The Green Bay Packers squandered a 14-point first-half lead, didn’t score on offense in the second half and eventually lost to the New York Giants by a 27-22 final score on Sunday in London.
Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t mince words about the performance and the disappointment of the defeat.
“Obviously, this is as disappointing as it gets for us,” LaFleur said. “Give New York all the credit. They out-coached us, out-played us, they definitely wanted it more. It was the tale of two halves.”
The Packers held leads of 17-3 and 20-10 in the first half, but everything fell apart in the second half. Green Bay gave up 17 straight points to hand the Giants a 27-20 lead, and an opportunity to tie the game late in the fourth quarter came up empty when New York batted down back-to-back Aaron Rodgers passes on third and fourth down.
The Packers came in heavily favored against an undermanned Giants team quarterbacked by Daniel Jones, who was battling an ankle injury this week. But Jones led the Giants on five straight scoring drives spanning the final three quarters, eliminating the deficit and eventually giving New York an unexpected late-game lead.
The Packers scored two late points on a safety, but the second half was still the fourth time in five games that LaFleur’s team scored three or fewer points in a half.
“We have yet to put together a full game as a team,” LaFleur.
The Packers snapped their three-game win streak and are now 3-2 after five games. LaFleur’s team returns home to play the New York Jets next Sunday at Lambeau Field.
