Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay’s offense sputtered, penalties piled up at the most inopportune moments and packers lost their third game in a row 23-21 Commanders of Washington on Sunday for the longest streak since 2018.

With a sore thumb and out of sync with his receivers, Rodgers was 23 of 35 for 194 yards and the Packers went 0 of 6 on third down. Green Bay (3-4) had just 232 rushing yards to Washington’s 364 and lost Allen Lazard to a shoulder injury, making him the third wide receiver on the team to go down during the first losing streak under coach Matt Lafleur .

Rodgers ended the game face down on the turf after a botched final play that ended with him throwing an onside kick out of bounds.

But the problems weren’t limited to the offense, with Amari Rodgers continuing his struggles by returning punts, muffling one that put Washington in the red zone, and cornerback Eric Stokes was flagged for a costly illegal contact penalty that ruined the return touchdown and later for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The negatives were outweighed by the few positives: Taylor Heinicke’s 63-yard pick-6 from De’Vondra Campbell and two touchdown passes from Rodgers to Aaron Jones — the latter of which capped a 75-yard drive with Washington penalties that pulled the Packers within two. 3:26 left in the fourth quarter.

Playing behind a revamped offensive line without All-Pro left tackle David Bahktiara, Rodgers struggled to find a rhythm, sometimes missing wide receivers and others putting the ball in his hands to avoid throwing the ball in time.

The Packers had their first streak since 1999, 370 games ago and before Rodgers graduated from high school.

Washington’s front four also played a role in wearing Rodgers down and making him look more like a rookie than the 38-year-old four-time NFL MVP. Only a series of penalties on the commanders (3-4) made the game closed in the last minutes.

Heinicke, making his first start of the season in place of the injured Carson Wentz, threw for two touchdowns and was 20 of 33 for 200 yards after going 1 of 7 for 14 with an interception. One of those TD throws was a perfect pass to Terry McLaurin.

Heinicke also found McLaurin’s 12-yarder on third-and-9 just before the two-minute warning, prompting a “Terry! Terry!” chants from Commanders fans, who outnumber Packers fans, and help seal the team’s second straight ugly win. McLaurin beat Green Bay’s top cornerback, Jair Alexander, on that play for his first TD catch since Week 1.

GREETINGS TO WHOM?

Washington chose it as its annual “homecoming game,” welcoming back dozens of former players who walked around the stadium and met with fans before the game. Among those in attendance: Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Monk and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Mark Rypien.

Fighting team owner Daniel Snyder was not in attendance, but his wife, Tanya, spoke at the pregame rally, which included video highlights from the 90 years since the franchise’s founding in 1932. Ironically, she mentioned “Seven Decades of Fantasy Football” during her speech to the crowd.

She concluded her remarks with a reference to the club’s old nickname, which was dropped in July 2020, saying: “Congratulations to the Redskins. And let’s beat Green Bay.”

INJURIES

Packers: LB Rashad Gary was evaluated for a concussion in the second half. … Bahktiari (knee) was inactive after being added to the injury report on Saturday. … Green Bay is also without wide receiver Randall Cobb and backup lineman Jake Hanson, who went on injured reserve.

Chiefs: Rookie TE Cole Turner suffered a concussion on a catch late in the second quarter and was quickly ruled out. … Rookie WR Jahan Dotson missed third straight game with hamstring injury.

FURTHER

Packers: Visit the Buffalo Bills next Sunday night.

Commanders: Visit the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.

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