Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
These five teams need to play their best football in Week 3 to make up for early struggles.
There has been no shortage of inconsistent play from NFL teams through two weeks of the 2021-22 season. Dominant performances have fizzled into disappointing outings and underdogs have come back strong after sound defeats to the confusion of football fans everywhere.
Week 3 will be an early turning point for many teams who are trying to sort out their status in the league. Establishing consistency should be the focus of most teams, but some will have to settle for breaking out of slumps and into victory.
Upsets and close games are only fun to watch when your team ends up on the right side of them, so look for these five squads to make a statement about which side they belong on moving forward.
5 teams that can’t afford to lose in NFL Week 3
5. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a confusing case. They were blown out 38-3 in Week 1 against the Saints, who fell 26-7 to the Panthers the following week. Meanwhile, Green Bay bounced back to win 35-17 over NFC North rival Detroit.
Numbers don’t lie…but they don’t make a lot of sense either. Even against the Lions, the Packers looked shaky and failed to take the lead until the third quarter.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been a huge part of the question mark for his team. The 2020 MVP had an early exit and disastrous 36.8 QBR in Week 1. He threw two interceptions and played like he would rather be anywhere else than on the field in green and gold. Against the Lions, Rodgers decided to play watchable football again and threw for four touchdowns and 255 yards in a much more characteristic performance.
So who is the real Rodgers this season, and where do the Packers fall in a struggling NFC North division?
Green Bay has to answer that inquiry with a win on Sunday night. The Packers face a 2-0 San Francisco 49ers squad that might not be as good as their record would imply. If the Green Bay can hand San Francisco their first loss of the season, then everyone can stop talking about Week 1. If they end up getting shredded apart in the secondary by George Kittle and trampled by Nick Bosa, then it looks like the final season for Rodgers in Green Bay may spiral until it ends on a sour note.