Packers lacking the momentum they carried into the playoffs last season

 

[January 07, 2025]  By STEVE MEGARGEE

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay knows it can pull a road playoff upset as a No. 7 seed because that’s exactly what the Packers did in Dallas last season.

What this team lacks is the momentum that carried the Packers into the postseason a year ago.

Rather than entering the playoffs on a three-game winning streak as they did last season, the Packers (11-6) head into the playoffs having dropped two straight.

“I’m not worried,” left guard Elgton Jenkins said after the Packers lost 24-22 to the Chicago Bears in their regular-season finale. “I know what kind of team we’ve got. We’ve just got to be better on all cylinders.”

They’ll need to be much better Sunday as they head to Philadelphia (14-3) for a rematch with the NFC East champion Eagles, who beat them 34-29 in Brazil on the season’s opening week.

There’s plenty of reason for concern.

Over the past week, they’ve placed their top cornerback ( Jaire Alexander ) on injured reserve and have lost wide receiver ( Christian Watson ) to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Quarterback Jordan Love left the Bears game and said afterward he’d lost feeling in his throwing hand, though he expects to be fine this weekend.

Now they face a Philadelphia team that has won 12 of its past 13 games. The Eagles have the NFL’s second-ranked scoring defense and have allowed just 17.8 points per game.

“It’s going to be very important for us, for our offense to be efficient, stay ahead of the sticks,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “They’ve got superstars on every level of the defense, so we’re going to have to make sure that we’re doing a good job of taking what’s there and churning out and fighting for every inch on the field on Sunday.”

Ending the regular season with a last-second loss to the Bears was discouraging because it snapped Green Bay’s 11-game winning streak in that rivalry.

“Losing to those guys right before the playoffs, it’s a kick in the gut,” right guard Sean Rhyan said. “We’ve got to flush it and start a new season. That’s all we can do.”

What’s working
Although Josh Jacobs got just six carries as he tuned up for the playoffs, the Packers still rushed for 183 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per attempt. Their average of 146.8 yards rushing per game is their highest since 2003 (159.9).

What needs work
The sloppiness from their 27-25 loss at Minnesota a week earlier carried over to their regular-season finale. … The Packers allowed a 94-yard touchdown on Josh Blackwell's punt return because they got fooled when DJ Moore acted as though he was catching the punt instead. … Green Bay scored a touchdown on just one of its three trips to the red zone. … The Packers mismanaged the clock by calling a timeout before Brandon McManus’ 55-yard field goal in the final minute, giving the Bears enough time to drive down the field and kick the winning field goal on the game’s last play.

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) falls forward in front of Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) and safety Javon Bullard (20) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

The Packers have allowed three sacks in each of their past two games. They had given up a total of one sack in their previous four games. … Green Bay sacked Caleb Williams just once, on the Bears’ first play from scrimmage. Williams was sacked 68 times this season, matching the third-highest total in NFL history.

Stock up
McManus made all three of his field-goal attempts and improved to 20 of 21 this season. … Jacobs has a touchdown run in eight straight games to break a 64-year-old franchise record. Paul Hornung had run for a touchdown in seven consecutive games in 1960. The only other Packer to score a touchdown in eight straight games was Davante Adams in 2020. Jacobs’ 1,329 yards rushing this season are the most by a Packer since Ahman Green ran for a team-record 1,883 in 2003. … Malik Heath had three catches for 53 yards — including a leaping 41-yarder on a third-and-21 play to set up a fourth-quarter touchdown. He entered the game with just seven catches for 44 yards all season. … CB Carrington Valentine has one forced fumble and two interceptions over his past four games.

Stock down
DL Kingsley Enagbare was penalized for a horse-collar tackle to give the Bears 15 extra yards on their game-winning drive. … WR Jayden Reed lost a fumble in Packers territory to set up a Bears touchdown.

Injuries
Along with the injuries previously mentioned, LB Quay Walker (ankle) and S Evan Williams (quadriceps) have missed three straight games. WR Romeo Doubs missed Sunday’s game with an illness, but he’s expected to be fine for the playoffs.

Key number
1-5 — The Packers went 1-5 against NFC North opponents for their worst divisional record since 2005, when they also were 1-5 against the NFC North while going 4-12 overall. Before this season, the Packers had gone 22-8 in NFC North games in LaFleur’s tenure.

Next steps
As the NFC’s No. 7 seed, the Packers know they’ll be on the road for their entire playoff run, however long it lasts.

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