The storybook run didn’t have a storybook ending.
The Green Bay Packers lost 20-16 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night at Lambeau Field, snapping a four-game win streak and leaving Matt LaFleur’s team one victory short of turning a 4-8 start into a playoff appearance.
The Packers needed a win to clinch the seventh seed in the NFC. Instead, the Lions – who were eliminated earlier on Sunday – pulled off the upset and eliminated their NFC North rivals.
Instead of finishing 9-8 and going to San Francisco to play the 49ers, the Packers will end 8-9 and at home for the postseason.
The Seattle Seahawks will advance to the NFC playoffs as the seventh seed.
Former Packers running back Jamaal Williams scored a pair of touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 5:55 left in the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers tossed an interception on the ensuing possession, and the Lions killed the rest of the clock with an eight-play, 38-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion.
The Packers had two turnovers, including a fumble by Aaron Jones that took likely points off the board. Mason Crosby also missed a 53-yard field goal off the crossbar.
The Lions finished at 9-8, meaning the Packers ended up No. 3 in the NFC North in 2022. LaFleur’s team will pick No. 15 overall in the first round of the 2023 draft. But before the draft, a big decision: Will Aaron Rodgers return to Green Bay for another season?
