It was a rare beatdown of the Green Bay Packers. Throughout the game Sunday night, the Denver Broncos were in firm control and made the Packers look significantly inferior.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Packers’ 29-10 loss:

1. Aaron Rodgers’ career-low performance

Rodgers threw for 77 yards in this game. It doesn’t take a lot of statistical research to prove that 77 yards is a remarkably low number, but it’s the fewest total Rodgers has ever thrown for in a game in which he started and didn’t get injured.

There was a 17-yard connection with Randall Cobb and an 11-yarder to Richard Rodgers. Other than that, Aaron Rodgers’ other 12 completions totaled 49 yards. There were very few opportunities to stretch the field deep in the passing game, but Rodgers missed one chance when misfiring a ball to Cobb.

The Packers now rank 27th in the NFL in passing yards. That’s with a healthy Rodgers all season.

Rodgers was pressured on 63 percent of his dropbacks, according to ESPN. That’s the highest percentage of pressures Rodgers has faced in the past seven seasons.

2. Jordy Nelson’s absence becoming increasingly noticeable

Nelson’s torn ACL was viewed by some at the time as a minor loss to Green Bay’s offense. The logic, argued some, figured that Rodgers is able to make almost any wide receiver look good, and that the Packers had enough depth at the position to still thrive.

That theory, however, has been debunked. As more games go by, the impact of Nelson’s injury is felt more and more.

Rodgers commented to reporters after the game that there were few times in which he saw receivers open deep downfield. That was putting it kindly. Whether it’s personnel, scheme or a bit of both, the Nelson-less receiving unit does not look good right now.

And for those who thought Davante Adams’ return would be the only change needed, that too has proven to be false. Adams was fully recovered from his ankle injury, but he finished with only one catch for eight yards, and he had a drop.

3. Another 500-plus yards allowed by Packers defense

Green Bay has allowed 1,046 yards over the past two games. When Philip Rivers exploded for a career-best day in Week 6, it was in a Packers win. Sunday night in Denver, Green Bay’s defense was manhandled from the get-go and gave the team very little chance to win.

This was the first time in franchise history in which the Packers allowed 500 yards in back-to-back games.

The strangest part of this recent occurrence is that Green Bay’s defense was tremendous early in the season at times. The defense was largely responsible for wins at San Francisco (three points allowed) and against St. Louis (10 points allowed), both games in which the Packers’ offense struggled. Now, all of a sudden, defensive coordinator Dom Capers has to take a group of players that was succeeding at a very high level and figure out what has gone so wrong in consecutive games.

4. A game for Casey Hayward to forget

Demaryius Thomas is a very good NFL receiver. Let’s begin by pointing that out. But it was Hayward who was responsible for the majority of Thomas’ eight catches and 168 yards.

Green Bay let Tramon Williams and Davon House walk in the offseason as free agents. The hope from Ted Thompson and the front office was that Hayward would move from the slot (where he had been very good for much of his first three NFL season) to outside cornerback with little problem. It was downplayed by Hayward and by the coaching staff, saying that there wasn’t much difference between the two spots on the field.

But Hayward, in a contract year, hasn’t had the type of season so far that will get him a sizable contract next offseason. He was exposed in coverage against Thomas. And with Sam Shields injured early on, and with LaDarius Gunter inactive for the game, Capers was left with few other options to put on Thomas.

5. Big-picture outlook looks bleak

The Packers are still arguably a top-six NFL team overall. The season isn’t over just because of one loss. However, this is a Green Bay team that is very much in a "Super Bowl window." They have been constructed to win now, with Rodgers and Clay Matthews in their prime, and with Julius Peppers near the end of his road.

When the playoffs begin in January, the Packers will be in it. They’ll likely win their first postseason matchup against an average opponent like Philadelphia or New Orleans in a weak NFC. But is Green Bay ready to beat Denver or New England in the Super Bowl? Could the Packers even afford to go on the road in the NFC Championship Game and beat a team like Carolina or Arizona? Based on where the offense and defense are right now, Green Bay doesn’t like look a championship-caliber team at the moment. And let’s face it, anything less than a Super Bowl for this Packers team will be viewed inside and outside of Lambeau Field headquarters as a disappointment.