5 thoughts on the Packers after another year ends in heartbreak
A chaotic season for the Green Bay Packers has been put to rest in immensely disappointing fashion.
With only three more moves left to perform in their dazzling ‘last dance’, suddenly the music was turned down, the lights were switched off, and now nobody can see where the Packers are headed, not even themselves.
As we enter the darkened abyss known as the offseason, the next few months are arguably the most crucial of Brian Gutekunst’s career to this point. His actions from now until the end of April could very define the next five years or more at Lambeau Field.
I’ve got so many thoughts regarding yesterday’s events that I could keep you here for an hour, but for the sake of time, I’ll get through this as efficiently as possible.
1. Last night’s outcome was fully deserved
Right off the bat, we must come to terms with the fact that the Packers lost to a better team last night. The 49ers defense showed up against the elements with a terrific gameplan to neutralize Davante Adams.
Offensively, it was all about Deebo Samuel who left his body on the line to escape Green Bay with a victory, literally hopping off the field on one leg after picking up a crucial first down on third-and-7 to set up the 49ers’ game-winning field goal.
There are no excuses for Green Bay. No referees to blame, no hostile atmosphere to complain about, no sheer bad luck. In a way, I can make peace with that. Everything that happened to the Packers had been a long time coming. In particular, our good ol’ friends — special teams.
2. A fitting end for the most tragic special teams unit in NFL history
This was the ending Maurice Drayton’s special teams unit had manifested for themselves. Like it or not, this all boils down to Matt LaFleur’s decision to hire a ST coach from within the coaching staff that had already taken years off Packers fans’ lives in 2020.
The already abominable group somehow got even worse when it mattered most. A blocked field goal is excusable once in a while, but a blocked punt in quite literally the only occasion where you absolutely can’t afford to get a blocked punt, is what killed this team.
The lack of awareness from all 11 Packers as Corey Bojorquez’s punt flustered into the icy air, was indicative of just how poorly coached this unit really is. Nobody even knew the rules.
Lining up for the final play of the season with only 10 men on the field was the cherry on top of Maurice Drayton’s coaching career — which combust into flames on a primetime stage.
3. Lambeau Field isn’t some house of horrors
Two years in a row we’ve heard about how the NFC must come through Lambeau Field, and two years in a row the Packers have failed to live up to whatever magical mystique their Winter Wonderland supposedly holds. They’ve been nothing short of superb at home in regular season action — an unbelievable 22-2 in the LaFleur era — but even in the hypothetically perfect scenario of a blustery blizzard against a California team, the Packers came up short.
Some people have mentioned how a dome over Lambeau Field would’ve changed the outcome of this game. I guess you could argue that, but it’s never going to happen so I’m not going to entertain the idea.
4. David Bakhtiari’s ACL injury may have cost Packers not one, but two Super Bowls
ACL injuries can affect different players in different ways but how rare is it for a guy to miss two playoff cycles off of one single non-contact practice injury?
The Packers’ offensive line got completely obliterated in the second half of yesterday’s game. Dennis Kelly was no match for Nick Bosa. I felt the decision to play Kelly over Yosh Nijman to begin with was also pretty surprising.
I’m not sure how much one extra offensive line upgrade would’ve swung the pendulum in the Packers’ favor — in fact I think the absence of MVS made a bigger impact on the outcome of this game — but not having the guy who occupies an arm and a leg of your salary cap definitely makes a huge impact on roster quality overall.
5. An unceremonious goodbye for Aaron Rodgers?
I’m going to pump the breaks on whether I think Aaron Rodgers should or should not be traded. Truthfully because I don’t exactly know where I stand on that argument.
However if this is the end, what an anticlimactic way to end one’s career. Even if last year’s NFC Championship Game was his final game in Green Bay, we’d all remember his opportunity to scramble for the goal line on third down.
Is anyone going to remember his arm punt to a double-covered Davante Adams as the Packers offense haplessly morphed into their toxic hero-ball selves from the latter days of Mike McCarthy’s tenure? It’s just a pretty ‘meh’ way to go out.
If this is the end, I’ll reminisce fondly on the Rodgers-to-Adams years, but the caveat will always remain that when push came to shove, they simply didn’t have an answer.