Head Coach Matt LaFleur is no longer undefeated in the NFC North, as the Packers fell to the Vikings at Lambeau Field 28-22 last Sunday. In 23 mph winds, the ground game was the focus for Minnesota led by talented running back Dalvin Cook, and the Packers had no answers.

“This definitely qualifies as one of those games where, you want to be a great team, you’ve got to handle business at home,” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

On the day, Cook rushed for 163 yards on 30 carries with a 5.3-yard average and added another 63 yards receiving. No other Vikings player had more than three rushing or three receiving attempts. 

The Packers also had a season-high nine penalties on Sunday, including two defensive pass interference calls in the red zone that gave Minnesota multiple attempts at scoring. 

“We knew that in order to win this football game a couple things had to happen,” said LaFleur. “We had to stop the run. That didn’t happen. We knew we had to play penalty-free, that didn’t happen.”

LaFleur added that his defense playing out of its gaps allowed the Vikings to create running lanes. “You can’t give a quality back like Dalvin Cook those opportunities.” 

It was a frustrating outing for the Packers, and something LaFleur knows the team needs to get fixed quickly going into the Thursday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. 

“That’s something that, we better get it fixed and we better get it fixed fast because I have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen...on Thursday in San Francisco as well,” said LaFleur of the team’s struggles to stop the run. 

Something else that’s missing from this 2020 Packers team? The turnovers. Green Bay has only forced four turnovers in its first seven games. Through seven games in 2019, the Packers already had 13 turnovers. 

“A lot of things we need to correct,” said safety Adrian Amos, who led the team in tackles Sunday with eight. He added that the team can start by tackling the guy with the ball. “We need more negative plays on defense.”

“We had too many missed tackles,” echoed LaFleur. “We’ve gotta make sure that we have 11 hats rolling to the football, playing relentlessly with that intent on every play.”

On a short week, Amos said the preparation becomes more mental, ensuring the team is focused on correcting its mistakes and moving forward. 

On offense, the Packers are close to having some key players back in left tackle David Bakhtiari, running back Aaron Jones, and wide receiver Allen Lazard. If they can’t go Thursday, they should be ready after the mini-bye to play at home against the Jaguars. 

“When we’re at full strength, obviously we’ve been pretty efficient this year, but when we’re at full strength, we’re really tough I think,” said Rodgers.

He played well despite the wind, throwing 27 completions for 291 yards and three touchdowns, all to Davante Adams. 

Adams’ stats don’t necessarily jump off the page with seven receptions for 53 yards, but the hat trick in the end zone tells the story of the offense. 

Two players emerging on offense are tight ends Robert Tonyan and Jace Sternberger. The tandem combined for eight receptions and 125 yards on the day. 

“We’ve got the players,” said Tonyan. “We’ve just gotta go out there and produce.”

Heading into Thursday Night Football, the plan remains the same for a Green Bay team that’s still 5-2 and first in the NFC North.

“We’ve just gotta make sure that we’re giving our best effort each and every play, that we’re doing our one-eleventh,” said LaFleur. “I just think that all around, we’ve gotta be better. 

“We’ve gotta be better coaches. We’ve gotta be better as players in our preparation and making sure that our focus and intent is there on every play.”

The short week doesn’t give the Packers much time to dwell on its second loss of the season. Instead, Green Bay now has to prepare for a team that’s had its number the last few matchups. 

“I think we just as a team need to find our footing completely, both sides of the ball, and start playing some more championship football like we did last year,” said Rodgers. 

“Hopefully it’s just a reality check for us. Thankfully we have a short week. We need better performances going forward.”