The Washington Commanders suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. Here are five takeaways from the night.

1. Missed opportunities.

It felt like the Commanders' offense was stuck in a rut for most of the night. A lot of that was because the Packers' defense played as advertised; it was also because the Commanders left opportunities on the field.

The two missed field goals were the most glaring of those errors. Yards were difficult to come by, but despite that fact, they had chances to make it a one-score game at the end of the first half and start of the third quarter. However, both of Matt Gay's attempts missed the mark, which not only kept the Commanders at just three points for the first half but also provided the Packers with opportunities to add to their lead.

But there were frustrating moments littered throughout the night. Jayden Daniels had back-to-back incompletions, one of which was a tough drop from Noah Brown that stalled a drive at the Packers' 43-yard line. There was also the 50-yard kickoff return from Deebo Samuel that was followed by the Commanders gaining just 10 yards in seven plays.

The Packers made the Commanders pay for those and other, smaller mistakes by bringing consistent pressure to harass Daniels. He was sacked four times, but the bigger impact was how the pressure sped up Daniels' timing and limited his escape routes. He had a QBR of 26.9, which stands as the second lowest of his career.

The mixture of the Packers' strong defense and the Commanders' struggles made every drive feel like a labor, which resulted in the deficit, which was not drastically high for most of the night, feeling more difficult to climb out of.

2. The defense was solid at times...

It's worth noting that the Commanders' defense, while flawed, was one of the main reasons a comeback was in reach for so long. Things started on a positive note with rookie Trey Amos making a diving pass breakup on a fourth-down throw to Matthew Golden, which would have resulted in a touchdown.

The Packers' final rushing numbers don't look great for the Commanders, as they allowed 135 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, but it didn't start out that way. Josh Jacobs found little success on the ground in the first half, with his longest run being a nine-yard gain in the second quarter. They also forced three punts and forced the Packers to settle for a field goal rather than a touchdown in the third quarter, which would have strained the Commanders' offense even further, from inside the Washington 5-yard line.

It was expected that the Commanders would face a tougher task against the Packers, and while there are still plenty of areas for improvement, there is a foundation to build upon for the rest of the season.

3. ...but there were back-breaking mistakes.

As admirably as the Commanders' defense played at times, it didn't negate the Packers seeming to move the ball at will at times.

One of the most demoralizing aspects of the first half was that Green Bay's most successful drives came when they were backed up. They scored on possessions of 96 and 92 yards, both fueled by explosive plays. Tight end Tucker Kraft connected with Jordan Love on a wide-open pass that resulted in a 57-yard completion. On the second drive, Love completed a 30-yard pass to Malik Heath that moved the Packers into Commanders territory.

The Commanders' defense didn't necessarily break in the second half but did bend a little too much at critical moments. The Packers followed up a 20-yard touchdown from Zach Ertz that made it a one-score game by going on a nine-play drive with Kraft getting open for an eight-yard touchdown. They held the Packers to a field goal on their next possession, but it was still enough to make it a three-score lead.

The Commanders have time to fix those issues, but there will be plenty to think about until their next game in 10 days.

4. Injuries were a problem.

The Commanders might feel the sting of the loss for a while because of all the injuries they sustained throughout the night.

Running back Austin Ekeler and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. were the most difficult, as both were carted off the field. Ekeler's injury, which was listed as an Achilles issue, happened when he was trying to make a cut away from contact. Given the severity of Achilles injuries, he may be out for a while. Less is known about Wise's quad injury, which he sustained while trying to block an extra point, but Quinn should provide more updates during his Friday press conference.

Five other players sustained injuries over the course of the night, with the list including Brandon Coleman, Noah Brown, Jonathan Jones, John Bates and Trey Amos. Both Brown and Bates were later ruled out for the rest of the game, both with groin injuries.

Fortunately, the Commanders have over a week to get healthy, but there will be several players to keep a close eye on next week.

5. Some perspective for the rest of the season.

Thursday's game did not feature a formula that equals success for the Commanders. Head coach Dan Quinn said as much in his postgame press conference, and the results demand the team address certain issues in the immediate future.

Here's something to remember as the Commanders get ready to go back home for Week 3: there are 15 more games in the season for them to get right.

There were several factors that the Commanders were expected to deal with to start the year. The starting offense spent little time together in training camp, meaning it would need more reps to get in a groove. The defense has looked better, but all the new additions might need time to gel together. There's also the fact that the Commanders are facing a tougher schedule with some of the league's top teams on the horizon.

The Commanders will be a different team in November and December, when they will need to be in top form to make a playoff push. That doesn't excuse the loss, but it is a reminder that the process for building a roster often bleeds into the regular season.

There is still plenty of time for the Commanders to get back on track, and that starts next week against the Las Vegas Raiders.