From Bad to Boneheaded, Packers’ Season Ends vs. Lions

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Run the desk? How about journey over it.

Needing a victory to get into the NFL playoffs, the Inexperienced Bay Packers folded like a card desk and misplaced to the Detroit Lions 20-16 on Sunday evening.

With 4 consecutive wins, the Packers fought to maintain their season alive. They threw all of it away by capturing themselves within the foot for the higher a part of 2 hours and 59 minutes. For many of the season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers stated the Packers had been adequate to beat any staff within the league and unhealthy sufficient to lose to any staff. The Packers weren’t simply unhealthy on Sunday. They had been atrocious.

Towards a protection that ranked thirtieth in scoring, the Packers scored one landing.

Towards a protection that ranked thirtieth on third down, the Packers went 4-of-12.

Towards a protection that ranked thirtieth in goal-to-go conditions, the Packers went 0-for-1.

“The identical issues that damage us all yr, damage us tonight,” Rodgers stated.

Towards a protection that ranked thirtieth in yards allowed per carry, the Packers managed a meager 3.7.

Keisean Nixon was bottled up on kick returns.

A protection that pressured 12 turnovers the final 4 weeks pressured zero.

Matt LaFleur went for it on fourth-and-1 from his personal 32 within the first quarter as a result of analytics. By no means thoughts that getting a primary down there would have left the Packers needing one other 30 yards to get into long-distance field-goal vary. The play, an end-around to Allen Lazard, was curious. The Lions turned that right into a discipline purpose to tie the sport at 3.

“Not that we ever depend on analytics, however should you take a look at something, they’re going to inform you to go for it in that scenario,” LaFleur stated. “We thought we had a glance. Clearly didn’t. They performed the heck out of the play and it ended up costing us.”

Lazard and AJ Dillon had drops on a drive by which the Packers settled for a discipline purpose to steer 9-3.

Aaron Jones fumbled for a career-high fifth time, turning a possible two-score lead at halftime right into a 9-6 margin on the break.

Aaron Rodgers threw his twelfth interception after tossing 13 the final three seasons mixed. His last throw of the season was a kind of wing-and-a-prayers, not in contrast to the deep shot with the sport on the road in final yr’s playoff loss to San Francisco.

Taken in whole, all of that ineptitude price the Packers the sport and a visit to the playoffs. However these are solely bronze-medal candidates within the Silly Packers Olympics.

Douglas handed the Lions a chip-shot discipline purpose on the finish of the primary half when, after a timeout by LaFleur, he walked between the traces and knocked the ball from the fingers of the lengthy snapper, then hit one of many Lions’ blockers.

“My factor is, we name timeout. I’m not about to allow you to snap it and get a free kick. I’m not doing that,” Douglas stated. “I’m not about to allow you to see and modify. You already missed one earlier … so, I smacked the ball out of the middle’s hand.

“70 (Dan Skipper) pushed me, and I pushed him. And (the officers) had been like, ‘Properly, we’ve received to name it on you. You understand how it’s, it’s the second. So, I used to be like, ‘It’s all good.’ It’s at all times on the second particular person, it ain’t by no means on the primary one. However that’s on me. I’m a method smarter participant than that. I can’t permit him to push me and me get upset. I’ve simply received to let it go. However I’m not letting no one get a free kick. That’s basically why I slapped the ball out of his fingers.”

Then got here the defining sequence. With Detroit trailing 16-13 however driving to a primary down at Inexperienced Bay’s 11, operating again D’Andre Swift caught a display screen and gained 2 yards. On the play, defensive deal with Jarran Reed struck Swift with a forearm to the top. The coaching employees got here to verify on Swift. Linebacker Quay Walker stood behind one of many trainers and, inexplicably, shoved him to the bottom.

So, as an alternative of second-and-8 on the 9, it was first-and-goal on the 4 and Walker was ejected. Three runs by Jamaal Williams later, it was 20-16 with 5:55 remaining.

It was Walker’s second ejection of the season. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Walker turned the primary participant in 15 years to be ejected twice in a season. That’s fairly a feat contemplating, after he was ejected at Buffalo, he feared folks would assume he was a “unhealthy man” and was in tears.

“I’ve received a a lot greater normal for our gamers than to do foolish issues like that,” stated LaFleur, his face purple with anger. “We’ve had a man get ejected twice. I don’t assume I’ve ever seen that in my profession. We’ve received to be rather more mentally powerful. Any time our guys commit private fouls, I take that very personally as a result of I feel that’s at all times a mirrored image of myself and the requirements that we set for these gamers. And we’ve received to be higher and we’ve received to be taught from that as a result of that’s unacceptable.”

A pair minutes later, Rodgers was intercepted. A pair minutes after, the Lions transformed a second-and-17 to clinch the win.

An extended offseason has began early for Inexperienced Bay. There’s a number of work to be accomplished.

“I need to make it possible for we cowl every part with a fine-tooth comb and take a look at each aspect of our program and what we’re doing and what we’re asking guys to do,” LaFleur stated. “And never solely that, however the requirements and the expectations that we have now in every space. I feel that a number of occasions when you could have success, sure issues can get coated up by profitable video games, and I feel every part has just about been uncovered proper now. So, we’ll check out every part when it comes to how we function. It’s evident that no matter we did this yr was not adequate.”

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