By the end of the game, the Green Bay Packers had lost their top two remaining wide receivers, a couple of offensive linemen, and a starting defensive tackle.
The bigger issue, however, was that their once-promising season was already over before they lost those five players.
In a game that mirrored many of the losses the seventh-seeded Packers suffered during the regular season against the NFC’s top teams, their struggling offense and some poor special teams play caused them to lose again in Sunday’s 22-10 wild-card defeat to the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Even though they won two more games this year compared to last season, the feeling after Sunday’s loss was much more discouraging than the previous year. In 2024, the Packers only won nine regular-season games but ended the season strong, winning six of their last eight games to make the playoffs before losing in the final minute of the divisional round.
“I think it’s tough to say right now after a loss,” said Packers quarterback Jordan Love when asked about the difference between this season and last season. “I don’t know if I’d say it’s pointing down.”
The Packers were down 10-0 to the Eagles in the third quarter when wide receiver Romeo Doubs suffered a concussion. Doubs had fallen hard in the end zone after a potential touchdown pass was broken up and didn’t return after being diagnosed with his second concussion of the season. The Packers ended that drive with a field goal, their first points of the game, with 5:46 left in the third quarter.
By then, they were already without left guard Elgton Jenkins, who had suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter. The Packers tried two replacements: rookie Travis Glover, who was pulled after committing three penalties, and Kadeem Telfort, who finished the game but also added a holding penalty.
In total, the Packers were penalized for five holding calls, tying their most in a game since Matt LaFleur became head coach in 2019.
The Packers were down 16-3 when wide receiver Jayden Reed left in the third quarter due to a shoulder injury and didn’t return. After the game, Reed confirmed that he had dislocated his shoulder. With Christian Watson already out with a torn ACL the previous week, Love was left without his top three receivers by the end of the game.
The Packers also lost center Josh Myers in the fourth quarter due to what appeared to be a serious knee injury. However, Myers later said it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, although he couldn’t return to the game. He mentioned that the injury might be a hairline fracture in his lower leg. Myers also revealed that he played the second half of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
“So frustrating, man,” said Myers, who will become a free agent this offseason. “It’s such a long year, there’s so much that goes into it that it’s just incredibly disappointing.”
“Just felt like we didn’t have any rhythm, felt like we were just shooting ourselves in the foot. We were getting penalties, we were turning the ball over. All the stuff you can’t do against a team like that, you can’t do.”
On defense, the Packers lost lineman Devonte Wyatt, one of their top run stoppers, due to a lower leg injury in the first quarter. Despite solid defensive play, they couldn’t generate turnovers and allowed Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to rush for 119 yards on 25 carries.
Love’s second season as the starter ended with a poor performance. He tied a career-high with three interceptions and became the first Packers quarterback to throw three interceptions without a touchdown in a playoff game.
When asked if he made progress this season, which began after signing a four-year, $220 million contract extension, Love said, “That’s a good question.”
“I think there’s obviously areas that I improved on, that the team improved on,” he added. “And there’s some stuff I want to clean up, be better at, for sure.”
This marked the end of a season in which the Packers won 11 games but went 0-6 against the NFC’s top three teams: the Eagles, Lions, and Vikings, losing twice to each.
“All those games, we were right there,” said Packers running back Josh Jacobs, who had 121 total yards and a touchdown. “My biggest message this offseason — from the coaches to the players — is how do we take that step? We figure out how to take that step, ain’t nobody gonna be able to f— with us in this league.”
In many of those games, the Packers were hurt by slow starts, just like the one they had against the Eagles. They finished with four turnovers, starting with a fumble by Keisean Nixon on the opening kickoff.
“I think that’s going to be a great reflection point this offseason because obviously, if we had the answers, it wouldn’t have been a problem,” said LaFleur, whose playoff record dropped to 3-5. “And for it to come up multiple times is disappointing.”
