Another game against an elite opponent, another blown opportunity for the Green Bay Packers.

Just like last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, last night’s defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots saw Green Bay keep pace for a big chunk of the game only for a crippling mistake to occur that all but ends their chances.

The difference? This week’s mistake game much earlier in the fourth quarter and the Packers never recovered. When two consecutive long completions by quarterback Aaron Rodgers had Green Bay driving during a tied game, running back Aaron Jones fumbles the ball, New England recovered and Green Bay never did.

As good teams do, the Patriots put the game away by seizing on the Packers’ mistake and put them away. The offense never recovered for the Packers and the

It was again a microcosm of their season: show promise on both sides of the football, but then show maddening deficiencies. That’s a sign of a mediocre team and being mediocre doesn’t cut it in a city nicknamed “Titletown.” The season is at the halfway point and jobs are definitely on the line in the second half of the 2018 campaign.

You can read more on the loss to the Patriots plus how New England’s creativity immediately knocked Green Bay on their heels in today’s cheese curds.

Another opportunity slips away for the Packers—Packers.com

Evergreen headline. The Packers can’t get out of their own way and whose shoulders does that lie on? The players? The coaches? They’d better get that figured out fast or they’ll miss the playoffs again, this time with Rodgers available for the whole season. That’s all sorts of embarrassing.

Lack of balance topples Packers’ chances against the Patriots—PackersNews.com

The Packers will always live and die on the right arm of Rodgers, but does it have to be that way? You’ve got a weapon in Jones, fumble aside. In order for weapons to be effective, you have to consistently use them.

Packers don’t hold up their end in Aaron Rodgers-Tom Brady showdown—ESPN

It was billed as a battle of two elite quarterbacks but everyone knew it would come down to the other 20 players on the field. The Patriots knew how to use theirs. The Packers? Not so much. It also doesn’t help when Rodgers, who normally excels under the blitz, was mediocre under pressure.

Patriots get creative to separate themselves from Packers in win—USA Today

He won’t be a popular name after leaving the Colts at the altar this offseason, but does anyone else salivate at the thought of Rodgers in a Josh McDaniels-led offense?

Packers are crumbling: Three takeaways from loss to Patriots—Packers Wire

People are going to pile on McCarthy and the coach deserves his share of the blame. You can’t let Rodgers off the hook, though. He’s been rattled, making poor reads and yet again holding the ball too long. He’s going to have to break those habits if the Packers want to make the postseason.