Anyone hoping to see Malik Willis take on the Chicago Bears in Week 18 (read: me) got their wish in the most Monkey Paw way possible.
Willis played most of the game, but it wasn’t because he was the starter.
After losing to the Minnesota Vikings in a game that featured the classic blunders, Matt LaFleur wanted to use the regular-season finale to get some momentum for the Green Bay Packers starters.
The Packers got momentum — in the wrong way. Jordan Love got the start but exited the game in the second quarter after hitting his elbow. Christian Watson returned from injury in relief of the ill Romeo Doubs but suffered a season-ending non-contact injury.
Two of Green Bay’s best offense players were injured in a relatively meaningless game, and the Packers didn’t even win! The Bears got their first victory over Green Bay since 2018 and the first since LaFleur took control of the team.
Ultimately, not a great day for the Super Bowl-hopeful Packers, who enter the postseason having lost their last two games. The 2024 Packers are better than the 2023 squad, which also entered the playoffs as the NFC’s seventh seed. However, the current group isn’t riding the same momentum wave.
What lesson can LaFleur’s team learn from Sunday’s poor attempt, and how can they pivot with a look to the postseason?
There’s rarely a correct answer to whether or not to play starters in the final game of the season when nothing is on the line. The Packers had a chance to earn the sixth seed, but that depended on getting help from former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. The Dallas Cowboys predictably could not defeat the Commanders, so Green Bay was destined to head to Philadelphia regardless of whether they beat Chicago.
I advocated for a week of rest and reflection, focusing on tangible efforts toward fixing the offense for a trip to Philly. LaFleur disagreed, and he knows a lot better than I do. He wanted a mistake-free game to get his team well-oiled and ready for tougher opponents in the coming weeks.
It made sense. Last season, the Packers finished the regular season white-hot. Despite their 9-7 record, nobody wanted to face them. They carried that heat into Texas, upsetting the Dallas Cowboys and outplaying the San Francisco 49ers for most of the game the following week.
This season is a different story. LaFleur’s team had a tough outing against Minnesota, and they needed to get right but stumbled even more against Chicago.
The same issues plaguing Green Bay’s offense all season manifested one more time. Receivers dropped catchable balls, and Love didn’t see the field well. Penalties killed promising drives, and their passing game was a non-factor even before Love was injured.
There was a lack of execution, and LaFleur didn’t do his team any favors.
LaFleur won his first challenge of the year on a play that he shouldn’t have had to challenge in the first place. Otherwise, the coaching wasn’t great. LaFleur went for a fourth-and-3 with a painfully obvious jet sweep that went nowhere. Playing the starters wasn’t the right move considering the injuries, though LaFleur showed some nice things with Willis when the time came.
Worst of all, LaFleur probably cost the Packers the game by calling a timeout before Brandon McManus‘s lead-taking field goal. LaFleur could have let time burn before kicking the field goal. However, he second-guessed the distance and whether or not to go for it instead. That eventually left the Bears enough time to march down the field and kick a game-winning field goal.
“If I would’ve had no thought about him kicking that, I wouldn’t have called the timeout,” Matt LaFleur said after the game. “But, obviously, I was a little hesitant there, and that’s where I’ve got to be better, more on the same page with exactly where we were, because then I don’t think the result is what it is right now.”
LaFleur took accountability for the sloppy game, as he always does. He’s still one of the best head coaches in this league, but it’s fair to say he’s displayed some questionable in-game decision-making this season.
Still, the Packers must have a short memory heading for a postseason trip to Philadelphia. They narrowly lost to the Eagles in Week 1, where many of these offensive woes first appeared. They must play a clean game to start carving a postseason path to New Orleans.
If the team learns the right lessons, this humbling defeat could elevate them. They won’t be coming into the playoffs cocky after their first loss to Chicago since 2018. A 1-5 divisional record isn’t flattering. However, perhaps the team needs that chip on their shoulder to play more focused, fundamentally sound football.
Despite their problems, this team finished the regular season as one of the best in the league. The frustration stems from knowing they haven’t played their best football in the games that mattered. Week 18’s gamble means the Packers don’t have the desired momentum heading toward Philly. But with their back to the wall, they can hopefully use this loss as a wake-up call.
