The Green Bay Packers rolled up 427 yards of total offense and collected 26 first downs. They controlled the time of possession by some 9-minutes. If one didn't watch the game, just hearing those numbers would be enough to think the Packers would have won in convincing fashion. But four turnovers took a dominating performance and turned it into a 24-10 loss.
The offense was sharp. The defense likewise. Special teams struggled again, but what else is new. But aside from all of that, a single coaching decision still could have changed the outcome of this game. Had Mike McCarthy elected to run the ball on 1st and goal at the 1, we might be talking about a Packers victory today. Instead, McCarthy called a pass, a slant to Donald Driver. It got batted away and into the hands of rookie safety Ko Simpson who returned it 76 yards to set up an Anthony Thomas 14-yard touchdown run.
McCarthy has been preaching attitude, how running the ball is an attitude. I really thought McCarthy and the Packers were developing a real attitude while running the football in recent games. And Ahman Green and Noah Herron had been knifing through through the Bills defense on the ground like a hot knife through butter. Yet when it came time to make a play call, 1st and goal at the 1, we get a pass call.
Buffalo had the lead at the time, 17-10 and the Packers were knocking on the doorstep to tie the game. The way Buffalo's offense was moving the ball all day, I'm confident the Packers win if they score there.
McCarthy should have called a run and if he's ever in that situation again, hopefully he won't make the same mistake twice. The NFC is ripe for the picking, but the Packers may have just ruined their chances with the loss to Buffalo. There's still 8 games left and time will tell, but the Packers had one in their hip pocket and let it get away.