There’s no time for wallowing as the Packers begin their playoff push.
Sunday was a frustrating day for the Green Bay Packers, to say the least. The same kinds of issues that have plagued this team all year were in play once again, as sloppy turnovers and poor execution hamstrung the offense, while another surprising and frustrating clock management issue left enough time for the Chicago Bears to get in a game-winning drive.
Up until week 18, the Packers had been able to overcome all of their mistakes against bad teams. On Sunday, however, those mistakes were big and numerous enough to send them into the loss column at a time when they would much rather be building momentum for a long playoff run.
The Packers remain a talented team — that is not in question. But they still need to execute at a grade-A level in order to beat great teams, and they finally proved that they can lose to bad ones if they play poorly enough.
Now there is no more margin for error. The Packers will face an excellent Eagles team next Sunday in the Wild Card playoffs, when they will look to mount a second straight 7-2 upset. They must put this result behind them, learn quickly from the mistakes that they made, and play a clean game on Sunday if they want to earn a third chance to face the Detroit Lions in the Divisional round.
Game notes: Packers know the stakes entering NFC playoffs | Packers.com
The game was ultimately meaningless after Washington’s win, but the team is disappointed in their poor performance even more than the final result. From Xavier McKinney: “Honestly, it don’t matter if we would’ve won or lost this game. We didn’t play good enough today.”
Jordan Love, Packers lose momentum heading into playoffs – ESPN
Last year, the Packers won two straight heading into the postseason. This year they are on a two-game losing streak, and it’s up to them to make Sunday’s game a rallying point rather than an omen of a disappointing early playoff exit.
Packers QB Jordan Love confident he’ll play vs. Eagles in NFC Wild Card Round | Packers Wire
At this point, it seems like Love shouldn’t have any issues this week and that he just hit his funny bone.
Packers’ ‘Frustrating’ Passing Offense Needs Improvement Before Playoffs | SI.com
In the last stretch of the regular season, the Green Bay Packers’ passing offense has gone stagnant. Somehow, they must figure it out before their playoff game at the Eagles.
Projecting each NFL playoff team’s odds to win Super Bowl, with wild-card matchup analysis – The Athletic ($)
The Packers have the 7th-best chance of winning the Super Bowl according to The Athletic’s model, but if they do beat the Eagles on Sunday, they’ll have a Divisional Round game in Detroit waiting for them.
A Guy In Cleveland Is Tired Of Cars Running Into His House All The Time – The Autopian
I probably would be too if I were in his position!