, who finished with 76 yards, had just 28 yards on eight carries while Patrick Taylor and Christian Watson each had negative yardage.
Nevertheless, Love had no problem falling on the sword.
“I think the run game started off good tonight,” Love said. “And still, coming up with only three points, it’s tough. I’ve got to be better. Having the turnover early, and then just a slow start. We just got to find a way to get going faster, get a rhythm going, and I gotta find a way to just be better, get some completions going, and move the ball.”
But it wasn’t just Love, as the Packers’ offense struggled in every facet, as they crossed midfield just once in the first half. Their other five possessions ended with three punts, Love’s interception and a missed field goal at the end of the half.
Green Bay’s first-half inefficiency was glaring, as it was just 1 of 5 (20%) on third down and 0 for 1 in the Red Zone in terms of getting in the endzone.
Perspective: Las Vegas (2-3) had 35 offensive plays over its six first-half possessions, including just one in the first quarter, while Green Bay had 24 offensive snaps over six possessions.
Now, after 10 days between a Thursday night home loss to the Lions and Monday’s loss to the Raiders, the Packers will go back to the drawing board with a bye week before traveling to Denver on Oct. 22.
“Obviously searching for a little bit of answers right now,” LaFleur said. “I think this week will give us an opportunity to kind of go back, and I thought we did that over the mini-bye. We got under center for probably the majority of the second half, and I thought that really helped us, some more downhill runs. I thought AJ was running really hard. I thought our line was doing a pretty good job of coming off the ball. And that kind of got us going a little bit.
“But we got to look at everything because it seemed like when we dialed up some passes, they had some timely calls defensively. Give credit to Patrick Graham and their staff. They definitely did a better job than we did.”
TOP PHOTO: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed sits under Las Vegas Raiders’ Robert Spillane, as he is congratulated after his interception during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)