Tough Decisions Ahead For Packers

Why Major Firings Aren't Warranted This Offseason

Are injuries a lame excuse? Maybe.

Are they the reason the Packers are losing? Absolutely.

No team gets down to it's third quarterback, loses their two best offensive linemen, key offensive playmakers, multiple critical defenders, and Micah Freaking Parsons, and just keeps on winning. We don't care if you have Vince Lombardi coaching with Bill Belichick running the defense, that is insurmountable in today's game.

The fact that Packers played as well as they did given the circumstances is proof that they have good coaches. They got bullied by Derrick Henry in a must-win game for the Ravens. They might end the season on a sour note loss to the Vikings. They might even go one and done in the playoffs.

But that's not enough to fire Matt LaFleur or Jeff Hafley. They made all the chicken salad they could and you won't find many coaches who could do better given the magnitude and impact of the players they lost to injury.

And Brian Gutekunst? He's the guy who assembled all that talent. He's not flawless, but he brought in Jordan Love, Malik Willis, Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft, Zach Tom, Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Edgerrin Cooper, Devonte Wyatt, Micah Parsons - he might have built the most talented roster in the NFL.

The last phase of the Packers season sucks. The season most likely won't end well. But, given the circumstances leading to that end, it doesn't mean Matt LaFleur, Jeff Hafley, or Brian Gutekunst deserve to get fired.

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Let's Talk Football: Very Few Bright Spots

CHTV co-founder Aaron Nagler welcomes in Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day podcast to break down Green Bay’s embarrassing loss to the Baltimore Ravens. (With apologies for Andy's wifi)

Packers’ Defense Talked The Talk, But Isn't Walking The Walk

"Give our team adversity, and watch what happens."

Jeff Hafley's emphatic assertion on December 17 came off as bold but inspiring. The Packers had just lost Micah Parsons, the heart and soul of their defense, to a torn ACL. Vibes at the time were wavering, and there was a lot of trepidation surrounding the defense. Hafley helped stabilize the mood, at least for the moment. "We're all upset about Micah. I get it. I would be upset about any of our players, and I understand the magnitude we're talking about," Hafley said frankly. "At the same time, this is a confidence defense. This group will not waver at all."

It's Hafley's job as a coach to be confident in his players. He was never going to walk up to the podium and express negativity or worry over the situation. But looking back on his statements two weeks later, he sounds more foolish than confident. "We’ve got really good players. We’ve played good defense, and we’re going to continue to play good defense," Hafley added. "They’re going to play well...We’re going to play hard, and we’re going to coach hard, and we’re going to do everything we can to win...This is press on full speed ahead, and we’re ready to go.”

Now two weeks later, it's fair to say that Hafley's words haven't aged particularly well. This defensive group has wavered immensely, and it's hard to see any scenario where this group can get back on track. No one can consistently rush the passer. The run defense is getting steamrolled. It's beaten, battered, and broken. Hafley said to watch what happens when the Packers' defense faces some adversity. Spoiler: it's ugly.

Packers Trending Wrong Direction in Season Finales

There was a time where one of the biggest locks of the season for the Green Bay Packers was winning in its final game of the season.

From 1994 to 2001 the Packers were 8-0 in Week 17 games. After losing the finale to the New York Jets in 2002, the Packers won the final game of the regular season from 2003 to 2014, which is another 12 in a row.

From 1994 to 2014, the Packers used the momentum in their end-of-season wins to advance to seven NFC Championship games (1995-97, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2016) and three Super Bowls.

The last few years of the Mike McCarthy era were not the best at the end of the year. Green Bay lost the NFC North title game matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 of 2015 and then lost to the Lions in both 2017 and 2018 after being eliminated from playoff contention. The lone win in the last four seasons under McCarthy was winning in Detroit, which clinched the NFC North championship. Since becoming the head coach in 2019, Matt LaFleur initially had success with wins over the Lions in 2019 and Bears in 2020 in Week 17 games.

However, since the league went to 17 games and the finale has been played in Week 18, the Packers are just 1-3. The losses were to the Lions in both 2021 and 2022 and the Bears in 2024.

Gutekunst Missed On His Offseason Gambles

Packers fans have been in a bit of a funk since Saturday. For us, it’s not even that the Packers lost the game to Baltimore. Would it have been great to steal the NFC North back from the Bears? You bet. Most likely having the opportunity to get some playoff revenge makes that sting a bit less though. It was ultimately a pretty meaningless game, and losing means that the Packers have the chance to give some of their guys a much needed week off against the Vikings.

No, what stunk about that game, and since then, is the dawning realization that the Packers let another weakness go unaddressed for the entire year. Maybe unaddressed is the wrong phrase. That would imply that he and his staff ignored these problems. That usually isn’t the case with these problem areas on the roster. Maybe the word I’m looking for here is gambled.

The Packers gambled on problem areas in the roster, and were wrong.

That feels better, right? While I do think Brian Gutekunst is a good GM, I do think this is a flaw of his. Last year, it was the cornerbacks, the pass rush, and (to an extent) the wide receivers. This year it’s the offensive line, the defensive tackles, and the cornerbacks (again).

We want to go over these areas specifically where the gamble failed.

Matt LaFleur Faces Tough Choices Ahead of the Packers Trip to Minnesota

The Green Bay Packers will finish the 2025 NFL regular season this weekend in Minnesota. The game will have no impact on the Packers place in the standings or who their playoff opponent will be. But the outcome of the game could still make a difference in other ways for the Packers as they head into the playoffs. That gives head coach Matt LaFleur some tough decisions to make before this weekend’s game.

There are no more dominant teams in the modern NFL. The Super Bowl winner is now usually the team that gets hot at the right time which is usually at the end of December and into January. Well, the Packers are doing the exact opposite of that. The team has now lost three straight games, all in demoralizing fashion. The Packers held a two-score lead in the second half against both Denver and Chicago only to watch those leads slip away. Then, the Ravens just dominated the line of scrimmage and ran right over the Packers at Lambeau Field last Saturday.

If LaFleur starts 3rd string quarterback Clayton Tune on Sunday and rests many key players, the Packers will likely lose to the Vikings and enter the playoffs on a four-game losing streak. If he plays them all, he risks injuries and could make some of the injured players worse. And if he plays his starters and they lose, that could be an even bigger blow for this team’s already fragile confidence.

Ultimately, the injured players should be rested to prevent further injuries and to give the Packers the best chance to play well when it matters in the playoffs. But these decisions are not easy, and they are made even more complicated by the fact that LaFleur may not have job security under new team president Ed Policy if the Packers are embarrassed in the playoffs. LaFleur has some tough decisions to make, and they may be decided on a player-by-player basis.

Carry The G Radio - 12/29/25

Aaron Nagler, Bill Schmid, and Armen Saryan look back at the Packers loss against the Ravens and look ahead to Week 18 and beyond!

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Self inflicted wounds hurt Packers offense

While Malik Willis was fighting to keep the Packers in the game, his teammates were busy letting him down with concentration errors which never allowed them to make a real attempt at a comeback. Even on the opening touchdown drive, Green Bay committed back to back penalties after Willis’ 40-yard throw to Romeo Doubs, setting up a 1st and 20 which Willis overcame by finding Christian Watson on another deep pass for a touchdown.

After picking up eight yards on their first play of the next drive, the Packers failed to gain two yards on three attempts. That disastrous sequence included two bad snaps by Sean Rhyan, derailing a QB sneak on 3rd and 1 and disrupting the timing of a shotgun run (sigh) on 4th and inches. Rhyan then snapped the ball into the facemask of Willis on the next drive, while the quarterback was walking towards the line of scrimmage and trying to change the play. It led to a turnover and more points for the Ravens.

This felt like arguably the first game all year where the Packers could not argue they were the better team in a loss, and the unforced errors on offense were not the reason for the defeat, but they continue to be a problem.

Check out four more takeaways from the loss to the Ravens.

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