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    3 Overreactions from Packers 34-29 Loss to the Philadelphia Eagles

    By Jacob Westendorf,

    5 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3iPH1T_0vOD1gKD00

    Matt LaFleur is not happy.

    Jordan Love is injured, and the severity is to be determined.

    Missed opportunities galore plagued the Green Bay Packers in their season-opening 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

    The Packers were 1/4 at scoring touchdowns in the red zone. They missed a two-point conversion. They missed a makeable field goal.

    They scored nine points off of turnovers.

    All of that leads to overreaction Monday, but it's on a Saturday.

    So, let's take a look at last night's game and exercise some hyperbole.

    Jeff Hafley was the wrong hire

    The honeymoon is over at defensive coordinator.

    It did not take long either. After an offseason of hope and a promise for more aggression, which would lead to a better defense, the Packers laid an egg in the season opener.

    They were gashed on the ground, and gave up big plays in the air.

    They gave the Eagles the ball back after Brayden Narveson's field goal cut their deficit to two points with just under eight minutes on the clock.

    The Packers would not get the ball back until there were 30 seconds left in the game.

    The fan base would insist weekly, maybe even daily that Joe Barry was the biggest problem plaguing Green Bay's defense.

    His firing was celebrated on social media.

    The hire of Hafley, caused some eyebrows to raise, but has been universally accepted the more he's talked.

    As it turns out, simply changing the coordinator does not fix all the problems that ail Green Bay's defense.

    34 points when you force three turnovers is not going to cut it. Yes, the Eagles are one of the top teams in the NFL, but those are the teams Hafley was hired to slow down.

    The Pass Rush is Overrated

    Green Bay's pass rush was the star of training camp. It seemed like there was a different player making plays on a daily basis.

    The hope was that with the way Green Bay's pass rush could operate, they'd come at opposing quarterbacks in waves.

    Last night, they were dead silent.

    Their lone sack that was not in a scramble drill came on a play Devonte Wyatt appeared to be offsides. Rashan Gary beat Lane Johnson on the play to sack Hurts and end a drive.

    Whether they rushed with four or blitzed, Hurts had time to throw.

    Perhaps this pass rush and defensive line group is all bark, but no bite.

    Jaire Alexander Is No Longer Elite

    Alexander had the tough assignment of covering AJ Brown in Friday's game.

    That's a tough assignment for anyone, but it's one that Alexander is supposed to be primed for.

    Until last week, Alexander was the league's highest-paid cornerback.

    He was coming off an odd year where he appeared to take subtle shots at the former defensive coaching staff.

    All of that was in the past, and Alexander said that he was much happier in this system than the previous one.

    He followed AJ Brown for 17 of 21 snaps in the first half, and was essentially stapled to Brown throughout the game.

    Brown had five catches for 119 yards, and a 67-yard touchdown that came on Alexander on the first series of the third quarter.

    He did have a big interception later, but some of that gets marred by an inexplicable decision to take the ball out of the end zone.

    That's the life of a cornerback in the NFL. It's harder than ever to play that position, but these are plays that Alexander is supposed to prevent, and with his veteran status he should know better than to try and return an interception that should be an obvious touchback.

    Related: Friday Six-Pack: Jordan Love's Injury Puts Dark Cloud over Green Bay's 34-29 Loss

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