MILWAUKEE- Allowing a 91 yard punt return for a touchdown and turning the ball over two times doesn’t usually end with a W in the win column, but the Packers were able to eek out a 24-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After the game head coach Matt LaFleur said he thought his team came out flat, making the game closer than it, record wise, should have been. Larrivee tells WTMJ he thinks the fanless games are starting to have an effect on home teams.
“It’s been tough on home teams all year, it’s been nothing new,” Larrivee tells Wisconsin’s Morning News. “Heading into this past Sunday, home teams had a losing record in the NFL which is unheard of.”
“This is not baseball, you don’t build your team around the dimensions of your ballpark. This is football, the dimensions are the same whether you’re home or away so you know, the home field advantage is really about the fans in the stands,” he added.
Getting off to a slow start wasn’t the only familiar sight Sunday afternoon, the team also had trouble stopping the run. Jacksonville running back James Robinson racked up 109 yards on 23 carries at Lambeau.
Despite the team’s struggles, the Packers did find a way to win, in large part due to a clutch catch by Davante Adams to score the final touchdown of the game after missing part of the game due to an injury.
“I’m surprised he was able to talk himself back into the game,” Larrivee said. “To see Davante to get back onto the field says a lot about him but also that he has some real good persuasvie powers to get back in.”
Adams finished the day with eight catches for 66 yards. Rodgers threw for 325 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception.
The Packers, now 7-2 on the year, take on the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.