Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams pointed to the team's Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons as the moment the defense raised its standards after an uneven start.
The Packers entered that Thursday Night Football game at 1-1. They had dropped their opener to the Minnesota Vikings before beating the New York Jets in overtime.
Atlanta, sitting at 0-2 and with Michael Penix Jr. back under center, delivered a decisive 35-14 victory at Lambeau Field.
Atlanta dominated the box score. Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Drake London matched that total with 194 receiving yards on nine catches. The Falcons finished with 498 total yards and controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes. Green Bay managed only 17 rushing yards.
The result ended a long home-opener winning streak and left the Packers at 1-2. Williams later described the performance as a necessary wake-up call.
"Sometimes you got to get kicked in the mouth to understand what it really takes," Williams said . "What your standard needs to be to take it up a notch. Everybody in this league gets punched in the mouth every now and then, and it'll always be about how you respond that matters, right? That's something that we took on the chin."
Defensive leaders, including linebacker Zaire Franklin and safety Xavier McKinney, held direct talks with the coaching staff. The group focused on accountability and alignment under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Williams noted the emphasis on trusting both the scheme and the 11 players on the field.
The message has produced clearer results. Green Bay has won its last three games, allowing 14 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , seven to the Chicago Bears and 13 to the Dallas Cowboys.
That stretch marks the first time since 2016 the Packers held three straight opponents to 14 or fewer points.
The defense leads the NFL with nine interceptions through six games. Seven of those came during the current three-game winning streak. Overall, opponents have scored 125 points against Green Bay this season, or 20.8 per game.
The Packers stand at 4-2 and third in the NFC North. The unit has improved against both backup and starting quarterbacks in recent weeks. Williams credits the collective buy-in after the Atlanta game for the shift in performance.
The improvement arrives as Green Bay prepares for its next matchup against the Detroit Lions . The early-season setback remains a reference point for a defense that has tightened its play in the weeks that followed.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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