It was not a thing of beauty for the Packers in Minnesota on Sunday in Week 18, as the team had little to play for and rested star quarterback Jordan Love, along with other key players on both sides of the ball. In Love’s place was Clayton Tune, who did some mop-up duty in Week 17 after having been on the practice squad all season. Tune threw just 11 passes–count them–and completed six, throwing for 34 yards. He was sacked four times for 41 yards, putting the Packers’ passing game at a minus-7 for the day.
It was that kind of afternoon against the Vikings, and the 16-3 result (the Packers called a timeout to set up a last-second field goal) was really no big surprise. The running game tallied 128 yards, on 35 carries, and did so without Josh Jacobs, who also had the day off. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs–between injuries and rest, the Packers were missing several key names.
Packers Are on Another Losing Streak
But the overall issue staring the Packers in the face now is that they are, for the second straight season, heading into the playoffs on a losing streak. The Packers, you might remember, put themselves in the NFC North driver’s seat back in Week 14 against the Bears, when they won their fourth straight game and took control of the division.
But four weeks of disasters unfolded from there, with losses and injuries–most notably to Micah Parsons, who suffered a torn ACL that put him out until next season–piling up. Coach Matt LaFleur said his team has swallowed all that in. And now he has a message: Let it go.
LaFleur said there is a clean slate now: “It’s like, we’re in the dance, we’ve got to go on the road and we have to play our best football moving forward.”
Hoping That Rest Will Pay Off in the Play Offs
The Packers do not know how things will shape up for them to open the playoffs, but LaFleur said he is hoping that enough players on the roster have enough playoff experience to know that things will change when they hit the road for their opener next week.
“I think you definitely stick with your process that you believe in,” LaFleur said. “But I think everyone has to understand the magnitude of the playoffs and what that brings in regards to, there’s a finality to it. So you’ve got to go play your best ball.”
The bet for the Packers is that the rest will pay off.
“I think everything is fluid in terms of how we go about the week, a lot of it is going to be dependent upon which day we play,” LaFleur said. “So, I do think we had a pretty good week of practice this week for the guys were were trying to rest, they did get a lot of reps, good on good—our 1 offense vs. our 1 defense. I think we are physically in a good place.”
Packers’ Matt LaFleur Sends Urgent Message After 4th Straight Loss