For the second time in as many weeks, it feels like the Green Bay Packers have wasted multiple opportunities to close out a game. This is a team that should've been 4-0 at this point in the season, all things considered.
However, if there's any silver lining about this frustrating tie, it's that it wasn't a loss. As simple and self-explanatory as that may sound, it could actually end up helping Matt LaFleur's team down the stretch.
The Packers' Conference Record is Still Among the Best
The Packers are still undefeated against NFC competition. That could give them the upper hand in a tiebreaker scenario. If teams don't face each other head-to-head in the regular season, the win-loss-tie percentage in conference games is the second criterion to consider when deciding tie-breakers. So, while winning is obviously better than tying, avoiding the loss could help with their playoff seeding.
Of course, this team shouldn't be talking about morale victories at this point, and while they're technically still undefeated in AT&T Stadium, there was no reason not to win a game against an undermanned team with one of the worst defenses in the game.
It was the same story as last week when they played an elite defense and one of the worst offenses in the league. They just needed to hold onto a lead for a little longer, with the defense and special teams failing to close things out.
Special Teams Blunders Could Cost The Packers Down The Stretch
That's particularly the case with Rich Bisaccia's unit. They've been the weakest link on the team so far this season, and it's hard to justify retaining the special teams coordinator beyond this year if they don't clean their act up:
“You’ve got to go back and you’ve got to practice and you’ve got to do a better job,” LaFleur said after the tie, as quoted by Wendell Ferreira of A to Z Sports. “We’ve got to do a better job in practice. That’s disappointing, obviously, two weeks in a row where you have a kick blocked. So, I thought we did a lot of good things throughout the course of the week to try to correct the problem. Obviously, it wasn’t enough.”
Last week, a blocked field goal left the door wide open for the Cleveland Browns to storm right back and win. On Sunday night, they had a blocked extra-point attempt that gave the Cowboys two points that ultimately helped them secure a three-point lead at halftime. Those two points were crucial in a tied game, and they could have some major implications at the end of the season.
The Detroit Lions are now 3-1, and while the Packers hold the tie-breaker over them for now, they will meet again in the regular season. That leaves the door wide open for the Lions to take over the NFC North or even finish the season with the best record in the conference. That tie, and thus, those two points from the blocked PAT, could represent the difference between getting a first-round bye or playing on the road to begin the playoffs.
Hopefully, Matt LaFleur and Packers fans won't have to look back on this missed opportunity when it's time for playoff seeding.