Packers playing to win vs Bears

Packers Possible Playoff Path Could Look Like 2010

Playing the last game of the season at home against the Chicago Bears, followed by a wild-card matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles. If that sounds familiar for the Green Bay Packers, then just look no further than the end of the 2010 season. For the 2024 Packers, the possible path to a 5th Lombardi Trophy has some very eerie similarities to the path of the team that won the 4th trophy. There’s a realistic chance the Packers will keep the 7th seed and get into the NFC playoffs as the last seeded team, just like being the 6th seed in 2010. Next, there could be a home win over the Bears in the final week of the season. The stakes are much different this year, than 14 years ago, when it was win or go home in Week 17. The Packers defeated the Bears 10-3 in a slug-fest that was a preview of the NFC Championship game just a few weeks later.

The second part to Deja Vu from 2010 is going to Lincoln Financial Field and taking on a favored Philadelphia Eagles team in the Wild Card round. The 2010 contest was also a rematch from Week 1 of that year, when the Packers won 27-20 in Philadelphia. However this season, the Eagles got the Week 1 victory. A rematch this year would at least be played on a more even playing surface than the one both teams endured in Sao Paulo, Brazil in early September.

The third, fourth and fifth wins to end the 2010 season were against the 1 seeded Atlanta Falcons, the divisional rival Chicago Bears and an AFC titan in the Pittsburgh Steelers that was going for its 3rd Super Bowl title in six seasons. The possible route this time around could be: 1 seed Vikings or Lions, at a division rival in the NFC Championship game (Vikings or Lions) and another AFC titan in the Super Bowl (Kansas City Chiefs). The 2010 team also ended the season in a similar fashion the last six regular-season games. The Packers lost to the two top seeds: Week 12 to the Falcons, Week 15 to the Patriots and sandwiched in there was a loss at Ford Field to the Lions. In the last six weeks this season, the Packers have two losses, but they are both 14-win teams; the Lions and Vikings. If the Packers are to get to New Orleans this season, they could very well need a revenge tour like they went through in 2010.

A win over the Bears could be a springboard to a possible another special run as a wild card for this year’s Packers.

The Impact of Packers Running More and Passing Less

Entering the 2024 season, many expected the Green Bay Packers offense to be spearheaded by a dominant pass attack led by Jordan Love and a plethora of young pass catchers. What resulted instead has been a style of offense that the Packers haven't seen in over twenty years, in what seems like an effort from Matt LaFleur to be ahead of the curve in a shift from NFL offenses to more run-dominant schemes. But even so, there continue to be self-inflicted wounds, and with only one week left in the regular season, it doesn't appear the Packers offense has really clicked in totality.

That said, this season, the Packers have still produced a better offensive EPA (Expected Points Added) per play than their illustrious 2010 Super Bowl-winning offense, signaling that even without fully clicking, this team has no ceiling for how far it can go should everything come together.

The growing narrative is that the Packers need a "go-to receiver" or a "true number one receiver," when in fact, they just need to get back to basics with their passing attack that worked so well last season. Instead, there have been continued disappearing acts among the bunch due to a reeled-in passing attack, and when they are finally called on to make a play, there's clearly been a disconnect from the talent and confidence to make the play.

But there's a reason this group was considered one of the best in football entering this season despite not having a "true number one." It's a model that has worked for the Packers in the past, with Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, and James Jones all having rookie contracts leading up to a 2010 Super Bowl victory. No "true number one" gaudy stats, as Jennings led the team with only 76 catches. Like the current bunch, just a well-rounded group that compliments each other well and is extremely difficult to match up with if the offense is more pass-heavy than they have been in 2024.

Let's Talk Football with Paul Bretl: Too Disjointed

CHTV co-founder Aaron Nagler chats with Paul Bretl, Packers beat writer for ESPN LaCrosse, about Green Bay's disappointing 27-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Jaire Alexander undergoes season-ending surgery

Green Bay Packers star cornerback Jaire Alexander underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday to alleviate pain and swelling in his injured knee. Aaron chats with Packers fans about the news and all the latest on the Green and Gold.

Packers Vs. Vikings - 3 Plays That Make You Go Hmmm

Watching Edgerrin Cooper play makes us wistfully lament those years in the 2010's where the Packers just refused to use a Day 1 or 2 pick on an inside linebacker. Instead, we were asked to be content with the likes of Brad Jones, Paul Ryan, Blake Martinez, etc. (sorry to those guys).

Seeing a #56 flash across my screen pollutes the mind into thinking we are looking at a young Lawrence Taylor. Now, slow down, we’re not predicting that Cooper even approaches the greatness of LT, but damn watching Cooper feels like watching LT explode to the ball carrier. It's unlikely he would ever reach the pass rushing heights to approach Taylor, but whatever level he eventually reaches, it's sure going to be fun watching Cooper play for the Packers for years to come.

Check out video of the play and two others that make you go hmmmm…

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Are Drop Spells a Rite of Passage for Young Packers WRs?

Think back to the last decade of Packers Wide Receivers, and it's a pretty good roster of names. Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb are easily the top three, and hopefully, some of the receivers today can eventually reach their level. But one thing just about all of the receivers of the last decade have struggled with at the start of their careers was drops. Nothing is more frustrating for a Quarterback than to see his receiver wide open, sail a perfect pass right to their hands, only for them to drop it. It is likely to anger and frustrate a veteran QB causing them to prefer not to throw that receiver the ball afterward. For some young QBs, it can be very deflating leading to feelings of hopelessness that things won't get better no matter how much work they put in. Both types of QBs will long for improvement from the receiver or it could end that receiver's time on their team quickly.

After having a promising rookie season, Davante Adams hit a sophomore slump. He was dropping passes left and right leading some more negative fans to nickname him "DropVante." And as crazy as it sounds today, those fans were demanding his release in favor of fellow 2014 receiver draft pick, Jeff Janis. Randall Cobb had a rough second season in 2012 with drops leading the team with 10 and that habit carried over a little bit into early 2013 as well. Believe it or not, Jordy Nelson had some drop issues as well early in his career. Even though Nelson had an outstanding 140-yard receiving game in Super Bowl XLV, he had three drops that could've made that game even better.

We all know what happened with those three receivers moving forward. Davante Adams ended up arguably the best Packers receiver since Sterling Sharpe. Randall Cobb went on to be one of the best play-making receivers from the slot in Packer's history with a knack for game-winning catches vs the Bears. And Jordy Nelson went on to be easily the most reliable target in recent memory catching nearly every ball that came his way impressively. Needless to say, despite these drop spells early in their careers, they still went on to become some of the best pass-catchers in team history.

Something to remember while you’re watching some of the Packers current wide receivers struggle with drops.

Packers reportedly headed to Ireland in 2025

Aaron chats with Packers fans worldwide about all things Green and Gold including the report that the Packers will be facing off against the Steelers in Ireland during the NFL's 2025 regular season.

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