The Green Bay Packers have officially clinched a playoff spot.
Though their roster is looking a bit like Rocky trying to put away Apollo Creed.
Despite, injury, sloppy penalties, and Special Teams issues, the Packers have secured at least a wild-card berth after the Detroit Lions loss to the Minnesota Vikings. A great Christmas Day gift from the purple incarnate of Satan. Green Bay will now see the postseason regardless of the outcome of their remaining games. This marks the Packers’ sixth playoff appearance in seven seasons under head coach Matt LaFleur.
Green Bay Packers Battling Adversity
Getting to this point wasn’t easy for Green Bay, as the team has battled through significant injuries and adversity over the past few months. Just look at that collage, it’s hard to imagine that we are even discussing the playoffs with the number of key starters out this season.
An Old Issue Resurfaces
Green Bay’s special teams have again been a recurring sore spot this season. Directly costing the Packers points in several key moments.
Missed kicks have left points on the board, while breakdowns in punt and kickoff coverage have set opponents up with short fields or led to chunk returns that flipped momentum.
Penalties on returns and protection issues have also wiped out positive plays or extended opposing drives, forcing the offense to overcome avoidable deficits. While the Packers have managed to win in spite of those mistakes at times, special-teams lapses have repeatedly made games tighter than they needed to be.
While there are some that are calling for a change in coaching, it more seems to me an issue of execution vs coaching by Rich Bisaccia. If anything, watching McManus out there kicking injured while we have someone else on the roster that literally set a franchise record the week prior was poor game & player management by Matt LaFleur.
The kicking aspect seems to be back on track, but we all know that special teams play a week ago that cost the Packers the game. I will just say, that I respect how Romeo Doubs has owned that mistake.
“I just didn’t do the job right. I’ll take 100 percent of this game,” (Romeo Doubs), via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.
Green Bay Packers Penalty Problems Persist
The Packers’ discipline issues have been a costly theme this season, as a high number of penalties have repeatedly stalled drives and extended opponents’ possessions. Pre-snap errors, holding calls, and defensive penalties on third down have erased big plays for Green Bay while gifting first downs and field position to the other side. In several close losses, those mistakes turned manageable situations into long-yardage scenarios for the offense or keeping the defense on the field longer than necessary.
As a result, penalties have not just hurt momentum but have directly contributed to narrow defeats where cleaner execution could have changed the outcome.
A W is a W
Despite all the adversity above, this team has found ways to win all season. While I will admit I was definitely, in the moment, a person that wrote off the season as I watched Micah Parsons go down. However, that contest against the Bears reminded me that this defense was already looking good coming into the season. While Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs have not delivered as the CB tandem Gutey hoped for, the front line and linebacker squad have been ball-hawking all year.
On offense, there has been a struggle to find consistency, yet Jordan and the crew have found ways to still get those explosive plays downfield and keep themselves in the game.
If there’s anything certain about the 2025, it’s that NOTHING is certain, and it’s really been an “any given Sunday” type of league with upsets galore, and teams being pretty evenly matched throughout.
Green Bay Packers Road Ahead
The Packers are not only in the playoffs, but somehow their division title hopes are still alive.
Though the window is a tight squeeze….
To overtake the Chicago Bears atop the NFC North, Green Bay would likely need to win its final two games (against Baltimore and Minnesota) while Chicago loses both remaining contests (to San Francisco and Detroit).
Another nuanced path involves a scenario where the Packers sweep their last two games and the Bears finish with a record that ties Green Bay — in that case, division tiebreakers like conference and division records could swing the title to Green Bay.
A division crown would boost Green Bay into a top-three seed with a possible first-round bye, whereas a wild card finish would place them in the 5–7 seed range — still a favorable position for a playoff run.
The path ahead is difficult, and the roster is nearly at the brink of throwin some pads on the waterboy.
The good news is, once the playoffs start, the regular season gets tossed right out the window and everyone gets a clean slate.
Personally, I would love to see the Packers get the rubber match in the playoffs and knock the Bears out.
Week 17 Against Baltimore
Here’s the final injury report before the Packers take on the Ravens Saturday night.
Let’s be honest, at this point of the season, most teams are banged up and players are digging down to find that final gear for a deep run.
We will see how the squad does this week against a Ravens team battling their own QB injury issues. Should the Packers find a way to keep Derrick Henry in check, I think the green and gold walk away with a 24-14 victory Saturday.
Watch the Packers in person this season by getting your tickets from Ticket King. Click the image below and avoid using those national chains like Seat Geek and StubHub. Use a Wisconsin based business for all your Packers ticket needs!
The post Green Bay Packers Overcome Odds & Clinch Miracle Playoff Berth first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.