Packers’ season recap and a look ahead to next year

The 2021-22 season ended with the Los Angeles Rams winning the Super Bowl. As for the Packers, their season ended weeks ago. Here is a recap of the season for the Packers and a look into next season.

Win of the Year:

The Packers had many thrilling wins, but it’s hard to top their 24-21 road win on a Thursday night in Arizona. The Packers were playing without Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Allen Lazard. Aaron Rodgers relied on passes to Aaron Jones and Robert Tonyan. Josiah Deguera and Juwann Winfree even got in on the action. Randall Cobb hauled in two touchdown passes and Rasul Douglas, picked up on the Cardinals’ practice squad, intercepted Kyler Murray with 12 seconds left in the game to preserve the upset victory and sent Arizona to its first loss of the season and momentarily put Green Bay in the top seed in the NFC. It is definitely one of the high points in the Packers’ season.

Honorable Mention:

In Week 3, the Packers traveled to Santa Clara to face the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers jumped out to a 17-0 lead before the 49ers started crawling back. The Packers eventually found themselves trailing 28-27 with 37 seconds left. Rodgers used that time to find Adams twice on long passes, setting up a 51-yard FG attempt by Mason Crosby, which he nailed as time ran out, giving the Packers a 2-1 record after that thrilling comeback win on Sunday night.

Most Heartbreaking Loss of the Year:

What else could it be? The Packers had high expectations after clinching the #1 seed for the second year in a row. It looked like this time it might be different. It certainly was different because they didn’t even make the NFC Championship Game this time after losing 13-10 at home to the 49ers. The offense had a great opening drive and a promising second drive before a fumble took that away. After that, they could only get a single field goal. They failed to score right before halftime, getting a field goal blocked, and in the second half, a blocked punt led directly to the 49ers tying the game. After the offense failed to move the ball, SF marched their way into FG range and kicked the game-winner as time expired. It was a huge wasted opportunity because the defense played their hearts out. Bad offense and even worse special teams ended the Packers’ season that chilly night.

(Dis)honorable Mention:

The Packers had to travel to Jacksonville to play the New Orleans Saints to open the regular season. It was a horrible game all the way through as the Packers were embarrassed 38-3. After an offseason with so much drama and a preseason where hardly any of the starters played, the opener was a disaster. So many Packer fans made the trip, many of whom probably attended their first game in over a year due to the circumstances facing the world these last few years. The good thing is that this loss appeared to be a fluke and there would be better days ahead, at least until the playoffs.

The past year saw some unwelcome drama leaked the day of the NFL Draft, when it was reported that Aaron Rodgers had no desire to play for Green Bay again. It lingered deep into training camp, when Rodgers finally showed up and announced that he will play for them in 2021. More unwelcome drama came within the regular season after Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19, and reports came out that he was never vaccinated, even though he gave the impression that he was. Despite all that, he had an MVP season, his fourth overall. Unfortunately, he could not carry that type of performance into the playoffs.

Where do the Packers go from here? They made a significant move, changing special teams coordinators. It will take much more than just a new face though. They have changed coordinators several times recently with results seemingly getting worse each time. They have some big decisions to make with their salary cap. Of course, the biggest question mark will be Aaron Rodgers. Does he stay, retire, or possibly get traded?

Many fans are divided on Rodgers. Some see him as a drama queen and not a team player. Some see him as a player who puts up monster numbers in the regular season, only to fall short when it matters the most in the playoffs. I see both points. Do I want him back? Yes I do. I am disappointed that after our great run to the Super Bowl XLV title in February of 2011, we have not even been back to the Super Bowl since then and have so much heartbreak in January. However, Rodgers gives us our best chance to change that despite all of the disappointment we have seen these last 11 seasons. I like winning championships. You can’t buy those at a store. No matter how I feel about Rodgers personally, he gives the Packers the best chance to win.

If there is one criticism I have about Rodgers, he seems to rely on Davante Adams too much. He needs to trust his other receivers. We’ve seen them have success these last several years when Adams was inactive. Rodgers spread the ball around nicely in those games. I want Adams back as well, but I also want Rodgers to trust his other receivers more too.

Matt LaFleur has won a lot of games his first three years as the Packers’ head coach. In fact, no other coach has won more games in his first three seasons as a head coach. However, LaFleur needs to be great in the playoffs. He had that controversial moment at home vs Tampa Bay when he elected to go for the field goal, and this home game vs SF was not a good moment for him. He admitted himself that he did a lousy job coaching that game. I really like LaFleur a lot and want him to succeed, but in Green Bay, we expect championships. Anything less than that is not good enough.

Brian Gutekunst has done many great things in acquiring talent for the Packers, but it was obvious that Rodgers and him didn’t see eye to eye. We don’t know the full story because we aren’t behind those closed doors, but some animosity existed. From what I read, their relationship has improved. Is it enough for Rodgers to come back for at least another year? Are they serious in doing whatever it takes to bring another championship to Green Bay, or is it just empty words? When it comes to potentially getting that free agent receiver or talented defensive player, is Gutekunst going to do whatever it takes to get him into a Packer uniform? Only time will tell.

Before the playoffs started, I knew that anything less than a championship would be a huge disappointment. They didn’t even win a single playoff game. That is totally unacceptable. Many of the fans are restless and want to be able to win another Super Bowl Title. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I believe they are more than capable of doing it. They still have loads of talent. The big key is getting Aaron Rodgers back and getting very creative in working around the salary cap. Despite all of the playoff disappointments in recent memory, Rodgers and the Packers did celebrate a title once. If it happened before, it could happen again. Rodgers still has plenty left in the tank. Let’s get back in the fall and see what we can do. Take care Packer fans! We will get our questions answered soon enough!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901