Nobody apologizes for wins in the NFL, no matter how the job gets done. And it\u2019s true that winning can mask a lot of issues.<\/p>\n
That isn\u2019t the case for the Green Bay Packers, who won on Sunday but keep making the same mistakes. They entered the game leading the league in penalties and penalty yards, and even in victory racked up 10 more penalties for 68 yards.<\/p>\n
The controllable ones are the most frustrating. False starts bedeviled them again. Head coach Matt LaFleur talked about<\/a> constantly being behind the chains after the game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were in first-and-20 quite a bit, and that\u2019s not winning football,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cThere were some positive things, but we\u2019re never going to be satisfied with scoring 17 points in a game. It\u2019s not to our standard.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt that when Week 4 officially comes to a close on Monday night, the Packers will still lead the league in penalties and penalty yards.<\/p>\n On top of that, the Packers keep turning the ball over at the most inopportune times. There\u2019s never a good time to turn the ball over, but some giveaways are worse than others.<\/p>\n While there weren\u2019t any back-breaking ones on Sunday, even though the Packers eked out a win, two came pretty damn close.<\/p>\n With Green Bay leading 17-14 in the fourth quarter and looking for a knockout punch, running back Kaleb Johnson<\/a> fumbled at Tampa Bay\u2019s three-yard line with nine minutes to go. Instead of going up two scores, the Bucs took back control, trailing by only three.<\/p>\n FUMBLE! Bucs Ball \ud83c\udfc8@GBvsTB<\/a> on FOX\/FOX One \u2014 NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Jonathan Gannon\u2019s defense stood tall and forced a punt on the ensuing drive, and the Packers marched right back down the field. However, a false start moved the ball from Tampa Bay\u2019s 21-yard line to the 26. On a first-and-15, quarterback Jordan Love<\/a> was late on a read to wide receiver Matthew Golden<\/a> and threw an interception. Yet again, the Bucs were given a Get-out-of-Jail-Free card in a game that should have been all but over.<\/p>\n ANOTHER TAMPA BAY TAKEAWAY \ud83d\udd25@GBvsTB<\/a> on FOX\/FOX One \u2014 NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe have to find ways when we have opportunities in the red area to convert,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cWe can\u2019t be turning the ball over, can\u2019t have penalties. \u2026 We have to clean up a lot of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Love explained afterward<\/a> that he was late going through his progressions.<\/p>\n \u201cI was late on the read,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t make a mistake in that area. We\u2019re in scoring position and can\u2019t turn the ball over right there, plain and simple.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, clock management became an issue again.<\/p>\n In the first half, the Packers ripped through a pair of timeouts that a more organized group wouldn\u2019t have needed to burn. Green Bay\u2019s usage of their final timeout was also perplexing.<\/p>\n With 29 seconds left, Love completed a one-yard pass to running back MarShawn Lloyd<\/a> to get to Tampa\u2019s 40-yard line. Instead of using the last timeout with more than 20 seconds left and a third down coming up, LaFleur let the clock melt away to two seconds before signaling for the timeout. Out trotted rookie kicker Trey Smack<\/a>, who, thankfully, benefited from a timeout decision himself.<\/p>\n
Stream on @NFLPlus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/qGdaMniTQH<\/a><\/p>\n
Stream on @NFLPlus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/VVfqSCPHii<\/a><\/p>\n