Packers piling up the penalties in first two weeks of the season

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Packers piling up the penalties in first two weeks of the season

2026-09-22 01:39 Last Updated At：01:50

The Green Bay Packers are committing penalties at an alarming rate rarely seen before in this franchise’s storied history.

Green Bay rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the New York Jets 20-17 in overtime on Sunday despite getting penalized 14 times for 133 yards. That followed a 39-22 loss at Minnesota in which the Packers committed 12 penalties for 98 yards.

According to Sportradar, that matches the Packers’ second-highest penalty total for a two-game stretch within the same season since at least 1950. The Packers also committed 26 penalties over two games from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4 in 2007, and they were penalized 29 times over two games from Nov. 1-8 in 1987.

Green Bay’s 26 total penalties for 231 yards represent the highest totals for any NFL team in either category heading into Monday night’s game.

“Those are things that stop drives, put you behind the sticks obviously, and it’s tough to overcome,” quarterback Jordan Love said after Sunday’s game. “That’s an area we’ve got to focus, clean up, figure out what’s going on, especially on just pre-snap alignment penalties, things like that.”

The Packers’ 14 penalties didn’t prove costly Sunday, in part because the Jets were flagged 13 times for 156 yards.

But the Packers (1-1) might have beaten the Vikings if they hadn’t been penalized on three third down plays in Minnesota’s go-ahead touchdown drive. One penalty wiped out an interception. The other two turned potential punting situations into first downs.

“The ones that are just mind-blowing are just the false starts, jumping offside, lining up offside,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Those are the ones that’ll get you beat.”

Green Bay had a number of those on Sunday. The Packers also had multiple unnecessary roughness and holding infractions.

The Packers can’t afford to keep having double-digit penalty totals to have any realistic chance at earning a fourth straight playoff berth.

“Definitely an area we’ve got to improve,” Love said.

After getting outscored 90-15 in the fourth quarter and overtime of a six-game skid that began last season, the Packers showed they could finish by scoring the final 13 points in a come-from-behind victory Sunday. ... Special teams made a big difference, with Skyy Moore’s 63-yard punt return setting up Trey Smack’s tying 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter before Smack won the game with a 26-yarder in overtime. Moore and Smack both received game balls. ... The Packers sacked Geno Smith four times and have totaled seven sacks in their first two games. … Green Bay's defense is allowing just 3.9 yards per play to rank second in the NFL, behind only Seattle. ... The Packers are allowing just 2.9 yards per rush.

The Packers went 1 of 9 on third down situations after going 3 of 12 at Minnesota. Their third down conversion rate of 19.1% is the worst in the league. … The Packers also rank last in the NFL in yards rushing per game (64.5) and were 29th in yards per carry (3.3).

Edge rusher Lukas Van Ness has 2 ½ sacks in Green Bay’s first two games. He totaled just 4 ½ sacks in 26 regular-season games from 2024-25. … Moore had a 43-yard kickoff return to go along with his 63-yard punt return. … LB Edgerrin Cooper has a sack in each of Green Bay’s first two games.

LT Jordan Morgan was penalized twice, though one was declined. … RT Anthony Belton took over for the injured Zach Bako-Bewele and was called for holding twice. … CB Keisean Nixon committed two pass interference penalties, though one was declined.

WR Jayden Reed and Bako-Bewele were carted off the field on consecutive plays during Green Bay’s opening drive. Reed injured his neck and was hospitalized overnight, though the Packers reported after Sunday’s game that he had movement in his extremities and he posted on X that he was “doing much better.” Bako-Bewele hurt his knee, and LaFleur said after the game that “I think he could be out for a long time.”

LG Aaron Banks left with a toe injury. Donovan Jennings took over for Banks before leaving with a hand issue. LaFleur said Green Bay’s offensive line was decimated to such an extent that the Packers briefly discussed the possibility of playing TE Tucker Kraft at tackle.

19 — Games in which Love has thrown multiple touchdown passes without an interception. Love made his 50th start Sunday. The only player to have more games with multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions in his first 50 starts was Patrick Mahomes with 22.

The Packers have their home opener Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons (0-2).

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Jury convicts Vermont man of attempted murder in shooting of 3 Palestinian students

A jury on Monday convicted a Vermont man of attempted murder in the shootings of three Palestinian college students who were walking near his home, rejecting an insanity defense rooted in his claims that he was acting on orders from the CIA and Mossad.

Jason Eaton, 51, faces up to life in prison in the November 2023 attack near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, which left Hisham Awartani paralyzed from the waist down and his friends, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid, wounded.

The jury deliberated for several hours before reaching its verdict after a weeklong trial that saw testimony from the three wounded men and psychiatric experts called by the defense and prosecution.

Eaton was ordered jailed pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled. He stared ahead blankly as the verdict was read. Awartani and Aliahmad, sitting in the front row of the courtroom gallery, smiled and hugged people around them.

Eaton had pleaded not guilty but did not dispute that he was the shooter. His lawyers argued that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, pointing to his claims that the U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies transmitted orders to shoot the men to him via FM radio and that God was commanding him to protect his Jewish neighbors.