The Green Bay Packers fell short of their goal to make it to and win the Super Bowl this season. At one point, early in the season, it looked like they were going to be a force in the NFC, sitting at 5-1-1 and in first place in their division. However, they went 4-6 the rest of the way, lost their last four regular season, and were eliminated by the Chicago Bears (who won the NFC North) in the Wild Card round.
There are, of course, many reasons why Green Bay fell short. The team itself will not use injuries as an excuse (nor should they), but it difficult not to imagine that they would have been more successful had they not lost stars like Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons to season-ending injuries.
Beyond the injuries, though, the Packers were plagued by late-game collapses and inconsistent play on special teams. Undoubtedly, these will be areas that the team addresses during this off-season.
2 NFL analysts predict the Green Bay Packers will lose Super Bowl LXI
Wm. Glasheen /USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
In a recent article published by ESPN, their analysts and insiders made their early predictions for Super Bowl LXI winners. Not one of them predicted the Packers to win it, but two of them had them making it and losing.
Dan Graziano wrote, “Chiefs over Packers. One down season and a torn ACL isn’t enough to scare me off quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid. Mahomes recovers, along with the Kansas City offense, and the Chiefs claim their third Super Bowl title in five seasons.”
Seth Walder wrote, “Chargers over Packers. Am I falling for the Chargers in the offseason, just like we all do every year? Sure. But this time will be different! The 2025 Chargers’ biggest weakness — the offensive line — already has a built-in solution with their two excellent tackles (Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater) returning to health. Add McDaniel as offensive coordinator and I find myself truly believing.”
As one can see, Graziano has Green Bay losing to Kansas City (who did not make the NFL Playoffs in 2025) while Walder has them losing to the Chargers.
Neither analyst explained why they thought Green Bay would make it out of the NFC.
On that note, there are many reasons why Packers fans should be optimistic about their team’s chances next season. First, the continuity of leadership ensures that everyone in the front office and coach staff are on the same page. While the decision to extend Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst was questionable to some, Green Bay clearly believes they have the leaders in place to take the next step.
Second, the team should be fully healthy next season. Injuries, of course, happen every year; but if they can keep their biggest stars (i.e. Jordan Love, Parsons, Kraft) healthy, they will be a much more consistent football team.
Finally, there is a great amount of parody in the NFL. Despite Kansas City making it to three Super Bowls in a row earlier this decade, the NFC is always up for grabs.
More Green Bay Packers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Packers legend Davante Adams draws candid admission from Rams’ Puka Nacua
- Packers’ Christian Watson triggers wild reactions after wordless post to PFF’s top-10 WR list
- Packers pass rusher Rashan Gary linked to NFC rival in 2026
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