The Green Bay Packers missed opportunities, turned the ball over and couldn’t get big stops late in a season-ending loss to the Detroit Lions that served as a perfectly symbolic defeat on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
The 20-16 loss to the Lions kept the Packers out of the postseason, and Sunday night served as a disappointing end to a mostly disappointing season.
In the first half, the Packers turned four trips into Lions territory into just nine points and zero touchdowns, and a turnover took points off the board.
In the second half, the Packers couldn’t get off the field in big spots and Aaron Rodgers threw a back-breaking interception.
In between, Rasul Douglas and Quay Walker committed terrible penalties that directly led to 10 points for the Lions.
After falling behind 20-16, Rodgers threw an interception under pressure and then Joe Barry’s defense couldn’t get off the field on a late fourth down.
Matt LaFleur’s team started the season 3-1, suffered through a 1-7 stretch and then had a chance to make the playoffs with a win over the Lions, but the Packers on Sunday night looked more like the team that slogged through the highly disappointing midseason portion of the schedule.
Despite an encouraging finish, an 8-9 record feels right for this team. The Packers weren’t consistent on offense or defense and never became a situationally strong football team, and the future Hall of Fame quarterback wasn’t always capable of the magic required to cover up the mistakes.
Rodgers, now 39 years old, had a passer rating of 91.5 during the first 16 games and produced a passer rating of 83.1 on Sunday night.
Instead of making the postseason for the fourth straight season and preparing to go to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round, the Packers will be at home starting what could be a tumultuous offseason. The future of Rodgers and many others is uncertain, and the Packers could be entering a transition phase for the franchise.
The 2022 season in Green Bay will always be defined by disappointment. Even when the tide turned, the Packers couldn’t turn it all the way around and finish the run to the postseason at home in the regular season finale. Where does this team go from here?
