The Green Bay Packers were unable to finish off an improbable run to the postseason thanks to the Detroit Lions, who marched into Lambeau Field and stunned Aaron Rodgers and the Packers with a 20-16 victory in the season finale on Sunday night.
Matt LaFleur’s team finished 8-9 and in third place in the NFC North.
Here’s what went right, what went wrong, what it means and what’s next for the Packers:
What went right
– The Packers scored on three of their first four possessions and led at halftime.
– Christian Watson turned seven touches into 116 total yards, including 104 receiving yards.
– The Packers offense immediately responded to Jamaal Williams’ first touchdown run with a nine-play, 83-yard scoring drive in which Aaron Rodgers completed five passes for 75 yards, including a 45-yarder to Watson and a 13-yard score to Allen Lazard.
– Mason Crosby hit his first three field goals, including kicks from 49 yards and 48 yards.
What went wrong
– Four trips into Lions territory in the first half netted nine total points. The Packers settled for a field goal after a defensive pass interference penalty handed them the ball at the 5-yard line.
– The Packers turned the ball over twice. Aaron Jones’ fifth fumble of the year cost the Packers at least three points in the first half, and Aaron Rodgers’ interception after the Lions took the lead in the fourth quarter allowed Detroit an opportunity to kill the remainder of the clock.
– The Lions converted both fourth downs, including one on the go-ahead scoring drive and one to seal the victory.
– The Packers’ failed fourth down in the first half handed the Lions three easy points. It came on a jet sweep to Allen Lazard on 4th-and-1.
– Rasul Douglas’ personal foul penalty set up an easy Lions field goal before the half, and Quay Walker was ejected and penalized for contact with a team official in the fourth quarter.
– Rodgers took two sacks from Aidan Hutchinson on third down and was hit seven times total. He also took a hit on his fourth-quarter interception.
– Lions running backs Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift combined for 158 total yards and two touchdowns.
– Jones and A.J. Dillon rushed 21 times for only 81 yards. Dillon was targeted three times but didn’t have a catch.
– Jared Goff was sacked only once, and he completed 23 passes for 224 yards, including a 43-yarder in the third quarter that set up a touchdown.
– The Packers averaged 5.1 yards per play and scored just one touchdown against one of the statistically worst defenses in football.
– Mason Crosby missed a 53-yard field goal in the first half. It hit off the crossbar and fell short.
What it means
The Packers’ storybook run after starting 4-8 is officially over. Matt LaFleur’s team got four straight wins to get back into the hunt but couldn’t get the fifth to finish the deal, and now the Seattle Seahawks are headed to the NFC playoffs as the seventh seed instead of the Packers. After winning 13 games in three straight seasons to start the LaFleur era, the Packers limped through a truly disappointing season in 2022 and will now start the offseason early. Overall, an 8-9 record – which included a disastrous 1-7 stretch – in which Aaron Rodgers started all 17 games is hardly acceptable in a place nicknamed “Titletown.” The Packers had a chance to get to the dance by winning a game at Lambeau Field against a team with nothing to play for, but this team once again fell short.
What's next?
That question will define the offseason. First, the Packers have to wait for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision on his own football future. Does the 39-year-old want to play another season, or is this it? And if he wants to play in 2023, do the Packers want him or Jordan Love? All doors are open when it comes to Rodgers. And so many other decisions on personnel are tied to Rodgers being there or not. Do the Packers think they can run this back with Rodgers in 2023? Or is this a franchise ready and willing to enter a transition phase? Rodgers said he won’t hold the organization hostage, so expect a decision within the next month or two. Free agency and the new league year begin in March, and the 2023 NFL draft (the Packers now hold the 15th overall pick) is in April.
