The Green Bay Packers have officially hit rock bottom, and after Saturday’s loss, it’s become extremely difficult to find anything good to say.
As the team looks ahead to the wildcard round, let’s recap their latest matchup.
Million Dollar Man
Similarly to last week, the only bright spot for the Packers against Baltimore was quarterback Malik Willis.
Playing through an illness and a shoulder injury that he sustained in the final minutes of the fourth quarter against the Bears, Willis put together his best performance as a pro at Lambeau, truly personifying what it means to “carry the G.”
The former Liberty standout was locked in from his first snap, and that poise resulted in a stat line that will no doubt earn him the opportunity to compete for a starting job elsewhere next season.
On Saturday, Willis went 18/21 for 288 yards, throwing for one touchdown while adding another two scores on the ground, and if not for re-aggregating his injury in the fourth quarter, he likely would’ve had a chance at an impressive comeback win.
For most of the other teams in the NFC’s playoff field, production of this caliber from a backup would be more than enough to win a game, but with the Packers’ recent tailspin, it still wasn’t enough.
Green Bay became the first team in the Super Bowl era to lose three games in a season in which they didn’t punt, and if that’s not an indictment of the Packers’ up and down defense, I’m not sure what is.
Going Off The Rails
When the Green Bay Packers lost Micah Parsons just over three weeks ago, everyone knew the defense would suffer.
What’s resulted, however, has been an absolute nightmare, and if this team is going to do anything in the playoffs, that unit will have to wake up.
Some stretches of play have certainly been better than others, but the product that took the field in the Packers’ loss to the Ravens on Saturday was downright embarrassing.
Despite an entire week to game plan for a Lamar Jackson-less team, Green Bay was seemingly stunned by running back Derrick Henry’s volume, and drive in and drive out, they had no answer.
Malik Willis and the Packers’ offense fought valiantly to keep up, especially in the second half, but hill was too steep to climb.
Henry rushed for 216 yards on 36 carries while adding four scores, becoming just the fourth rusher to ever eclipse 200 yards at Lambeau Field.
The defense looked like a group that was content with their already punched playoff ticket, and thanks to them, the Bears were able to clinch the NFC North.
If Green Bay had won, they would’ve had another chance at the division next week, thanks to Chicago’s loss at San Francisco.
Instead, they’ll lick their wounds and stagger into the playoffs on what could easily become a four game losing streak.
That, along with the continued barrage of injuries, could kill any confidence that the Packers might’ve had left.
Into the Postseason
The Green Bay Packers have one regular season game remaining before their trip to the playoffs, but with nothing to play for in week eighteen against the Vikings, it seems likely that the starters will rest.
With the seventh seed locked in, Green Bay will await Sunday’s results to figure out who they’ll play in the wildcard round, and the pool of challengers is down to two.
The Chicago Bears at Solider, or the Philadelphia Eagles at the Linc.
The Packers have already played both this season, splitting with the Bears and losing to the Eagles.
Both losses were winnable games, and regardless of the opponent, there will be demons to overcome.
As of now, the scenarios are as follows: If the Eagles win and Bears lose, the Green Bay will be packing its bags for Philadelphia.
Any other result, and it’ll be a third shot at the Bears in six weeks.
Until then, the Green Bay Packers can only hope to stay healthy.
The post Rock Bottom: Packers Claim 7th Seed in Flailing Loss to Ravens first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.