GREEN BAY – All Brett Hundley wants to do is get back to work.
Improvement was evident from his first start to his second. He began the game with a positive drive. He was productive in the hurry-up at the end of each half. He was close to hitting on a few big gainers.
Hundley wasn't really interested in any silver linings, though, after Monday night's 30-17 loss to the Lions at Lambeau Field.
That's because he's a competitor, and competitors are bottom-line types, and the disappointed tone in Hundley's voice told everyone that improvement is only worth discussing if it results in victory. Otherwise, let's get back at it, sooner than later.
"My only goal I care about is winning. Didn't get that done," he said. "Gotta go back, look at the film, see what I can do better, and go from there."
Hundley did play better than two weeks ago against New Orleans. He admitted he felt more comfortable while also admitting his wasn't a winning performance, going 26-of-38 for 245 yards with a rushing touchdown.
Hundley is keeping it real, and he knows what the offense needs is for him to hit that big play to provide the spark. He didn't hit it soon enough Monday night.
Once he connected with Randall Cobb on a slant that went for 46 yards early in the fourth quarter, he looked different, and two touchdowns followed. Granted, the Lions were protecting a big lead, but the timing and crispness were there. He needs a play like that sooner next Sunday in Chicago, and he had his chances against the Lions.
On the game's opening drive, he appeared to miss Jordy Nelson from the slot, streaking open down the seam, before getting sacked just outside the red zone.
Then late in the second quarter, a deep ball to Davante Adams was nearly perfect, deflecting off Adams' outstretched hand.
"That's a tough one," Hundley said. "Davante ran a heck of a route. Just missed it. I'll probably put some more air under it next time.
"Explosive plays are huge in this game. We've got to get ourselves rolling and execute. We left a lot on the field tonight. I think everybody knows that."
Hit a play like that early and it can change the flow of the game. Just ask Aaron Rodgers. The two-time MVP is good enough to overcome slow starts, and has many times, but the lift an offense gets from a quick strike in the passing game can help carry a team through a rough patch later.
"It's this close," Hundley said, referring again to the Adams play. "It's just that small window of opportunity and we've got to close that gap."
The only way to do it is to keep plugging away. Hundley hasn't had "the breakout game everybody wants" but he's going to take Rodgers' advice, which he said was to keep his head up and keep pushing.
His head coach unquestionably remains in his corner.
"I believe in Brett, and that's not just a press conference statement," Mike McCarthy said. "He's got what it takes. He has it in his body, he has it in his mind, and he definitely has the heart."
That heart wants a win more than anything, and it wants another shot as soon as possible.
"We can't let this loss or the last loss define us as a team," Hundley said. "We have to shake this off.
"It hurts. I want to stand up here with a W. Tomorrow I'm going to wake up, God's blessed us with another day, and we've got to go to work."
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