Packers fans, I believe that was the most Packers way to end the season. After going on a 4-0 win streak with a playoff appearance on the line, the Packers returned to their primitive, losing instincts to fall to 8-9 against the Detroit Lions last week. With fans, including myself, ecstatic with a potential playoff trip, the Green Bay Packers crushed the souls of many fans; it’s quite embarrassing to see the lack of energy and discipline from the Packers prevent them from reaching the playoffs. 

Before analyzing the gloom and loom that surrounds the Packers future, let’s examine what went wrong from Green Bay in a playoff-clinching matchup: 

• Nine points were scored overall in the first half on four excursions into Lions territory. After being given the ball at the 5-yard line by a defensive pass interference penalty, the Packers decided to settle for a field goal.
• The Packers lost possession of the ball twice. The Packers lost at least three points in the first half due to Aaron Jones’ sixth turnover of the season, and Detroit had a chance to run out the remaining time in the fourth quarter after the Lions had taken the lead due to Aaron Rodgers’ interception.
• The Lions successfully completed both fourth downs, one of which came on the winning drive.
• The Lions scored three scores with ease in the first half after the Packers failed on a fourth down. On 4th-and-1, it was delivered on a jet sweep to Allen Lazard.
• Quay Walker was dismissed from the game and given a penalty for making contact with a team official during the first half after Rasul Douglas’ personal foul penalty set up an easy Lions field goal. This was the second time being ejected from a game due to unnecessary aggression towards medical personal. 
• Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift combined for 158 total yards and two touchdowns as running backs for the Lions.
• Jones and A.J. Dillon only gained 81 yards on 21 rushes. Three different times, Dillon was the target, but no catch was made.
• Jared Goff completed 23 throws for 224 yards and only had one sack. One of those completions, a 43-yarder in the third quarter, helped set up a touchdown.
• The Packers only managed one touchdown against one of football’s statistically weakest defenses, averaging only 5.1 yards per play.

After a 4-8 start, the Packers’ epic run is now gone. The Packers had three seasons in a row of winning 13 games to start the LaFleur era, but they struggled mightily in 2022 and will now enter the offseason early. Winnable at Lambeau Field, the Packers had a chance to advance to the dance only to send their playoff hopes away. With many impending free agents in Green Bay, the team’s future is bleak.