The Green Bay Packers season is officially over after losing to the Detroit Lions, 20 to 16. If the Packers had won this game, they would have made it into the playoffs and would be playing the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. Green Bay had a real shot to win against the Lions, but played much too inconsistent, which seems to be the theme this year.
Coming into this game, both teams were playing very well. The Lions had won seven of their last nine games, while the Packers had won their last four games. It really seemed like Green Bay was going to find a way to get in. They had just killed the Minnesota Vikings the week before and it almost seemed like it was destiny for the Packers to get into the playoffs. The Seattle Seahawks had won just before this game kicked off and it officially eliminated the Lions, but that didn’t stop them from playing hard. Green Bay was able to move the ball until they got into the redzone. They fell apart and had to settle for too many field goals. The defense did everything they could to keep Green Bay in this game, but it wasn’t enough. A very rough year for Green Bay comes to an end and a lot of questions now need to be answered going into this offseason.
Just like the past few offseasons, Green Bay can’t really do anything until Aaron Rodgers decides if he wants to play or not. Every Packer fan has an opinion on if they want Rodgers to come back or not. Some people still want the future hall of fame quarterback, while others want to give Jordan Love a shot. The Packers front office has already said they want Rodgers back in 2023 and will give him all the time to make his decision. No matter what he does, he is going to really hurt Green Bay’s cap space. The next two years, the Packers will take a hit from Rodgers contract and will have to get creative with how they are going to manage everything. If Rodgers does retire, the Packers will have to find a way to surround Love and give him a chance to show what he can do. If Rodgers decides to come back, the Packers will need to figure out how to make this roster better and find a way to become a contender once again.
This season had a lot of ups and downs. It looked like the season was going to be done early and the Packers were going to have a top ten pick. They then found a way to turn it around and win four games in a row to give them a chance to make the playoffs in the final week. It was a very frustrating year for Packer fans and ended with a very disappointing loss. Once again, this offseason it will be very interesting with questions that need to be answered.
