The Green Bay Packers limped into the NFL playoffs last season after suffering multiple key injury late in the year. Unfortunately, they were unable to get past the Wild Card round.
Matt LaFleur and company went into Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears and dominated the first half of the Wild Card game. At halftime, the Packers held a commanding 21-3 lead. They squandered that lead in the second half.
Fans watched Green Bay blow multiple leads throughout the course of the 2025 season. As soon as the second half started, it was clear that the Packers weren’t prepared.
When all was said and done, Green Bay was eliminated by a final score of 31-27.
While it has been awhile since that heartbreak occurred, Packers safety Evan Williams has now spoken out about it. He revealed what the team has learned from the collapse.
Packers Star Evan Williams Opens Up About Collapse Against Bears
During an appearance on ESPN Milwaukee, Williams shared his thoughts on what the team learned. Fans will like to hear what he had to say, although it will bring up old pain.
“I feel like we all understand how much each play matters now. Looking back at that game, seeing just how in control we were and how it can slip from our hands,” Williams said.
“As a team, we’ve got to do a better job of just finishing. Emphasizing the finish to every game. There were a couple of games last year where we’ve got people on the ropes and let off the pedal a little bit and had them crawling back into the game when we should just put our foot on their throats.”
Williams and company better have learned from their mistakes. Losing an 18-point halftime lead is concerning, to say the least. Championship teams don’t lose those games.
Last season, Green Bay showed an extremely disturbing inability to close teams out.
Green Bay Is on the Hot Seat Entering the 2026 Season
More of the same will not be acceptable for the Packers. If they struggle to win games and close games out, changes could be coming.
LaFleur will enter the 2026 season as a hot seat candidate. After the Wild Card collapse, many fans were hoping to see Green Bay make a coaching change. Players could be at risk of losing their jobs as well.
A lot will be riding on the 2026 season. There is no question the Packers have the talent to be a Super Bowl contender. However, the hard lessons from last season must be learned and improved on this time around.
It will be interesting to see if Williams is correct that the team understands what went wrong and how to fix it.
Packers Star Opens Up for First Time About Wild Card Collapse