There are bad days and then there are really bad days.
The Packers had one Sunday at Ford Field, falling to the Detroit Lions 31-23 in one of the most inexplicable afternoons of all time.
How can you explain a game in which Green Bay piles up 521 yards, never punts, gives up only 264, yet the Packers were never in this contest.
They trailed 24-0 at halftime and it was special teams that was their undoing.
Mason Crosby in particular. The steady veteran and the Pack's all-time leading scorer had this for an afternoon in a dome. A 41 yard attempt in the first quarter sailed wide left. A 42 yard try in the second quarter clanked off the right upright. A 38 yarder on the next series sailed wide right. His extra point after the second touchdown also touched metal and a late 56 yard field goal try never had a chance. After each kick, Crosby could only shake his head but he had one last opportunity to get his swing right, connecting on a 41 yard field goal with just :02 left in the game.
I'll say this for the native Texan, he stood tall with the media and answered every question about what was easily, the darkest day of his career.
(Audio: Mason Crosby)
Mason wasn't alone with the special teams misfortunes. On the game's first punt, Kevin King had the ball glance off his back and Detroit recovered on the one yard line setting up a TD dive by LeGarrette Blount. On the ensuing kickoff, Ty Montgomery busted loose with a 64 yard return only to have it called back on a Josh Jones holding penalty.
King got flagged for roughing the kicker after Detroit's second touchdown conversion.
The offense endured yet another slow start. They were able to drive but Crosby kept preventing points on the board. Late in the half, Rodgers was sacked twice and coughed up fumbles, both recovered by the Lions.
The first one at Green Bay's 22 set up a Matt Prater field goal for a 17-0 lead. The second, at the Packer 29 in the final minute of the half, set up the Lions for a short TD drive capped by Matthew Stafford's 8 yard scoring strike to Marvin Jones with :15 left before intermission to make it 24-zip.
Playing a desperate passing game in the second half, Rodgers got in rhythm and started making plays with a receiving corps that featured two rookies.
With Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison inactive, Marque Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown stepped in. Both made mistakes but both made plays. Valdes-Scantling scored his first pro TD on a three yard catch to end the first series of the third quarter. He almost had a second when he was ruled down at the one after a review. He finished with 7 catches for 68 yards. St. Brown caught 3 for 89 including an impressive 54 yard catch and run in the closing minute to set up Crosby's only made field goal.
Davante Adams, playing through a calf injury, started slowly but then started getting the better of Pro Bowl corner Darius Slay, winding up with 9 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown for a 10th straight game. Jimmy Graham also got involved with 7 receptions.
Aaron Jones topped the run game with 40 yards on 7 carries.
Outscoring Detroit 23-7 after halftime hardly qualifies as a consolation prize for the mistakes were just too penal. A dozen flags for 112 yards including a couple of face mask penalties and a taunting call against young corner Tony Brown who broke up a third down pass and kept a Lion drive alive.
The Packers have looked bad in both road games so far and Mike McCarthy was searching for an explanation at his post-game press conference.
(Audio: Mike McCarthy)
The Packers have beaten the Lions more than than other NFL team (98 victories), but Detroit has now won three consecutive games in the series for the first time since 1990-91.
A Monday night date against the 49ers is next before the bye week but if things don't turn around quickly, it could be bye-bye for the Packers in 2018.
