Reaction to Another Playoff Disappointment for the Green Bay Packers

The 2021 Green Bay Packers were supposed to be the one to get the job done. They were supposed to dominate throughout the entire playoffs, supposed to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and supposed to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Titletown—until they didn’t

I, like all Packer fans, watched in dismay as Robbie Gould’s 45-yard field goal sent the Green and Gold to an early vacation. It made me wonder how did this game go so wrong for the Pack?

The little problems and miscues that caused some difficulties throughout the regular season ultimately led to the demise of the Green Bay Packers.

The absolute disaster on special teams that resulted in a blocked field goal, and gifted the 49ers a touchdown, was the culmination of ignoring the unit’s struggles all year. Problems arose on special teams all throughout the season, but no significant changes were made.

The personnel nor the coaches leading the special teams made any major adjustments. This allowed small problems to fester and transform into the worst unit in the league. Going into every game it felt as if a special teams disaster was imminent.

However, while the Green Bay special teams unit had many faults in the game, I still attribute most of the blame to the offense and Aaron Rodgers. I have always been a huge Rodgers fan, and after what is likely his second consecutive MVP season, I thought this had to be the year he keeps the hot streak going into the playoffs, the year he cements himself as one of the greats. Yet, as if it has become an annual tradition, the Green Bay Packers underperformed when it counted most.

As bad as the special teams unit was, the offense was the biggest letdown of the night. After moving down the field and scoring with ease on the first drive, they could not find their groove again. It felt as if all receivers not named Davante Adams did not exist. After making a killing in the regular season off distributing the ball to different guys, the Packer offense resorted to looking at Adams too much on every snap. This is in no way a knock on Adams, he is the best receiver in the league, but with all eyes on him, it is almost impossible for him to ever break free.

This point is perfectly illustrated in this tweet.

Watch Allen Lazard, number 13—he is about as open as anyone can be in the NFL playoffs and on a crucial 3rd down late in the game too. Rodgers has to get him the ball there.

I know this is just one example, but the game film is littered with them. Rodgers got eyes for Adams, and Adams only, which led to taking sacks, forcing throws, and ultimately an early exit from the playoffs.

Again, this is not meant as a dig on Rodgers, just a state of disappointment that he and the rest of the offense could not get the job done—there’s plenty of other blame to go around as well.

As we move on to next year, there are plenty of questions to be answered for the Green Bay Packers’ front office. Will the team look similar and “run it back” to try and get over the Super Bowl hump? Or will they enter the Jordan Love era with a new core of players?

Let me know what you think in the comments.