After Green Bay lost to the Atlanta Falcons 25-24 in its Week 2 NFL game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur described his defense’s performance in this way: “It wasn’t good. We got gashed.”

How do the players on the Green Bay defense react to that blunt assessment?

The answer might come on Sunday, when the Packers play the New Orleans Saints.

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“The mood is just get back on track, do what we do,” Green Bay safety Rudy Ford said. “We know we got a really good football team, so get back on track, get back to doing what we do best and, yeah, that’s kind of our focus. …

“Each and every week, there’s always going to be things we can correct and be better at. That’s what we’re always going to try to do – get better. Make the corrections, go out for the game this week and execute.”

The Falcons gained 211 yards on 45 rushing attempts against the Packers, with rookie running back Bijan Robinson picking up 124 on 19 carries.

In his sixth NFL start, Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder reached a career-high 237 passing yards. Ridder got 119 of those yards in the fourth quarter, when he completed 6-of-8 passes.

Ridder also ran for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons scored the final 13 points of the game to pull out the victory.

“You never want to lose the close ones,” Ford said. “But at the end of the day we’re on to this week. Make corrections. We got the New Orleans Saints. They’re a good football team. We need to focus on them and make sure we put our best foot forward moving forward.”

The Packers will make their home debut for the 2023 season against New Orleans at noon CDT Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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While the second Sunday of the NFL season was a long one for the Green Bay defense as Atlanta had a 12:30 advantage in time of possession, for Ford, it was the longest day of his NFL career.

Primarily a special-teams player since entering the NFL from Auburn as a sixth-round selection in the 2017 draft, Ford has started both games this season in the Packers’ secondary.

In Green Bay’s 38-20 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sept. 10, Ford played 69 of the Packers’ 74 defensive snaps. Against Atlanta, Ford played all 82, the highest in any of his 75 NFL games.

Ford recorded seven tackles against the Falcons.

In his first season with Green Bay in 2022, Ford played in every game with a career-high six starts. Signed to bolster the Packers’ special teams after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars at the end of the preseason, Ford played a career-high 442 defensive snaps and intercepted three passes in 2022 after having one interception in his first five NFL seasons.

In March, Green Bay re-signed Ford to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

Ford grew up in the Big Cove community and was an All-State running back at New Hope High School in 2012, when he scored 27 touchdowns for the Indians.

Ford made the transition from running back to defensive back in his first season at Auburn. Although he still ran for 79 yards and one touchdown on eight carries during his time with the Tigers, Ford became a three-year starter in Auburn’s secondary.

Ford split his first four NFL seasons between the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles.

Jacksonville signed Ford in free agency to a two-year, $4.2 million contract. He had 423 defensive snaps, 179 special-teams plays and his first NFL interception in the 2021 season, but Jacksonville released Ford on Aug. 29, 2022. He signed a one-year contract with the Packers two days later.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.