Bring On The Bears

It's Not Over For The Packers

"Why are we doing this if it doesn't hurt?"

When Matt LaFleur spoke with the media after Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos, he did so with a somber yet resilient tone. But to answer LaFleur's question, it does hurt. It hurt yesterday, it hurts today, and it'll hurt for the foreseeable future. And unfortunately, the hurt that happened in Denver goes far beyond the box score. The Green Bay Packers not only lost a game that they were once leading by nine points, but they also lost several key players to different injuries, including star pass rusher Micah Parsons.

There was a time on Sunday when everything for the Packers was looking excellent. The Packers had a 23-14 lead, possession of the football, and a chance to increase their lead to 31-14. At the same time, the Rams and the Lions were in a heated battle. A Packers win and a Lions loss would've given the Packers sole possession of the #1 seed in the NFC playoff picture and a clear path to a division title. The Packers would've had a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and then the rest of the playoffs would’ve had to go through Green Bay. But in less than 15 minutes, everything unraveled.

The Packers are now clinging to the #7 seed in the playoffs and have fallen behind Chicago in the NFC North. The playoffs, in general, are far from guaranteed. The outlook for the rest of the season is looking bleak, but it's not over. "It is what it is. Everybody faces adversity, everybody faces injuries, everybody has challenges," LaFleur stated. "That's out of your control. It's all about how you respond to it."

That's what the Packers will now have to do. They'll need to adjust to life without Micah Parsons. The offense without Zach Tom or Christian Watson will need to get creative with its game planning. The defense will need to find ways to overcome the loss of two key pieces. It won't be easy, but it's necessary, and there is still a lot of football left to be played.

The Packers still have control over their own destiny. A win on Saturday will put them right back at the top of the NFC North. Matt LaFleur tends to do his best work when his back is up against the wall, and now he has a chance to prove that again. Not to mention, a team with Jordan Love should never be counted out. Buckle up. It's going to be a wild ride these next three weeks. It might be bumpy, but it's not over yet.

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Beat The Bears - Packer Transplants Live 316

Welcome back to Packer Transplants Live with Aaron Nagler in New York and Corey Behnke across the street from Lambeau Field, bringing you everything you need to know as the Packers get ready for another showdown with the Chicago Bears

How Important is Division Championship for Packers in Playoffs?

A second showdown with the rival Chicago Bears in three weeks sets up the Green Bay Packers for a possible make-or-break game on Saturday evening.

Win the game, and the Packers put themselves into a division-leading position, which could be vital for any realistic chances of making both the NFC Championship and Super Bowl.

Lose the game, and it’s likely the Packers are in the same position they have been the previous two years with Jordan Love as their starting quarterback, battling for the #6 or #7 seed on the final weeks of the regular season and going on the road the entire postseason.

Since this resurgence of Green Bay Packers football that began in the early 1990’s the Packers have played in 16 wild card games. And even with a division championship, it is highly they would play in the wild card round as either a #2 or #3 seed. The Packers have a 6-3 record in the nine home games starting with the 1994 Wild Card win over the Detroit Lions. The most recent home wild card game was a 38-13 win over the New York Giants in the 2016 playoffs.

Under Mike Holmgren, Mike Sherman and Mike McCarthy, the Packers played seven home wild card games after winning either the NFC Central or NFC North divisions. The last division champion team that played in the wild card round was that 2016 team that eventually made the NFC Championship game before losing on the road to the Atlanta Falcons.

Green Bay has played seven road wild card games in that same time span, which was started with a 28-24 win over the Lions in the 1993 playoffs. They are 4-3 in those seven games. The last two years, the Packers under Jordan Love have split their two wild card games; beating the Cowboys 48-32 two years ago, and losing to the Eagles 22-10 last year. With a 9-4-1 record, the Packers could still finish with an impressive 12-4-1 record by winning the last three games of the season. That would put them into a prime position to be the NFC’s #2 seed.

Van Ness and Sorrell Could Be Late Season Heroes

Ever have one of those days where you wish you would suddenly wake up and find out that the day you thought you had was all a dream? Well, that's how Green Bay Packers fans felt on Sunday evening. After Micah Parsons went down with what ended up being a torn ACL, fans either wanted that or someone to hit the reset button on the game console. What was a promising season with possible Super Bowl aspirations just took a huge blow.

There is no replacing a player like Micah Parsons. He led the team with 12.5 sacks and demanded the offense's undivided attention any time he was on the field, or he would wreak havoc on the quarterback. There is zero doubt that the Packers' pass rush was improved in 2025 because of Micah Parsons. But now number 1 isn't on the field until hopefully early next season. So, what now?

An easy option to turn to is Rashan Gary. Gary is next in line after Micah Parsons with 7.5 sacks. But Gary hasn't registered a sack since week 8 in Pittsburgh and has only four QB hits. With Parsons gone, he's now likely to command the most attention amongst Packers' pass rushers. JJ Enagbare is expected to see a workload increase without Parsons on the field, but Enagbare has not had a very fruitful season thus far, despite lining up for almost 40% of the Packers' defensive snaps in 14 games. The Packers need some life from two pass rushers who have a lot of talent, but haven't seen the field a lot this season.

Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell have kind of been the forgotten pass rushers this season, and that could change starting on Saturday.

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What's The New Plan? Same As The Old Plan.

As Green Bay turns its eyes back towards the present, it would be easy to find the team struggling to find answers to finish out the season. They could find themselves a rudderless, sinking ship in the storm of the NFC playoff race. But that won’t be the case, or at least it shouldn’t be the case. Why? Because they spent all offseason working on a plan for this exact scenario, back when they didn’t have Micah Parsons in the first place.

The new plan is the old plan.

We have examples of how exactly the Packers have prepared for this eventuality in all of these areas. The secondary, in particular, might be made up of some of the most versatile pieces in the league.

We’ll find out a lot about this team on Saturday against the Bears, including some whatever fun schematic wrinkles that MLF and Jeff Hafley can throw at their oldest rivals, to prevent them from taking the NFC North crown for themselves.

No Excuses, Next Man Up - Let's Talk Football

A nightmare afternoon in Denver leaves the Packers with a loss and a growing “butcher’s bill” of injuries — and the fallout could reshape everything moving forward. Aaron Nagler is joined by Andy Herman (Pack-A-Day Podcast) to break down the biggest turning points from Broncos vs. Packers. Then it’s on to Packers vs. Bears in Chicago — prime time, maximum stakes, and a chance to flip the story.

The Packers Need More From Their Cornerbacks

Part of the appeal of a player like Parsons is that he forces opposing QBs to get the ball out quick, allowing his cornerbacks to squat on shorter routes and be aggressive. They will not have that benefit for the rest of the season, and Sunday gave an alarming glimpse into what it looks like when Green Bay’s corners get put on islands. Both Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine had days to forget, with Courtland Sutton giving Nixon plenty of problems, and the rest of Denver’s unheralded receivers also finding plenty of success. Hafley will need to switch gears and give his corners more protection moving forward.

Check out four more takeaways from the game against the Broncos.

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Carry The G Radio with Aaron Nagler & Bill Schmid - 12/16/2025

Carry The G Radio is back as Aaron and Bill break down a frustrating loss in Denver and look ahead to a massive Saturday night showdown with the Chicago Bears. The guys turn the page to Bears Week, discussing the stakes, the matchups that will decide the game, and what the Packers must clean up to bounce back in prime time.

Packers-Bears Cheesehead TV Nation Preview

Aaron Nagler and Andy Herman preview the Green Bay Packers Week 16 showdown with the Chicago Bears for our Die Hard members…

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