The Green Bay Packers didn’t do themselves any favors the way they ended the season, losing three of their last five and costing themselves a chance at the 5- or 6-seed. Now, dealing with the brutal loss of WR Christian Watson to a knee injury in Week 18, and hoping that QB Jordan Love will be unhindered by elbow discomfort after hurting his throwing arm in that same game, the team prepares for an unfavorable first round matchup as the 7th seed against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Their 24-22 loss to Chicago on Sunday gave them a 1-5 record in the NFC North, a deflating way to conclude the regular season slate. The Bears were also the only division rival they beat all year.
With Packers stock at its lowest in weeks, the Wild Card game will feature a rematch from Week 1, when Philadelphia triumphed 34-29 in Brazil.
Green Bay is currently a 4-point underdog, +175 on the moneyline. Updates on Love and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts should mold the line throughout the week. Even if the Packers pull off the upset, it will be rough sledding from there.
Are they up for it? They’ll have to reverse their fortunes. The Packers are 0-5 this season against their most likely playoff opponents.
An Unenviable Path For the Green Bay Packers
Phrased another way, those teams are the only ones Green Bay hasn’t beaten in the regular season–not exactly a rosy outlook. Revenge against the Eagles would guarantee a Division Round date with the apparently indestructible Detroit Lions. Such is life for a 7th-seed.
The conference title game, if they make it that far, is open to several possible outcomes.
Green Bay has fallen to Detroit this season 24-14 and 34-31. Both times, the line closed at three or less. Both times, it felt like Love and LaFleur let one slip away, failing to capitalize on the Lions’ uneven play.
It has been a painfully consistent theme. On the biggest stage, against their biggest rivals, the team has underachieved.
Honestly, though, surviving the first round would be a better finish to 2024-25 than felt conceivable in the aftermath of Love’s and Watson’s injuries, when it seemed quite possible that Green Bay would have to trot out Malik Willis for the playoffs. Thankfully, coach Matt LaFleur said post-game that he anticipates no issue starting Love.
Will Packers and Jordan Love Get a Chance at Redemption for Week 15 Letdown?
Let’s play the part of optimists. Naive idealists, even. Let’s say the Packers turn the tables on all that narrative noise, coming up huge under the brightest lights of the season, and take down the Lions, too.
At this point, the NFL world would be dealing with a different beast, a squad vested with confidence and the ability to execute. For the NFC championship, though, they would still have to beat the Rams, Commanders, Buccaneers or Vikings. Of these possibilities, Minnesota is the likeliest.
Small favorites to defeat the Rams, if they make the next round they would presumably be favored again by a few points over either Washington or Tampa Bay, barring catastrophic injury. Getting owned by Sam Darnold in Week 15, who threw for 377 yards and three TDs, still stings.
Indeed the 27-25 final score was closer than the reality of the game. Trailing 27-10, Green Bay got two touchdowns late when victory was basically out of reach.
Only three of Green Bay’s 11 wins came against opponents that finished with a winning record. Packers faithful know, they really want to believe, that this is a good team. And true, four of their five L’s to Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota amounted to a combined margin of 12 points.
But the fact of the matter is that they haven’t proven anything. Losing Watson for the season–and maybe part of next year, too–hurts, but LaFleur has plenty of other options to scheme around, including sophomore standout Jayden Reed at receiver, and a bulldozer back in Josh Jacobs.
The defense received some positive news as well regarding linebacker Quay Walker, who missed the Packers’ last three games.
With fans already grumbling about LaFleur’s future in Green Bay, the team–fair or not–will need to perform above expectations to make sure he stays off the hot seat. While that doesn’t mean Super Bowl or bust in 2024-25, it starts with a convincing output, win or lose, Sunday in Philadelphia.
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