9 Big Things from the Green Bay Packers 2021 Season
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers can’t get out of their own way in the playoffs
Losing in the playoffs happens, the level of competition, as well as the intensity, is kicked up several notches. But when it comes to the Green Bay Packers the last three seasons, they also seem to go out of their way to help their opponents.
In the 2019 NFC Championship Game, the Packers simply no-showed, trailing 34 to 7 heading into the fourth quarter. San Francisco averaged nearly 7.0 yards per rush and the Green Bay offense could barely move the ball.
In 2020, the Packers fell behind to Tampa but were able to fight their way back. However, in the end, there were too many miscues and missed opportunities to overcome. There was the missed interception by Will Redmond, the big touchdown before halftime given up, the fumble by Aaron Jones, and when the defense did force a few turnovers, the Green Bay offense was unable to capitalize.
This year, the special teams blunders led to the Packers’ playoff demise, but the offense deserves blame as well, particularly Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur. Rodgers began holding on to the football and passing up easy completions, while LaFleur’s play-calling turned quite bland.
Now, perhaps if Green Bay executes better in these games they still lose–it is the playoffs, after all. But in the postseason when mistakes and weaknesses are magnified and more difficult to overcome, the Packers seem to make more of them.
As good as they have been in the regular season, this is a team that moving forward that has to prove themselves in the playoffs because right now, they are just a regular-season team.