Hello Wisconsin: Still a Lot to Prove
For the Packers to excel in January, veterans will need to step up.
By TimBackes
Heading into week 18, the Green Bay Packers have pretty clearly defined what they are throughout this season: a team that will beat everyone below them and lose to the teams above them.
While this does not at all guarantee any sort of outcome for the playoffs (when you’re in, anything can happen!), it does mean this team still has quite a bit to prove, especially after their latest loss to the Vikings was almost an exact replica of the one that occurred early in the season.
The Packers have yet to beat a legitimate contender in the 2024 season. While they have beaten (and clobbered) several playoff teams or potential playoff teams, they’ve been relatively overmatched against the Eagles, Vikings, and Lions, and will presumably need to beat at least two of the three if they wish to get to a Super Bowl this season.
The way the season has played out has been pretty unique in my lifetime, and probably for pretty much everyone here. The Packers are very clearly a good team; you don’t win 11 or 12 games in this league without being a good team. And yet there is such a clear cutoff in how they’re able to compete against “tiers” in the league that it’s made this season almost unpredictably predictable, if that makes sense.
They’ve beaten every single team with a record that is equal to or below them, and lost to every single team with a record that is above them.
I went back through the last several decades to years in which the Packers won 11 or more games to see if anything like this has ever happened, and the short answer is no–every year in which the Packers won 11 or more games they were upset at least once and upset another team at least once.
What can we take from this?
Well, they’re taking care of business against lesser competition, which is good. Not once this year have they been ambushed by a team that was worse than them. Rarely does that happen in the NFL.
But it also indicates that this team, from a talent standpoint, just isn’t there yet. They’re generally close in the games they’ve lost (except one Lions game) but still clearly a tier below those teams that have defeated them.
To me, the coaching in those games has not been suspect; while not everyone is going to agree with every decision, in general I feel as though Matt LaFleur has had game plans that would have allowed his teams to win. This is evident in the fact that the Packers lost four of those five games by a combined 12 points.
The ways they’ve lost in those games are pretty consistent. When I look back at each of these games, the biggest factor tends to be a complete lack of pass rush.
Without consistent pressure on the quarterback, Sam Darnold and Jared Goff have been able to do quite a bit of damage to a defense that has otherwise shown some significant improvement in 2024. Goff put up ratings of about 109 in each outing against the Packers, and Darnold had a 123.4 rating in September and a 116.1 rating this past weekend.
There’s only so much a pass defense can be expected to do in coverage if nobody’s disrupting the line of scrimmage. The Packers’ defense, as you would expect, has been the most successful in the games where it has managed to get to the quarterback more often.
That, to me, is the number one thing that must somehow change in the playoffs if the Packers are to take down at least one of the big contenders in the NFC. This is a team that has enough talent to breeze by most teams in the NFL, but we’ve seen over and over again that championship teams are able to pressure the quarterback, especially with just four rushers. If the Packers are to go on a run, they’re going to need their front seven to step up on passing downs.
Wisconsin Beer of the Week
I’ve never previously had a beer from Lake Louie Brewing Company (based out of Verona, Wisconsin), but this was a case where I liked the can, so figured I should give it a shot.
The beer is Dark Side of the Loon, an “American stout.” This particular style of stout tends to be a little roastier with a balance of bitterness and low to medium sweetness from the malts. The body tends not to be particularly full, making it a more drinkable style of stout than some of the other types of stouts you may be more familiar with.
Dark Side of the Loon was everything you’d expect out of that style, and at a relatively moderate 7 percent ABV. Here’s how the brewery describes it:
“This rich and complex American Stout finishes as smoothly as a majestic loon gliding across a moonlit lake in hunt of its prey.”
I’ll let you be the judge of whether the beer lives up to the description, but as a fan of both loons and stouts I did enjoy this beer and would get it again. Versatile, easy drinker with a pleasant roasty quality.
Now that I’ve had a good experience with one of Lake Louie’s beers, I’ll have to be on the lookout for more to try. I found this at my local Woodman’s, so chances are you’ll be able to find it fairly easily in Wisconsin as well.
Big contract players on defense not delivering
Going along with what I was talking about earlier regarding some defensive ingredients still missing from a championship run, I wanted to focus on the three of the highest paid players on the defense.
I don’t typically specifically point out negative performances from players, simply because that’s not the kind of column I enjoy writing. But it is fairly clear at this point that the Packers have not gotten enough out of the three of the players on their defense making the most money: Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, and Jaire Alexander.
We’ll start with Alexander, who has been hurt, so the lack of contribution is no real fault of his own. But this is the third time in the last four seasons now where Alexander has missed a majority of the season with injuries. At some point, the Packers are going to have to decide whether it’s worth continuing to pay this kind of money to a player who seems to be available only about 50 percent of the time (or less).
There is a potential out in Alexander’s contract after this season. Given the relatively sparse level of talent at the cornerback position the Packers have right now, it probably makes more sense to keep him for at least one more season and hope he makes it through healthy. But at this point, there’s no denying that, regardless of fault here, the contributions the Packers have gotten from Alexander on this contract have not come close to returning the investment the team put into him.
Next we’ll go with Kenny Clark, who has graded out pretty poorly by his standards this season. If you put stock in PFF grades as a useful metric, he’s at a 59.6, which would put him at 82nd of 218 interior defensive linemen in the league. He has 24 solo tackles and just a single sack this season.
This marks a steep drop in performance from what one would expect from Clark over his time in the league so far, especially after 2023, in which Clark set a career high with 10 sacks.
It’s hard to say whether the drop off is due to a change in defensive system or simply due to wear and tear. While Clark is not yet 30, he’s been in the league since 2016 and has logged a whole lot of snaps over that time.
Whatever the reason, Clark has significantly underperformed for the team this season.
And finally, there’s Rashan Gary. The Packers extended Gary to the tune of four years and $96 million in October 2023, an annual average value of $24 million. They’re paying him like one of the best pass rushers in the league, and did so largely based on the potential he’s shown in his career so far. While Gary has typically had high pressure rates, those rates have not always translated into sacks; the most he’s ever had in a season was 9.5, and he had 9 a season ago.
This year he’s at 6.5 sacks, which represents a fall off, but his pressures are also way down; despite being paid like one of the best pass rushers in the league, he’s ranked only 32nd in total pressures at just 44, and is ranked 40th in QB hits at just seven.
The Packers have desperately needed Gary to play to the level of his contract, especially with second-year player Lukas Van Ness also so far failing to live up to his draft status (there’s still time for him, but impatience is starting to creep in). Gary has not been bad, but when you’re being paid as much as he is, there is an elevated standard that comes with that, and Gary simply has not come close to meeting it in 2024, the first year of his extended contract.
Things only will become more dire for the Packers with Gary, as his cap number starts to swell after this season. The extension pushed out most of his cap hit, so he goes from counting $11.1 million against the cap this year to $25.5 million next year.
Gary must find a way to affect the quarterback more often; otherwise, there’s a ceiling to what this Packers team can accomplish.
Ultimately, the Packers are getting most of their best contributions on defense from players who are still on rookie deals (and Xavier McKinney). It’s the vets who have not been holding up their end of the bargain.
Around the NFC North
As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North.
- The CHICAGO BEARS may be the league’s worst team, even though they won’t end up with the number one overall draft pick. What a fall from grace for a team with a fanbase that spent so much of the offseason boasting. Caleb Williams has also looked straight up bad; for his sake, I hope he hasn’t become the latest quarterback ruined by this pathetic franchise.
- The DETROIT LIONS have been an offensive juggernaut this season. It’s almost impossible to conceive of Ben Johnson returning to the team yet again, like he did last offseason; there are way too many teams that will open up their vaults and pay him whatever he wants. Despite the numerous injuries this team has had, they’ve continued to weather the storm and seem to be picking up momentum once again. They get a home game for the #1 overall seed; what more could you ask for in week 18?
- The MINNESOTA VIKINGS are good. Let’s face it. I totally underestimated this team at the start of the season. Brian Flores has this defense playing lights out, and the offense has been far more efficient than anyone could possibly have predicted when led by Sam Darnold. Their matchup against Detroit this weekend could well have a major role in determining who represents the NFC in the Super Bowl.
This or That in Mr. Backes’s classroom: Week 17
As some of you may recall, last year I started doing weekly “this or that” polls on the whiteboard in my classroom at school for laughs. I decided to make it a weekly part of this column to keep you updated on what the youths are saying these days about entirely unimportant issues.
We’ve been on winter break this past week, so we’ll resume this feature next week, but I definitely intend to ask kids about staying home versus going out on new year’s eve. It feels like more than ever are deciding to stay in!
I’ll continue to keep you updated on the most pressing issues of our time.
Week 18 Picks
Look, it’s the Bears. The Packers may or may not play their starters for the entire game, but it doesn’t matter. The Bears have been the worst team in the league ever since they gave up the Hail Mary to the Commanders, and it’s a late season game at Lambeau. There shouldn’t be much drama to speak of here.
Packers 33, Bears 6
LAST WEEK: 13-3
SEASON TO DATE: 185-73
THIS WEEK, give me…
RAVENS over Browns
BENGALS over Steelers
FALCONS over Panthers
TEXANS over Titans
EAGLES over Giants
COLTS over Jaguars
COMMANDERS over Cowboys
PACKERS over Bears
BUCCANEERS over Saints
BILLS over Patriots
CHARGERS over Raiders
CARDINALS over 49ers
CHIEFS over Broncos
RAMS over Seahawks
DOLPHINS over Jets
LIONS over Vikings
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
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Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins.
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Comments (37)
T7Steve
January 02, 2025 at 07:06 am
Your Chiefs over Broncos pick is the one I'd worry about most now that the Chiefs have #1 locked up and the Broncos are still fighting for a spot. Maybe I'm behind on the stats and both situations are reversed?
I am one of those who have been saying Kenny Clark always plays his best late in the season and that maybe his toe is still bad. Now I have to worry his season won't kick in. A couple decisive playoff games by him and Gary would cure all my bad feelings and make everything ok again.
Beat the Bears and stay healthy doing it.
The two most important parts of winning football teams (O & D lines) have been coming up here as issues the most lately and it's too late to do anything about it so they just need to play better. Thet need contributions from vet AND youngsters to get anywhere and I think they'll be able to pick it up a notch.
Razer
January 02, 2025 at 07:40 am
...The two most important parts of winning football teams (O & D lines) ...
So true. Over the last decade our D-line either has trouble stopping the run or pressuring the QB. Given that we don't have the secondary talent to play man coverage, we are no match for good offensive teams with good O-lines (Philly, Detroit and the Vikings). I just don't know if Gutekunst knows how to build either of these areas of the team.
GregC
January 02, 2025 at 08:29 am
Clark had a really good game a few weeks ago, and Gary was playing better as the season went on, but we didn't see much from either of them against the Vikings. This does not bode well for the playoffs. Our difference makers on defense at this point are Xavier McKinney and Edgerrin Cooper. Maybe Devonte Wyatt could still be one. Bummer he got knocked out of the Vikings and game.
Leatherhead
January 02, 2025 at 07:11 am
The veterans will have to step up.......
Thank you for that reminder. We focus so much attention on our "weakest links'' that it's sometimes almost possible to think that people like Dean Lowry and Josh Myers are the reason we don't advance farther in the playoffs.
Reality is.....the guys at the top of the pay scale....Love, Jenkins, Jacobs, Gary, Clark, McKinney...are the main horses. I would have included Alexander, but he's out the picture, as usual, and probably for good.
We have some high draft picks on rookie contracts that could really help if they step up. Cooper, of course. Watson and Reed. Quay and Wyatt. I don't think we can win without good play from these guys, but as the author points out, it's the vets...the well-paid vets....that need to lead. They have guys around them to help, and the game doesn't have to be determined by out 22nd best starter.
Cheezehead72
January 02, 2025 at 07:36 am
Clark and Gary are who they are. They have been playing a long time so the coaches know what they got. It can be difficult for a player to change his style to meet the change of schemes. Not sure if that is the case. If not it is up to the player to make plays. If that is the case it is up to the coordinator to change the scheme to fit the players he has. I am not talking about an overhaul or drastic changes. I am talking about tweaking the scheme. Maybe it is to use more straight on rushing or maybe it is use more stunts. The key is you have the players you have now Hafley needs to figure out what to do to get pressure on the QB and tackles for a lose. With our DBs we need the front four to do their job and help the secondary succeed or they will be cleaning out their lockers the day after the first playoff game.
Get it done.
Guam
January 02, 2025 at 07:52 am
I've wondered for awhile now if LVN wouldn't be a better DT than DE. He seems to be a one trick bull rush pony with little else to get past OT's. His strength and speed might get him by OG's more often than OT's.
jannesbjornson
January 02, 2025 at 09:04 pm
T Sweat and Braden Fiske were sitting there last Spring. Van Ness should stick to hockey.
Guam
January 02, 2025 at 07:46 am
Author: "To me the coaching in those games has not been suspect."
Really??? LaFleur's offense was fine in the five losses this year? The offense was okay in the Eagles game, but in the four divisional losses the offense generally stunk for the first 2-3 quarters and then the Packers would put on a furious yet too little too late charge to make the game close (and just because the final score was close does not mean the game was close). LaFleur has been outcoached by the DC's of Detroit and Minnesota this year and his befuddled offense took way too long to figure out an antidote to what the defense was doing before they could get going. LaFleur is a good game planner but lousy at in-game adjustments and that cost the Packers against Detroit and Minnesota this year.
Yes the D-line has been a disappointment, but I sure wouldn't give LaFleur a free pass.
Coldworld
January 02, 2025 at 02:16 pm
Even without a pass rush we held the Vikings to their season average at home. The D was not the issue then. It was in the first half of the Vikings game at Lambeau, but otherwise it’s not been the weakest side of the ball in any division game this year. That is despite a new DC, new to the role, and a transition in both scheme and approach. In contrast our O hasn’t changed much (bar Jacobs) in personnel terms yet has been more of an issue despite Jacobs probably being a net positive.
porupack
January 02, 2025 at 07:52 am
Great point made, Tim. We used to debate long as I can recall on this site, who is to blame for underperformance; players (and execution), or coaches (game strategy, play calls and preparation). Seems a good time after your article to have another go at this debate today? Now with Hafley, I think the general opinion is that he is a big improvement over Capers, Pettine and Barry with more aggressive scheme variations. I myself will blame leadership first, before the grunt workers. Over the past decade, we've seen a high commitment in the draft, round one picks on defense combined with a lot of smart FA signings. Since 2016, and a strong commitment to seemingly weak defensive units, the law of averages should indicate that GB should have acquired enought talent.
Argue all you want about some of those picks...and whether they were a reach. Whether player X was a worthy first round talent, or a second round talent is for banter for the first preseason. But any player in top 3 rounds are worthy of high expectations to emerge as unit leaders. Finally, GB seems to have been solving a 2 decade weakness, safety and LB. Now, we find a decline in D-line performance despite high picks there. Thus, in consideration of Hafley, and 3 previous DCs, It now seems that the pendulum of blame swings back to the GM and whether GB has gotten the right talent on Dline, more than the DC scheme/prep/play calls. Certainly, GB gets some talent, but not get the critical mass, and not the game wrecker. Too often one player is a beast, but then becomes the focus of pass protection and a complementary player isn't able to capitalize. Talent vs Leadership? So far.... its a lack of talent on the Dline. Those players are getting controlled by high quality Olines, Detro, Minnepo and Philly....and any post season success will be despite the Dline weakness with luck or other compensation. Good luck, GB. You'll need luck. Hafley has risen to the calling, and GB just has a low ceiling of talent on the Dline. More data to come, and reassessment accordingly.....
stockholder
January 02, 2025 at 07:52 am
So the veterans need to produce -
and the team must prove themselves.
Seriously? We caught teams at the right time.
The new Defense pushed P. Smith out .
And Gary doesn't have help from the other side.
P.Smith and Zhaire Smith had each other.
Van Ess isn't either. Gute wanted to see others.
So isn't he trying to put a square peg in a round hole?
The 4- front isn't a normal 4 front. Their small.
Clark has been moved around so much he must feel like Raji.
This defense will depend on Lbs and safeties.
packer132
January 02, 2025 at 08:42 am
Smith asked Green Bay to trade him, and another good move by Gute. Smith is 32 years old and younger guys are playing good. This is from Preston's last game with the Steelers, his new team.
"Last week, Smith played fewer snaps than both Van Ness and Enagbare, and Mosby -- who had a half-sack -- made his debut at defensive end. Smith played only five snaps as a pass-rusher."
You haven;t heard of Edgerrin Cooper?
"Packers' Edgerrin Cooper: Continues to impress in Week 17
Rotowire Dec 30, 2024
Cooper recorded 11 total tackles (eight solo), including four tackles for loss, in Sunday's 27-25 loss to the Vikings.
Cooper was flying around the field in Week 17, making four tackles for loss and tying Javon Bullard as the Packers' leading tackler. The rookie linebacker from Texas A&M has really come on since returning from injury in the Week 15 win over the Seahawks, having now recorded 28 total tackles, including 1.0 sacks and an additional six tackles for loss, and one interception over Green Bay's last three contests. He's expected to remain one of the Packers' top tacklers and defensive playmakers when the Bears travel to Green Bay in Week 18.
Razer
January 02, 2025 at 08:05 am
Giving Goff, Darnold or Hurts all day in the pocket won't translate into a long playoff run but it is what is with our defense. Perhaps our best chance for winning will come from an offense that starts to sprint early. IF Love starts making better throws and decisions AND if our pass catchers win a few more routes AND if our game plan is a bit smarter THEN maybe we can out run some of these top teams. I only wish that we had demonstrated this quality more consistently throughout the season.
murf7777
January 02, 2025 at 08:27 am
And, Gary makes the Pro Bowl.
Leatherhead
January 02, 2025 at 09:42 am
When I look at the league's #6 scoring defense, I don't see a bunch of "underperformers". Clark, Gary, VanNess, Slaton, Walker. Who else?
If Alexander had stayed healthy and played, we'd probably have been better on defense. We lost 4 games by a FG or less.
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 08:33 am
"Heading into week 18, the Green Bay Packers have pretty clearly defined what they are throughout this season: a team that will beat everyone below them and lose to the teams above them"
Since this is what most of the talk is around this team over the last couple of weeks, lets recap the 5 losses.
Philadelphia (week 1) -
First off this is week 1. You can't take much from this game as in its the first game of the year, also its being played in a country that has never been played in before. The game was being played on an ice rink as players were slipping non stop. Which really impacted Love on a number of throws. They lost by 5. Love got injured on the last drive of the game and Willis went in for a couple of plays. They were at Mid Field and attempting for a hail mary. Who knows if Love is in there if they get the play off but Willis had no chance.
Vikings (week 4) -
This was Loves first game back since injury. And it showed. He was clearly rusty. But that being said The first drive they drove down to the 19, and ended up missing a FG. Before GB got the ball back next they were down 14-0. The next drive he was intercepted and it is 21-0 when they get the ball back next. GB drives down to the 31 and Narveson missed another FG. So instead of 21-6, its 21-0. Then the next drive is the fluky play where Love was throwing it to Doubs but Musgrave jumped and tipped it, went through Doubs hands into the defenders. 2 plays later the Vikings are up 28-0.
The next drive GB drives to the 34. Its 4th and 10 at the 34 and rather then attempting another FG they go for it on 4th down. Don't convert.
Packers score right before half time to make it 28-7. On their 3 possession of the 3rd quarter they finally drive down to the 32, where they again didn't go for the FG but went for it on 4th down. Which is understandable being down by 3 TD's at the moment and their kicker had missed 2 kicks earlier in the game. The next drive they score. They get a turnover and score again to make it 28-22 with 10 minutes left in the 4th. Vikings kick a FG to go up by 9. GB then scores another TD to bring it within 2.
GB was 0-2 on FG's in this game. Had they made either one of them, I believe it changes the game. LaFleur likely attempts more FG's rather then choosing to go for it on 4th and longs.
Lions (week 9) -
Love was injured going into this game and clearly not himself.
GB had some missed opportunities in this game. Opening drive they get down to the 12 yard line and Love misses Brooks for a first down. Blame either player for the dropped pass, either way it was set up well. Should have been a first down at least. Instead its a FG.
Lions drive down to make it a 7-3 game. First quarter had 2 drives.
Packers next drive goes to the Lions 37 and they choose to punt. The next drive they get down to the 28 and McManus misses the FG. Lions go down and score a FG. Then Love threw the pick 6 on the awkward play. 17-3 Lions.
Opening drive of the 3rd quarter they called a holding penalty on Nixon that was a horrible call which extended their drive. They went down and scored a TD to go up 24-3
GB gets a FG. The next drive they get to the 9 and get stuffed on 4th down. The next drive they get at TD and 2 point. to make is 24-14.
Lions (week 14) -
This game basically was decided by the first 3 possessions. Punt, Punt, Fumble for the GB. It was 10-0 in the 2nd quarter when GB scored their first points to make it 10-7. Lions scored right before half to make it 17-7. GB got the ball to start the 3rd and went down to score to make it 17-14. Packers interception lead to a TD to make it 21-17 GB. Lions go down to score making it 24-21. GB goes down to score to make it 28-24. Lions go down to score to make it 31-28. This next drive the Packers get to the 6 yard line. They score the TD but is taken away by the BS penalty on Watson for offensive PI. Literally took 4 points off the board for the Packers. Instead they end up kicking the FG to make it 31-31. There was 4:38 left on the clock when Jacobs scored the TD. Lions drive down to kick the game Winning FG.
Vikings (week 17) -
This was another game of missed opportunities.
Jacobs fumbling on the opening drive to me felt like it changed the momentum of the game. Jacobs fumbled at the 41.
On their 4th drive they got to the 23. They opted to go for it and didn't convert. People were upset they didn't kick the FG. To me I was good going for it. The play was there. Reed has to catch the ball.
The next drive they had 3rd and 1, and Jacobs ran for a first down. They called the Packers with illegal formation and they didn't convert 3rd down.
Then the next drive is when the Vikings somehow get to retry the kick because they called offsides on GB. I have seen the screen shots, and the only player offsides is 76 of the Vikings. Horrible call that gave the Vikings 3 points before half time. Vikings get the ball to start the half and goes down and scores to make it 20-3.
On another drive, GB called Zach Tom for an illegal formation. This was after getting the first down. Instead they punt.
GB got the game to within 2 points and Akers caught a ball that was about 4" from hitting the ground.
The common theme in the Lions/Vikings games were that they got behind early in the games and had to play catch up. 2 of the 4 Love was hurt in. In 2 of the 4 games the refs played a major part in the scoring. In the last Lions game they took away 4 points on the OPI call on Watson. In the Vikings game they gave the Vikings an extra attempt at a FG on a call that should never have been made. That's 4 points in a game they lost by 3. And 3 points in a game they lost by 2. I always hear the excuse that you can't allow the game to be that close to allow Refs to screw it up for you. I get that argument, but regardless the refs can't do that crap. If I was a conspiracy theorist I'd question the league and wonder if the fix is in.
In the 2nd Vikings game they had 2 first downs taken away by penalty's and the Packers didn't convert the first downs. They had a TD taken away by a holding penalty that was a pancake block. Took about another minute off the clock in the 4th quarter. Those things add up in a game.
Bitternotsour
January 02, 2025 at 08:43 am
which is why... the season starts next week. all bets are off. playoffs attained, opportunity earned. people can focus as much as they'd like on the negatives if that brings them joy, but for me, it's a brand new year, filled with hope and optimism.
i hope LaFleur takes a page from McVay, Andy Reed, and Siriani and rests Love and Jacobs this week. It is literally a bye week for GB.
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 08:49 am
That is an interesting concept. They need to win if Washington loses to get the 6th seed. But do they try and rest some guys? And who gets rest.
I think they rest Watson to get him healthy for the playoffs. I think they maybe do take some plays off from Jacobs. I think we will see more of Brooks and Wilson.
But how about others. Who should they rest and who should they play? They only have 53 guys on the roster and not like you can rest everyone. Also you want to be feeling good about going into the playoffs with a win and playing well.
Bitternotsour
January 02, 2025 at 09:13 am
i don't give a rats ass about seeding. it's win or go home. can't beat the eagles? go home.
someone has to beat the eagles, might as well be Green Bay, whether week 1 or week 3.
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 09:27 am
I'm right there with you as far as seeding goes.
Does it matter if you play Eagles in the first week or 2nd week of the playoffs? Not really.
Coldworld
January 02, 2025 at 02:21 pm
The only real reason is the shock one. Since any single game can go drastically against expectations in terms of outcome or health, the longer you put off playing the Eagles means the greater opportunity for another team to just catch them out on the day or injury to deplete them. Many neutrals thought we did that to Dallas last year. It’s certainly happened many times over the years that the best team gets tripped up unexpectedly.
T7Steve
January 02, 2025 at 09:13 am
It also wouldn't hurt to work some kinks out and gain some confidence. Those pre-snap penalties and formation problems can be fixed and game snaps is the best way. If someone is on an injury report, that's another question and they can win without putting more miles on Jacobs, but the rest of the team needs to keep getting reps together and get in a flow including their QB.
Besides, when is it ok to let the Bears win, especially at home?
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 09:37 am
They can't let the Bears win. They need to go into the Playoffs feeling good about themselves.
I do think they need to find the balance of allowing some guys to rest and some guys to gain experience. Without compromising the game and them going into the playoffs feeling great about themselves.
Leatherhead
January 02, 2025 at 09:51 am
Beat the Bears badly . Treat this like a playoff game .
RC, I liked your recap of the 5 losses. People tend to make too much of the losses....in their opinion, the 5 losses are more indicative of what the team is than the 11 wins.
The object of the regular season is to qualify for the playoffs. We've done that. We're mostly healthy.
You know, in 2010 when we squeaked into the playoffs, I wasn't thinking Super Bowl. And I'm trying not to now, but I do know/believe that nobody has stopped us yet....we stop ourselves or we score. If our offense gets off the bus and does their thing, we've got a punchers chance.
Rest...no. Hopefully, we have the game in hand so we can take our players out of the game in the 4th quarter and let the fans give them a hand. It's our last home game until September.
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 11:08 am
Yeah i'm with you. Anytime you play the Bears you need to pound them. And all we keep hearing now is how the last game was a fluke because Brooks blocked the FG attempt. So kick them while they are down, gain confidence and go into the playoffs with a lot better mentality.
I am 100% in agreement with you that we have stopped ourselves more then anyone else has stopped us. While the first game of season counts that is always a crapshoot. No one ever knows what is going to happen. 2 of of the other losses were with Love being hurt. Also all the other injuries we had. This last game we were definitely missing Watson on offense. And we were down to our 3rd string S. It wasn't until Anderson went out that the Vikings finally started showing up offensively.
i agree with you LH.
MooPack
January 02, 2025 at 08:53 am
Grossi’s scriptwriter: “Now on to the Packers vs. ???”
(Looks over at Ref)
Ref: Flag!
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 08:57 am
Definitely felt that way after the Vikings game.
mrtundra
January 02, 2025 at 08:41 am
Veterans having to step up. It past time for the veterans to step up. Clark, Slayton, Gary and Wyatt have played less than stellar football, this year. There have been some bursts of positivity, but over all the DL has let us down, time and time again. Now throw in Jaire's injury and the news that he is done for the rest of the season. If there was ever a guy we needed healthy, it's Jaire. He brought a spark of confidence to the team, in big moments. Now he's gone and the only guy available that brings us any spark is Edgerrin Cooper. Once in a while Carrington Valentine does that, as well, but no one on the Defense does it more than Cooper. Without Jaire we need X to play a bigger role and we need Stokes to regain his first year form. Nixon has been our best CB, since Jaire has been out. The Packers need to find the players their best defensive spot and have them-play it. The shifting of a CB from outside to slot can mess up rhythm and timing and coverages. I do not see us going far in the playoffs, unless the veterans finally step up, we catch a few breaks and everyone figures out their positional responsibilities. If they don't do that, this will be a short run. Anything can happen though, once we get into the playoffs. This season is almost set up like the 2010-2011 season, where we won the Super Bowl. We need to get past the Bears, this week, who are hungry for a victory over Green Bay. Remember, we only beat them last time because we were lucky enough to block a game winning FG. If we would've lost that game, we'd be 0-5 in the NFC-North right now. We are now 1-5 in the North and 11-5 overall, despite losing to only three teams this year.
T7Steve
January 02, 2025 at 09:16 am
It's time to rest the youth thing when most of these youngsters have played in 25-30 games. This late in the season, they've all played enough to do their part.
Coldworld
January 02, 2025 at 02:33 pm
Agree wholeheartedly. We are young, but for the most part we aren’t rookies. For the most part they also haven’t been the problem either..
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 08:46 am
Around the NFC North
The CHICAGO BEARS -
Teams never learn. You hand the franchise to a rookie QB before they had a chance to set a foot on the field, usually doesn't end well.
The DETROIT LIONS
Lions would probably be the super bowl favorite if they didn't' have so many injuries on the defense. This team will go as far as Goff takes them. Playoffs are just different. They will soon find out if they can make the playoff run basically by pure offense.
The MINNESOTA VIKINGS
They are good. I will give them credit. Doesn't mean i like it and in fact I hate it because I hate the Vikings more then any other team in the league. The Vikings/Lions game will be fun to watch for sure.
That all being said, I still don't feel like the Vikings are the team. I have seen so many people talking about the Packers being frauds and who have they beat. The Vikings beat the Texans, but I was told that they aren't good so we count them as a good team (that is the excuse when I say GB beat Texans). They beat GB twice by 4 points combined. They lost to the Lions and Rams, both playoff teams. They beat the Falcons and the Seahawks. Both are teams likely not in the playoffs. Also when I said the Packers beat the Seahawks the week before, I was told they weren't a good team too. So who exactly have the Vikings beat? If people are saying GB are frauds, what does that say about the Vikings?
Coldworld
January 02, 2025 at 02:29 pm
I think Detroit starts with their OL and goes as far as that holds up. I think their Achilles heal will potentially be their pass rush against good OLs. The Vikings OL isn’t that good. I think they go as far as that lets them. Their D is better than Detroit’s now, but, as we showed late, not as good as it thinks it is. The Eagles OL is good and their run blocking matches as does their runner of course. They are going to be tough for any North team.
I continue to feel that, if our OL had held up better, the outcome would have been different last week. Not least because we could have sustained time of possession as well as scoring more.
TXCHEESE
January 02, 2025 at 08:49 am
Hafley needs to change things up. I think moving LVN inside on passing downs would help with the interior rush some and allow Cox or Enegbare more opportunities opposite Gary. LVN right now only has the bull rush in his arsenal, but he's extremely strong and won't be rode outside and past the QB rushing from the interior. In the past 2 to 3 years Clark has padded his sack stacks against beat up or 2nd and sometimes 3 team centers. Time for him to man up and beat the double team. Chris Jones w/KC does this multiple times every game.
RCPackerFan
January 02, 2025 at 08:51 am
"I think moving LVN inside on passing downs would help with the interior rush some and allow Cox or Enegbare more opportunities opposite Gary"
I really like this idea. Definitely get more speed on the field in pass rushing situations.
I'd like to see Gary, Cox on the ends, LVN and Brooks inside. It gives them the most speed.
MooPack
January 02, 2025 at 08:51 am
.
LambeauPlain
January 02, 2025 at 11:32 am
Packers will again be the youngest team in the Playoffs. Does it really matter?
Of the ten youngest teams, 8 will be in the playoffs. Of the ten oldest teams, only 4 will be in. The other 2 are smack dab in the middle of average age.
So age and level of experience does not seem to be much of a determinant. Organization, coaching, talent are more indicative...big shock.
However the difference between the Packers and second youngest team (Bucs) is the greatest spread between all 32 teams at 5 months (24.9 vs 25.4). The Packers have the most "Yoots" by a decent margin.
Oh, the oldest team in the playoffs is the Ugly Purple at 27 years, 1 month.
Leatherhead
January 02, 2025 at 01:55 pm
I'll say this about the NFC North: The Football Gods have a sense of humor.
Two of the standards for pathetic organizations have each arrived at a franchise best record of 14-2,and one of them is going to be a Wildcard. The Bears finished the previous season at 7-10, and had the overall #1 pick, and got worse. We were 9-8 last year , this year we should end up 12-5 with 4 of those losses coming by 3 points or less.