GREEN BAY – It's an issue the Packers want to address before it morphs into any type of crisis.
One area that did not sit well with Head Coach Matt LaFleur after reviewing last Thursday's home win over the Commanders was penalties.
"We had far too many," LaFleur said Monday.
Ten for 77 yards to be precise, and no phase of the team was immune.
The offense was called for two false starts and three holding infractions, one of those wiping out a touchdown pass on the game's opening drive.
The defense was flagged for two holding calls – both on third/fourth downs to give Washington automatic firsts and keep scoring drives alive – plus an offside on a two-point conversion.
And the special teams had a facemask on a punt plus a holding on a punt return, both of which negatively impacted field position.
LaFleur's perspective is those penalties, which increased considerably from the Packers' manageable four for 40 yards in Week 1 vs. Detroit, kept his team from having full command of a game it was dominating in various other areas.
"For the score to be 17-10 in the fourth quarter, it was a one-possession game, and I felt for the most part we were in control of that game," LaFleur said.
That's why those penalties were a big part of the film sessions with the players when they returned Monday from their weekend off.
It's an approach the players appreciate, because nobody wants to gloss over mistakes that can prove more costly in a nip-and-tuck game if there's something to learn from them now so they don't happen.
"One of our sayings is don't let a victory mask your problems, and that's definitely true when it comes to this team," safety Evan Williams said. "We do a lot of things great, but there's also a bunch of things we can improve upon."
The pre-snap penalties (false starts, offside) are among those that bother LaFleur the most. The flags on special teams that changed field position might've ranked right behind on a night the coverage units allowed a punt return of 24 yards and a kickoff return of 50 yards to boot.
That the Packers maintained a lead over the Commanders despite a huge disadvantage in field position most of the night was somewhat overlooked.
Washington started its first six drives at an average of its own 40.5-yard line while Green Bay started its first five drives at an average of its own 18.2.
Fortunately, the Packers' offense was able to march 90-plus yards twice for touchdowns, while the defense kept getting stops to force long field-goal tries, two of which were missed by the Commanders. A couple of makes there and field position would've been a bigger story in the game.
"We've just gotta be better on special teams," safety Xavier McKinney said after Monday's practice. "We talked about it today, just about how we played special teams-wise compared to how we played the first week.
"We've gotta fix some things and we'll get them fixed … just making sure that we're super tight on special teams, that way we don't give up plays or make it hard for the offense or make it harder for the defense."
LaFleur said after Thursday's game he would have plenty to review with the players to get their attention. Those miscues, beginning with the penalties, were the focus as the new week began, not the team's 2-0 record.
"We celebrate all wins, for sure, but at the same time, the moment that complacency settles in is the moment you've lost your next game," Williams said. "Yeah, we understand we've got to keep our foot on the pedal."
