Packers limping into the playoffs

Loss to Bears doesn’t instill confidence

The Packers 11-game winning streak against the Bears came to an end Sunday at Lambeau Field as the Green and Gold lost to Chicago 24-22 in the final week of the regular season. QB Jordan Love was injured in the second quarter and did not return finishing 7/12 for 69 YDS. LB Edgerrin Cooper once again lead the team in tackles with 7, but the game was marred with mistakes and questionable coaching decisions.

In case you missed what was the by far the weirdest game of the year, be sure to check out our game recap.

Gut Reactions: Packers finally lose to the Bears

CHTV co-founder Aaron Nagler chats with Packers fans worldwide after Green Bay falls to the Chicago Bears for the first time in 12 games.

Bears 24, Packers 22: Game Balls / Lame Calls

In a regular season filled with ups and downs, the Packers saved the lowest for last. With superior playoff seeding on the line, at home and against the Bears — losers of 10 straight and a million in a row to Green Bay — the Packers pooped the bed in every phase, gift-wrapping a 24-22 victory to Chicago and losing Jordan Love and Christian Watson in the process.

Officially now the 7th seed in the NFC, it’s hard to view this team as a serious playoff contender after this performance. Green Bay lost five of their six NFC North contests, the exception being a lucky, last-second win against the Bears in week 10. The Packers must now go to Philadelphia with little to suggest they can win against a team that has developed into one of the NFL’s elites since beating Green Bay in Week 1. Should they somehow get past the Eagles, the Packers would be headed to Detroit, who thrashed Minnesota on Sunday and will be rested after their first-round bye.

Does Sunday’s loss matter, given that Washington eked out a win over Dallas and secured the 6th seed anyway? It does if you care how the team is playing, how prepared they are and how healthy they are. Injuries are out of the team’s control, but the Bears were who we thought they were, and playing down to their level with so much at stake was inexcusable. Matt LaFleur has had a solid track record of bringing the team back strong after a sub-par performance, but his team has now laid down two of those in a row.

Check out this week’s Game Balls and Lame Calls.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: Bears vs Packers

Aaron Nagler hands out the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Green Bay Packers 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears.

There's No Stopping This Packers Offense

The Packers elevated LB Michael Barrett and Safety Omar Brown from the practice squad. The team earlier placed CB Jaire Alexander on Injured Reserve. LB Quay Walker, Safeties Evan Williams and Zayne Anderson, DE Brenton Cox, WR Romeo Doubs, and OT Andre Dillard were inactive. Michael Barrett did not play.

Check out yesterday’s Packers Snap Counts.

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The Lass Word: Hard To Find Optimism

It was a strange early window of games in the NFL Sunday.  The Packers, Commanders and Buccaneers all went into their games with either playoff contention or seeding to play for.  All three were playing teams that were out of the playoffs.  All three struggled mightily and were trailing their games at halftime.  The Commanders and Bucs mustered enough poise and skill to find a way to win their games.  Only Green Bay could not.   In Washington, just as in Green Bay, the Commanders lost their quarterback early, but the back-up, Marcus Mariota, led the comeback over the determined Dallas Cowboys.   

That outcome made Green Bay’s game irrelevant in terms of the standings, but not in terms of momentum.  Once one gets over the disgust and anger of blowing a game to your arch rival on your home field, it’s possible to take a step back and acknowledge a sobering reality.  This game only mattered if the Packers were playing well.  It would make a significant difference for a competitive Green Bay team as to whether they started the playoffs in Philadelphia, Los Angeles or Tampa.  But considering the decline in Green Bay's overall play, the outcome against the Bears was meaningless, because where the Packers begin the post season now seems meaningless. Only the most optimistic of Packer fans can feel good about the green and gold’s fate next week, regardless of who they play. 

It’s almost impossible to play badly enough to lose to these Bears.  No matter how many mistakes you make, they will give the game back to you.  You just have to accept the gift.  It doesn’t take much, but on this cold day at Lambeau, the Packers couldn’t find enough plays to beat a team that was determined to lose…

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