Written by Tom Oates at Madison.com
The game began ominously for the Green Bay Packers, with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by the Indianapolis Colts.
“You go out,” Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson said, “and it just zaps the emotion right out of the game.”
By the time the Packers regrouped from that early buzz kill, they were well down the road toward a 31-26 loss to the Colts Sunday at Lambeau Field. But while most of the Packers placed the blame for the disheartening loss — Green Bay’s third in four games — on the sudden energy crisis that struck their sideline 13 seconds into the game, there is an alternative explanation for one of the more uninspired performances in Mike McCarthy’s 11 seasons as coach.
Maybe the Packers just aren’t that good anymore.
One of the NFL’s elite teams since 2009, they no longer scare anyone with their roster or their schemes. The Packers’ run of success isn’t necessarily over, but game after game they play like an average, run-of-the-mill NFL team. Replace the “G” on their helmet with a lightning bolt and they could be the San Diego Chargers.
If the Packers’ 4-4 record doesn’t tell how ordinary they’ve become, their routinely uneven performance does. After Sunday’s loss, the Packers have won only nine of their last 20 games.
That’s unacceptable for a team with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, respected coaches such as McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers calling the shots and a young, constantly regenerating roster that has been the envy of the league for years. But that’s where the Packers are now.
“We need to start winning some games again and start playing with more consistency,” tackle Bryan Bulaga said.
But can they?
The Packers had every reason to play their best game of the season Sunday. They were coming off a one-point road loss to Atlanta. They had a chance to tie Minnesota for the NFC North Division lead with a victory. They had a Colts team with a 3-5 record and major problems on the offensive line and all over on defense. And they had three consecutive road games staring them in the facemask.
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