Inbox: It was an ominous sign

Tony from San Juan Capistrano, CA

Clean up on all aisles.

No argument there.

Chili from Muskego, WI

Offense didn't capitalize, defense got gashed by the run, special teams screwed us, and the officials blew two calls down the stretch. Welcome back to Packer Football!

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Rick from Caledonia, WI

Tough loss! Any early indications as to the injury to Jordan Love?

No updates were given after the game.

Julian from Gastonia, NC

The end of the Eagles game seemed eerily similar to the team's only other international game with the QB being injured attempting a Hail Mary. I still remember Aaron Rodgers injuring his hand against the Giants in London, which in many ways derailed his play during much of that season. Perhaps we will get better news about Jordan Love.

I sure hope so.

Brendon from San Antonio Tlayacapan, Mexico

What happened to the best goal-to-go offense in league last year? Once we failed to get a TD on either of those first two opportunities, I had a bad feeling about the game.

It was an ominous sign. The Packers had plenty of time to overcome those two letdowns and still win the game, though. When the defense got consecutive three-and-outs in the second half, the offense punted and threw an interception that led to a TD. Complementary football was lacking at pretty much every juncture.

Jim from Tempe, AZ

Well, I've lost track of how many times we've said the Packers should have been up a lot more early in the game. OL didn't block particularly well. Drops, throws off target. Missed FG. Missed pick-six. Couldn't stop run in the second half. Sounds all too familiar. Mercy!

As I said in my Rapid Reaction column, the Packers looked like the midseason 2023 Packers. Growth isn't linear, and this game was a reminder of that.

Petey from Sarasota, FL

Poor tackling and dumb penalties can't be explained away by the other team getting paid too. The Eagles kept playing better as the game went on and we had a lot to do with that. It felt all too familiar. You can say it's only Week 1, but it was their Week 1 also.

Yup, and as I also wrote about, the Eagles proved to be the more experienced team in a high-profile setting. The Packers looked young again. Because they are still young. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. The Eagles reduced their Week 1 miscues as the game went on, as mature teams do. The Packers didn't, because they aren't. Yet.

Michael from Powell River, BC

I know the bologna stopped but it appears our opposing team's run game still can't be. Scheme and game plan seemed solid, however plays like Barkley's juke in the hole on Quay Walker proves once again it's players not plays. 56 was flying around and his speed jumped out. Will we see a lot more of him next week?

I said all week tackling is one of the great unknowns in Week 1. The Eagles missed their share, too, but the Packers missed more and looked more run down on defense late in the game. Edgerrin Cooper is going to be a major factor for this defense, maybe sooner than later. It's too bad he missed so much time in training camp. But his athletic ability is impossible to ignore.

Bill from Raleigh, NC

Hi guys, I'm not bitter. Okay, I'm a little bitter, but why are NFL professionals again forced to play on a sub-standard field? Both teams skated all over the place and one slip might cost JL some games.

It looked to me as though the slipping greatly diminished in the second half when players had the proper length cleats/studs on. As I mentioned in the live blog, I think players need to be more mindful to test the surface in warmups at full speed – not warmup speed, but full speed – to make sure they have the proper footwear for the stopping, starting and cutting they'll need to do in the game. In my mind, it shouldn't be that hard.

Dave from Comer, GA

I thought the choice to take the penalty on the PAT and go for two was a poor decision. The short-yardage and red-zone game hadn't shown we would be able to get the two. Why take points off the board?

I can understand the desire to try to steal an extra point from the 1-yard line, but personally I'm never a fan of going for two until the fourth quarter unless there are unusual circumstances. That's just me. It turned out not to matter, though it definitely could have. Chalk it up to another missed opportunity in a game full of them.

Dana from Santa Fe, NM

Well, so much for the notion that the starters don't need a preseason.

Knew this was coming. I'd still argue the benefit is minimal. It's about the injury risk versus the reward of playing vanilla football, which is nothing like the real McCoy. I'd still rather try to overcome some sloppiness in the opener rather than lose a starter to a major injury in a game that doesn't matter.

Scott from Advance, NC

Question 1: Should the NFL be embarrassed with the new kickoff rule? I thought they actually wanted returns. Move the kickoff back to the 30. Question 2: All night long the RG for the Eagles seemed to be looking backwards or moving at the snap. Never called for false start. Take a look at the film…

The NFL's new kickoff is headed for dud status already. A failed experiment. And for the bazillionth time, an offensive player moving at the snap is not an automatic false start. Simulating a snap is. If the guard is turning around or tapping the leg of the center or whatever, that's not simulating a snap, so it's not a penalty.

Jake from Decatur, GA

Certainly could have won that game. I'm sure, for a lot of fans, that makes losing it sting all the more. Watching it was a heck of a good time until the end, though. If you could pick one to fix completely by next week, which would it be: blocking, tackling, or the penalties?

I expect the tackling to naturally improve. Penalties are the harder fix, especially when they're across the board (multiple phases, pre-snap, combative, etc.).

Vishnu from Santa Clara, CA

Why did Keisean Nixon take the kickoff out at the end of the game? It cost five full seconds out of 30, and 15 yards. Hard to believe that the coaches had nothing to say about that, or that Nixon has played this game his whole life and not developed that situational awareness. Very disappointing to see that.

I didn't get that, either.

Bret from Hertel, WI

Dear Mike, I saw an article on CBS Sports that the Packers had a two-hour commute to the stadium. Is that the longest that you know of for an away game?

It was a full two hours, and definitely the longest I've been a part of. All city streets for 20-some miles, and if we hit 25 mph at any point, it was for about 10 seconds. The longest hotel-to-stadium bus ride I can ever recall in the states was about 50 minutes. London two years ago was an hour.

Ed from Hilltown, PA

How were the team accommodations in Brazil?

Everything about the hotel and the food service for the team was first class.

Mike from Algoma, WI

I hope you enjoyed the trip. But I sincerely hope that venue never is used by the NFL again. The stadium noise was so loud it ruined the TV broadcast. The field was an embarrassment. Or maybe I'm just grumpy after a loss?

The place was noisy. No doubt about that. When the whole crowd started singing the Brazilian national anthem together, and when it sang another song during a commercial break in the second half, it was honestly really cool, even though I couldn't understand the lyrics. One of the neat things about international games that I was reminded of, having seen it in London as well, is the variety of different jerseys from all across the league the fans wear to these games. You can look in one section and see half the teams represented, so you know you're at a special event.

Dan from Lowville, NY

Hello, and I hope you are enjoying Brazil! The game will be not only the first NFL game played in South America, but the first game played in the Southern Hemisphere, correct?

Correct, but spirals still spun the same way.

Erik from Omaha, NE

Why is a toe-drag that then carries out of bounds by momentum considered a catch but a foot coming down heel-first in-bounds and then the toe landing out of bounds *not* a catch? Maybe there's a reason I'm missing but it seems inconsistent.

Any part of the foot that touches the ground has to be in bounds. If it's the whole foot, then it's the whole foot. If it's just the toe, for example on a toe-drag, then once the toe is in, and assuming that's the second foot, he's in. What I don't get is how the official in the back of the end zone standing six feet away misses that and a game-deciding call it has to be corrected on replay. C'mon, man.

Tom from Indianapolis, IN

You have to convert those turnovers into touchdowns, and you can't commit penalties in every phase of the game. Sure, a couple of those penalties were bogus, but we benefited from just as many of those going our way. The game was there to take, but we didn't do enough to take it. A missed tackle or throw here or there, a couple of imperfect but catchable balls, it all adds up. The fact it took multiple (non-)sentences to address it says it all.

Indeed it does.

Zak from Huntington Beach, CA

I saw flashes of greatness at just about every position over the course of the game, but all the talent in the world can't survive a maelstrom of mistakes. I do like the pieces to the puzzle of this year's team, though, and I can't wait to see how the final image comes together by the end of the season.

I like the physical makeup of this team. We're going to find out more about its mental makeup early on here than we planned, but I'm confident there, too.

Ken from New Berlin, WI

Where do we go from here?

Home.

David from North Potomac, MD

Just a tip for you on the flight home. Tuck into a window seat to lean in the corner. Allow the exhaustion to wash over you, relax, and listen to the general hum of the airplane. The gentle rocking motions take your mind back to long road trips in the car with your dad driving. Endless miles of dairy farms and corn fields glide by. Music is on the radio. You've got all the peace and serenity of knowing dad will get you there safe and sound. Next thing you know, you've had a good rest.

I think I'll give that a shot now. Have a good weekend, everybody.