Rodgers 'not worried,' says 3-4 Pack can recover

LANDOVER, Md. -- Three consecutive losses -- each erstwhile they were the favorites -- and with possibly their astir unsafe hostile adjacent up connected the docket seemingly has the Green Bay Packers' play slipping away.

Or possibly Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Washington Commanders, which featured much of the Packers' season-long struggles connected discourtesy and dropped them to 3-4, was the worst of it.

Packers backmost Aaron Rodgers believes it could beryllium the second adjacent if helium wasn't capable to supply overmuch factual grounds to enactment it.

Whatever the reason, the struggling four-time NFL MVP insisted this play feels similar it tin beryllium saved.

"You're deity damn close it does," Rodgers said erstwhile asked if it seems plausible for the Packers to inactive marque the playoffs. "I'm not disquieted astir this squad. In fact, this mightiness beryllium the champion happening for us. This week, nobody's going to springiness america a chance, going to Buffalo connected 'Sunday Night Football,' with a accidental to get exposed. Shoot, this mightiness beryllium the champion happening for us."

If this feels similar a acquainted spot, it's due to the fact that successful 2016 the Packers mislaid a crippled present astatine FedEx Field to driblet to 4-6. It was conscionable a fewer days aboriginal erstwhile Rodgers offered his present celebrated "run the table" assertion that yet came to fruition. The Packers won their last six regular-season games and 2 much successful the postseason to scope the NFC Championship Game.

"I don't deliberation anybody thought we'd beryllium successful this spot that we're successful close now," said Matt LaFleur, who is facing his archetypal three-game losing streak successful 4 seasons coaching the Packers. "We're going to find retired what we're made of successful presumption of conscionable however we onslaught Monday, however we onslaught Tuesday, Wednesday and each time successful practice. I bash judge that we've got the close benignant of guys that volition proceed to battle."

If lone their struggles were one-sided.

The defence was expected to beryllium the spot of this Packers team; instead, Green Bay has mislaid consecutive games to teams quarterbacked by Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson and Taylor Heinicke. It yet got a large play -- conscionable its 2nd takeaway of the play -- with linebacker De'Vondre Campbell's pick-6 that gave the Packers a 14-3 second-quarter lead. But adjacent their champion cornerback, Jaire Alexander, struggled against Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin (5 catches for 73 yards and a touchdown).

It wasn't adjacent to capable for a squad that:

• Is averaging conscionable 18.3 points per game, which would beryllium the Packers' worst since 2006.

• Went 0-for-6 connected 3rd downs Sunday, the archetypal clip the Packers went an full crippled without a conversion since 1999, erstwhile Brett Favre was backmost and Rodgers was 15 years old.

• Can't find a mode to get the shot down the field, with Rodgers averaging lone 3.2 aerial yards connected his completions Sunday aft entering the time with the second-lowest mean successful the NFL (4.3 yards) connected specified throws.

It's an discourtesy that remains unsettled successful the post-Davante Adams era. The Packers played Sunday without Randall Cobb (ankle) and Christian Watson (hamstring) but got backmost Sammy Watkins aft a four-game absence. Watkins managed conscionable 2 catches for 36 yards and didn't travel adjacent to catching up to 1 of the fewer heavy balls Rodgers threw.

Green Bay had planned an violative enactment shakeup but couldn't usage it successful afloat due to the fact that near tackle David Bakhtiari's genu acted up and rendered him inactive. And extracurricular of Allen Lazard (7 catches for 55 yards earlier a enarthrosis wounded knocked him out) and Aaron Jones (76 full yards and 2 touchdowns), the Packers got small production.

"I deliberation extracurricular of those 2 guys, there's excessively galore intelligence mistakes," Rodgers said. "I talked astir simplification past week. I don't truly cognize wherever to spell erstwhile it comes to that. There has to beryllium thing wrong that has the accountability for show wherever we're conscionable having mode excessively galore item mistakes. It's conscionable not winning football."

And past there's Rodgers, who said helium came into the crippled with the thought that helium would effort to marque much plays extracurricular the pouch but ne'er was capable to.

"I deliberation I mightiness request to bash that a small spot more," Rodgers said. "I benignant of had a mindset to possibly look to bash that a small spot more. Didn't bash it capable today."

When asked if Rodgers needs to play amended to crook things around, LaFleur said: "I deliberation it takes everybody. It takes everybody astir him. You've got to person the extortion successful beforehand of you to beryllium capable to clasp up. You've got to person the guys making plays, too. I consciousness similar we had a ton of drops. We had a batch of penalties that enactment america backmost down the sticks."