Packers' Offensive Struggles Continue in Ugly Loss to Lions

The Green Bay Packers find themselves 3-6 through the first nine weeks of the regular season, and they have a stumbling offense to blame. After ranking 26th in scoring through eight games, they played maybe their worst game of the season in Week 9, turning the ball over three times in a 15-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Packers turned the ball over two times in a Week 1 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but the Vikings were a more credible defense than today's opponent. The Lions ranked dead last in points allowed entering Week 9, permitting a staggering 32.1 points per game in their first eight games.

To the Packers' credit, they showed some explosiveness in the passing game they had previously lacked. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers set a season-high with his 291 passing yards, but he was atypically careless with the ball: his three interceptions tied a career-high. Through nine games, Rodgers now has seven interceptions on the year, which would be his most in an entire season since 2017 with eight games to go.

The Packers aren't the only contender from last year struggling to this point in the season: The Los Angles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in similar tailspins. But if the Packers are going to pull themselves out of their five-game losing streak, their reasons for hope are dwindling. Injuries are piling up and easy wins will be in short supply. They face six opponents with winning records over their final eight games.
Photo Credit: © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK