I cannot emphasize enough how much it hurts to write this review not even 24 hours removed from the loss to the Detroit Lions. But the thing is we weren’t even supposed to be in this position to begin with. This team fought its way to the win and in game. As painful as last night was, this fourth quarter of the Packers season was nothing short of a miracle and as such we will have several good things to discuss.
The Good
Where to start in the good? The Packers won four straight games, including three games following the bye week. This included beating the Dolphins and our division winning Minnesota Vikings. We also saw the emergence of Kesian Nixon as an elite kick returner, with game changing returns in both the Vikings and Dolphins games. In addition, Christian Watson continued his breakout at WR, leaving the Packers in a much better position at WR going into the offseason. And finally, the Packers will have the 15h overall pick in the NFL draft, a great spot to be in to add an impact player to the team.
The Bad
Easily the worst part of this quarter of the season was the loss to the Detroit Lions. Getting stopped from making the playoffs entirely hurts all Packers fans, especially to a team we have typically handled very well. Also in the bad category, all of the questions surrounding Aaron Rodgers going into the offseason. It is going to be an ultra long offseason of speculation. Also, Joe Barry. The defense performed alright down the stretch, but still did not match up to where they should have been. And with Barry set to return next season, the Packers misery will most likely continue.
The Grade: A-
Yeah the Packers got eliminated from playoff contention in a win and in game. But they won several games in a row against good opponents, and set themselves up for a win and in scenario. The team fought hard down the stretch, but only fell short due to coaching deficiencies and offensive deficiencies. As such I give this team an A- in the fourth quarter of the season as everything minus the season finale was the best outcome the Packers could have asked for.
