Joe Philbin uses both Packers challenges in less than 90 seconds

Green Bay Packers interim head coach Joe Philbin ran out of challenges on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons before some fans even found their seats.

Sunday’s game for the Green Bay Packers was their first without former head coach Mike McCarthy, who was fired after their loss to the Arizona Cardinals. With Joe Philbin taking over as interim head coach, he wanted to show his players that he had their back.

That strategy didn’t go exactly as planned.

On the Atlanta Falcons opening drive, Philbin decided to throw the challenge flag not once, but twice in the first 90 seconds of the game. Both challenges were based on whether or not Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones had possession on potential catches, and both calls on the field stood.

So, in the matter of just a handful of plays, Philbin had somehow successfully ran out of challenges for the rest of the game.

The first challenge was absolutely understandable. Rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander had blanketed Jones, who went to the ground struggling to maintain possession before the ball popped out as he hit the ground. Somehow, the officials still decided that the call on the field would stand.

The second challenge was on a modest gain for a first down to Jones, but many argued that throwing that second challenge flag wasn’t even worth it. The Packers would only have one challenge remaining for the rest of the game, but Philbin didn’t really seem to care about that.

It was definitely a bold strategy for Philbin, but it wound up blowing up in his face. Packers fans are hoping that there won’t be any other questionable calls for the rest of Sunday’s game, or else the Packers are going to be out of luck.