Recap of the Packers’ season and a look ahead to 2025
I would like to start out by congratulating the Philadelphia Eagles on their Super Bowl victory. I know it’s hard to do, especially considering the fact that the Packers lost to them, but it was getting old seeing the Kansas City Chiefs win it, and by losing, that prevented them from winning 3 straight championships, something only the Packers accomplished and they did it twice.
Speaking of the Packers, they had their moments in the 2024-25 season, Jordan Love’s 2nd year as the main guy behind center. Here is a short list of their best wins and worst losses of the year.
Win of the Year:
There were a few dominant performances. Home wins over the 49ers and Saints come to mind, but the Packers were facing them without their main starting quarterbacks, so I decided to omit them from the top of the list. Rather, I went with their home win vs the Houston Texans. Houston ended up in the playoffs as a division winner, but the Packers got the victory on a game-winning field goal by Brandon McManus, who was making his Packer debut after frustrating performances by their two most recent kickers. We just wanted stability at the kicker position and the winning kick made many Packer fans breathe more easily.
Honorable Mention:
This one featured another kick, but this time, it was blocked. Yes, the Packers’ victory over the Bears at Soldier Field, their 11th in a row over their bitter rivals, made my list. Karl Brooks got just enough of the football to deflect it away and give the Packers a thrilling victory at Soldier Field once again.
Worst Loss of the Year:
Instead of one game, I decided to mix these two together. It’s both losses to the Eagles. The first loss happened in Brazil on a Friday night. The Packers fought hard but came up short in the end. Worse than that, Love got injured late in the game. That forced him to miss the next two games and perhaps that contributed to an inconsistent season for him. Love was coming off another injury when the Packers faced the Eagles in Philadelphia for their playoff game, and Love had a subpar showing, as did the rest of the offense.
(Dis)Honorable Mention:
The Packers did not do well vs their own division, going 1-5. They even fell to the Bears in the regular-season finale, a game in which Matt LaFleur played the starters in hopes that they could develop good habits. The opposite happened. The game I will put in this place is the road loss to Detroit on a Thursday night. The Packers fought hard and the lead went back and forth, but when it came time to get a stop, the Packers could not do so. They ended up losing on a field goal as time expired.
So now what do the Packers need to do moving forward? There was a lot of criticism about Jordan Love and his performance last year. There are still flaws in his game like his footwork, but he is by no means a finished product just yet. With Christian Watson out for much of the year next season, the Packers need to find a proven receiver. They need to beef up their pass rush. Perhaps a guy like Myles Garrett would be a very welcome addition. They also need to play well and get wins vs the top teams in the league. I mentioned that they lost to the Eagles twice and they got swept by both the Lions and Vikings. Even the Bears have looked to get better, at least on paper. With all of the hype about the division for much of the year, none of the teams won a playoff game. It’s time for the Packers to get wins vs the Lions and Vikings, at least one each, but sweeping them would be even that much better. They are still a relatively young team, but the core of the team has been together for long enough. We need to take that next step in 2025.
Brian Gutekunst has found a lot of gems in the later rounds in the Draft, but he has mostly disappointed in the first round. The Draft will be in Green Bay this year. Let’s get off to a great start by picking a gem in the opening round this time and continuing that in the later rounds. Let’s keep adding pieces and get playmakers on both sides of the ball. The Eagles won the Super Bowl despite collapsing late in the season the year before. The Packers didn’t make much noise during their last 3 games of the season, but there is no reason why they can’t start out strong in 2025 and keep it going. It starts in free agency and it continues with the Draft. Let’s get what we need and dominate in 2025 Green Bay!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackersFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
