Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
It's getting too late for the Packers to deny what they have been the entire season after another loss to the Vikings
The fight for the fifth seed is over for the Green Bay Packers. And the chance to prove themselves against a top NFC team is, too. The Packers lost to the Minnesota Vikings once again, falling to 11-5 in the season — and a concerning 1-4 record in the NFC North, with four losses to the Vikings and the Detroit Lions.
They had the mental toughness to make it a close game late, 27-25, but it wasn't enough to overcome so many mistakes earlier.
The reality might be tough to swallow, but in Week 17, it is what it is. The Packers are 11-0 against teams with a worse record, and 0-5 against team with a better record. The Packers can't punch above their weight class, or at least haven't, which will be necessary if they want to make a deep playoff run.
Offensive mistakes
It’s Week 17. This late in the season, you are what you are, and no projections are needed even if you are a young team. The Packers are a good, competitive team. But when it’s time for big games, they make too many dumb mistakes.
The best three teams in the NFC are the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers went 0-5 against them in the regular season, and a big part of that was because they shot themselves in the foot multiple times in every game.
That wasn’t different on Sunday at US Bank Stadium. The offense had a rough performance, and the lack of explosive plays made it look more pronounced.
The Packers were having a solid first drive, until Josh Jacobs fumbled it. The following drive, they went full passing offense trying to compensate for that, but they had three incompletions, including a turnover-worthy play from Jordan Love on third down. In the second quarter, Jayden Reed dropped a huge 4th & 2 on Vikings’ territory, and Dontayvion Wicks had an illegal formation penalty on 3rd & 1, killing a two-minute drive and allowing the Vikings to have an extra drive before halftime, in which they scored a field goal.
In the second half, the Packers offense had a penalty for 12 men on the field, keeping the sequence of inexplicable mistakes that wouldn’t happen against bad teams, but happen again and again against great ones.
Overall, the offense was completely dominated by Brian Flores' defense. It wasn't Jordan Love's worst game because he hadn't those bad mistakes, but it was shockingly unproductive.
The Packers did get a few productive drives late in the game, scoring 15 points in a matter of minutes to make the game closer. Too little, too late.
Tough circumstances for the defense
Jaire Alexander was out, Evan Williams was out. Early in the first quarter, starting safety Zayne Anderson suffered a concussion and was ruled out as well. At that point, it became extremely difficult for the secondary to operate at a high level against a great group of offensive skill players for the Vikings.
Javon Bullard was moved from the slot to deep safety, and he struggled in coverage — like he has all season. Entering into the game, he had allowed a 109.8 passer rating when targeted. It didn’t get much better than that, and he was targeted by the Vikings all day, including a touchdown from Sam Darnold to Jordan Addison in the first drive of the second half, putting the Vikings 17 points ahead.
Upfront, the Packers started fast and had some flashes, but they didn’t generate pressure with any kind of consistency, making it even harder for the secondary to hold on.
The much-needed big play came in the second drive of the second half, with Carrington Valentine intercepting Sam Darnold. That turnover led to the Packers’ first touchdown of the day.
But that seemed like an isolated positive on a day full of negatives. On the following drive, the Vikings easily marched down the field to score again. And when the Vikings' offense needed it, they got two first downs to kill the clock and ice the game.
Big question
The Packers can’t be better than the sixth seed in the NFC now, so they will have a tough question to answer for Week 18. They will have to root for at least one Washington Commanders’ loss and beat the Chicago Bears to keep the sixth seed, however, or for two Commanders’ losses if they lose next week.
But Matt LaFleur will have to evaluate if worrying about seeding is more important for resting their players and getting healthier for the wild card round. Maybe, the Packers could sit their starters against the Bears in Week 18 to have them ready for the playoffs. On the other hand, LaFleur doesn’t have a great track record coming off bye weeks, so it might make sense just to treat it on a week-by-week basis and fight for the sixth seed. It would certainly be much easier to play against the Los Angeles Rams than versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
