By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Dec 18, 2023 at 1:56 PM Photography: Evan Siegle / Packers.com

Remember those halcyon days of ... two whole weeks ago? When the Packers won two games in a row against potential Super Bowl contenders and put themselves in position for a surprise postseason visit? No? All you feel is seething rage and frustration now? That's the power of Joe Barry and his Green Bay defense – which fans witnessed on full display once more as a miserable defensive performance doomed the Packers to a 34-20 home embarassment to the Tampa Bay Bucs. 

But truly, Barry's defense worked like one of those memory-erasers from "Men in Black," deleting all the fun and excitement in watching a Packers game and replacing it with emptiness, a rotten egg smell and soft coverage looks. A thrilling Jordan Love touchdown throw? Doesn't exist – Baker Mayfield was just handed an easy touchdown drive in response. The defense just got a sack? Already doesn't exist – they just coughed those yards back up, plus ten more and a first down, on the very next play. Fondly recalling stopping Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes? 404 error, file not found, because since then we turned Tommy DeVito and the zombie corpse of Baker Mayfield into the second coming of Johnny Unitas. There is no joy or optimism a Joe Barry defense cannot shell coverage into oblivion ... unless you are a mediocre NFL quarterback which, in that case, congratulations on finally having some clips for your end-of-season highlight reel. 

In fairness, there are other reasons why the Packers lost on Sunday and now find themselves clinging to fading postseason hopes. But their defense's inability to stop, or even just merely fluster, Baker Mayfield on his way to a perfect passer rating and a career-best performance was certainly the hemorrhaging cavernous fatal wound – maybe to the entire season. And it sure seems like, after game upon game of making hope and positivity disappear, it's time for Joe Barry's defensive scheme to do the same. 

Before we wash this result away with a mix of desperate Christmas shopping, cleaning and Hallmark holiday movies (Joe Barry's defense can't hurt us there!) let's take one final look back at this soul-crusher of a Sunday.

1. Turkey truther

Packers fashion pregameX

Thanks to these past two pathetic performances, Packers fans may have long forgotten the dominating Thanksgiving victory over the Lions – but it's clear some Packers haven't, as one of the Green Bay players showed up to Sunday's game wearing a "Turkeygate" shirt, referencing the lack of turkey for the winning team that day. And now, at the very last minute, my Christmas list has gotten one clothing item longer. 

2. Welcome back

Aaron JonesX

There's not a lot of positives to take from Sunday's game, but here's one: Aaron Jones is back! After spending most of the past month on the sidelines with a knee injury, the Packers sparkplug rusher returned – and came out seeking revenge for the time missed, gashing the Bucs for big yardage on their first drive. What also returned, unfortunately, was coach Matt LaFleur's bizarre hatred of using his best offensive player. After racking up 44 yards across eight strong rushes on the first drive, Jones would only see five more rushes the rest of the game. 

3. Not exactly a Love-ly start

Jordan LoveX

Jordan Love was very much not in a New York groove against the Giants – a trend that unfortunately continued into the first half against the Bucs. Out of the Monday Night Football spotlight and back at home, Love still looked shaky to start on Sunday, missing some open targets – in particular on a fourth down in the redzone, leading an open Jayden Reed too much and ending a promising opening drive with a goose egg on the scoreboard. Love still looks to be the Packers quarterback of the future, with more quality play than not, but there's clearly still some inexperience and issues to work on. 

4. Second chances

Baker Mayfield sackX

This is going to be hard to believe ... but there was a time on Sunday when it seemed like the defense was going to be the good unit for the day, making up for the offense's lapses. They did their classic "bend-don't-break" thing on the opening drive and held Tampa to a field goal, and then after the Packers botched their ensuing redzone trip, the defense earned them a shot at redemption with a nice sack and fumble combo just two plays later – which, this time, Love wouldn't miss. Two sacks and a turnover on the first two drives? The Packers D seemed like they were cooking with gas. Unfortunately, as the game went on, that gas would turn out to be carbon monoxide, slowly yet surely smothering us to death. 

5. Letting Baker cook

You wouldn't know it from Sunday, but Baker Mayfield is far from his Progressive commercial prime. He's in his "desperate to stay on teams and keep getting paid" phase. The Buccaneers offense ranked in the lower half of the league, with Mayfield leading a pretty anemic group, only throwing for more than 300 yards once this season. And the Packers defense proceeded to let him throw for 381 – the second most in his career, the first coming in 2018 – and four touchdowns, the first time he's hit that number since 2020. It didn't look hard, either. (For deeply depressing examples, venture over to Twitter where Packers reporter Andy Herman is torturing himself with game footage to try and explain what happened.) Mayfield ended the game with a perfect passer rating – a first for a Lambeau visitor – and with sports commentators eager to excessively glow over his performance, just like Tommy DeVito last week. Hey, wonder how he did this weekend against a non-Packers defense!

6. Kraft-y moves

Tucker KraftX

In rare positive news, the Packers might have not one but two really good young tight ends! Luke Musgrave looked great before his kidney managed to lacerate itself – and now fellow rookie Tucker Kraft has looked like the real deal as well, catching four passes for 57 yards on Sunday including the hard-earned opening touchdown. Just one note: No more hurdling (especially when we're already thin at TE and wide receiver). Kraft learned that lesson the hard way on Sunday, taking a helmet to the cheese curds and understandably leaving the game for a moment to deal with ... discomfort.

7. A friend in Reed is a friend indeed

After some wobbly throws at the start, Love actually calmed down quite nicely as the game went along. He comfortably moved the offense and ended the day with 284 yards and two touchdowns – including this gorgeous touchdown dart to Jayden Reed, who matched the throw with a gorgeous endzone toe-tap of his own. After a first half of the season with a lot of learning on the fly and clunky chemistry, Love's really sparked nicely with Reed, Wicks and the rest of his young crew as the year's gone along. If these fresh-faced offensive pieces look this promising during this year of transition, imagine what they can achieve next season (with hopefully a new defensive approach to join them). 

8. Who?

The Packers got roasted by everyone in the Bucs passing game yesterday. Green Bay gave Chris Godwin a welcome return from injury, hauling in ten catches for 155 yards – many of which coming while covered by ill-equipped linebackers somehow. Mike Evans caught a touchdown to go along with 57 yards. Even some guy named Ko Kieft got to score. I'm starting to wonder if Joe Barry is some NFL Players Association plant to help make guys appear more capable and employable than they are. 

9. Dazed and confused

Feel free to ignore the day's final death blow, aka a 52-yard touchdown scamper that showcased every problem with the Packers defense in one lovely clip. Instead, just focus on the very beginning where you can see Rudy Ford having a panic in the top left corner wondering what the heck the defensive call is supposed to be. No expert here – but probably not the sign of a well-functioning unit! Props to Ford, though, for his hustle, almost knocking the ball out of Moore's hand before he got into the endzone ... though using the word "props" to describe any part of this defensive calamity feels deeply and almost criminally wrong. 

10. An easy hard decision

Matt LaFleurX

You ever see a movie sequel so bad that makes you wonder what you liked about the original film? That was the Packers on Sunday. That game made you question everything. Were the Packers actually putting things together in recent weeks, or was it all a mirage? Would they have beaten the Chargers if their receiving corps didn't have gloves made of Slip 'N Slide lacquered with baby oil? Was the defense actually impressive against the Chiefs, or did their lax coverage just get bailed out by a friendly late non-call? Is Jordan Love EVEN HIS REAL NAME!?

One thing is clear, though: It's time to call it a wrap on the Joe Barry experience in Green Bay. There have been some solid performances over the past three seasons – you certainly can't blame him for their 13-10 NFC divisional round loss to the Niners – but also just too many predictable failures, too many lax coverages that hand extended drives over to their opponents, too many mediocre offenses running ruckus and too many moments where the defense is simply not put in a position where it can do a good job despite their best efforts.

Now, despite Sunday's shameful display, I don't expect Barry to be let go this week or during the current season. Barry was LaFleur's hand-picked guy, there are only a few games left in a season that was meant as a development year without particularly serious postseason expectations and – come on – it's the holidays. Yes, we are now in a post-McCarthy-fired-midseason world, but I think the Packers still like to think they operate with a level of decorum that'll keep Barry through Week 17. 

After that, however? I imagine Green Bay fans will have a new defensive coordinator to plug into their traditional #FireDomCapers hashtag template. 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.