It was all right there. Seriously. If you’re a fan watching the NFL playoff picture Green Bay Packers situation unfold over the last few weeks, you probably feel like you just watched a high-speed car chase end in a fender bender at a car wash.
The Packers entered the postseason with the momentum of a freight train and the stability of a Jenga tower in a windstorm. They locked in the No. 7 seed in the NFC after a regular season that was—to put it mildly—a total rollercoaster. A 9-7-1 record isn't exactly the stuff of Lombardi-era legends, but in the modern NFL, it’s a ticket to the dance. Then, they went to Soldier Field for the Wild Card round and reminded everyone why being a Packers fan is a full-time job for your cardiologist.
The Wild Card Heartbreak in Chicago
Honestly, the game against the Chicago Bears was a microcosm of the entire 2025 season. Green Bay walked into that stadium and absolutely dominated the first half. They were up 21-3 at the break. Jordan Love looked like the second coming of, well, the last two guys who played QB in Green Bay.
Then the second half happened.
It wasn't just one thing. It was everything. The defense, which had been middle-of-the-pack all year, suddenly couldn't stop a nosebleed. The special teams gave up huge returns. And Jordan Love? He finished with 323 yards and four touchdowns, but the offense went through a brutal four-possession stretch in the third quarter where they basically went nowhere. They gained a total of one first down in that span. You can't do that in January.
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The final score, a 31-27 loss, felt like a gut punch because it was. Leading by 18 points on the road against your biggest rival and watching it evaporate is the kind of thing that keeps coaches up until 4:00 AM staring at game film.
Why the No. 7 Seed Was a Trap
We’ve seen the No. 7 seed work before (hello, 2023), but this year it felt different. Because the Packers were locked into that final spot, their fate was sealed early. They knew they’d be traveling. They knew they’d likely face a division winner with a chip on their shoulder.
The NFC North was surprisingly deep this year. The Bears finished 11-6, the Vikings and Lions were both 9-8. It was a dogfight. By the time the Packers hit the playoffs, they were riding a losing streak that eventually stretched to five games if you count the postseason exit. That’s not "peaking at the right time." That’s a collapse.
Breaking Down the 2025 Numbers
If you look at the raw stats, you’d think this was a top-tier team.
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- Jordan Love: 39 passing touchdowns in the regular season.
- Turnover Differential: A solid +13.
- Offensive EPA: 4th in the league for much of the year.
But stats are liars. They don't show you the Micah Parsons injury. Losing a generational talent like Parsons to an ACL tear changed the entire geometry of the defense. Without that elite pass rush, the secondary was exposed. You saw it in the playoff game—Caleb Williams had way too much time to scan the field in the fourth quarter.
The "playoff picture" for Green Bay wasn't just about who they played; it was about who they couldn't play because they were in the training room.
The Special Teams Ghost
We have to talk about Brandon McManus. Kicking in Green Bay (or Chicago in January) is miserable. We get it. But missing an extra point and a 44-yard field goal in a four-point playoff loss is the kind of thing that gets a guy's locker cleared out before the plane lands. Special teams have been a recurring nightmare for this franchise for a decade, and 2025 was just the latest chapter in that horror story.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Roster
A lot of national media heads will tell you the Packers "overachieved" because they’re young. I don't buy that. This was a team with Super Bowl expectations in August. They had the 11th-ranked defense in terms of points allowed. They had a quarterback playing at an MVP level for 70% of the season.
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The real issue wasn't talent; it was finishing. They had a tie against the Cowboys—a 40-40 shootout—that proved they could score with anyone but couldn't close the door. That tie ultimately kept them at the No. 7 seed instead of moving up to the 5th or 6th, which would have meant a trip to Carolina or Philadelphia instead of a hostile Soldier Field.
How to Move Forward
The NFL playoff picture Green Bay Packers fans are looking at now is the 2026 NFL Draft. Because of the Micah Parsons trade, the Packers gave up their pick to Dallas, which is now the 20th overall pick. That’s a tough pill to swallow. You lose the player, you lose the playoff game, and you lose the high draft pick.
If you’re Brian Gutekunst, the mission is clear:
- Fix the Kicking Game: You can’t leave points on the field in the postseason. Period.
- Secondary Depth: The "bend but don't break" philosophy broke in Chicago. They need a lockdown corner to pair with Jaire Alexander.
- Consistency in the Run: Josh Jacobs and the run game were middle-of-the-road (15th in the league). When the passing game stalled in the third quarter against the Bears, there was no "Plan B" to grind out the clock.
The window is still open. Jordan Love is the guy. But the 2025 season will be remembered as the year the Packers had the lead, had the ball, and just... let it slip away.
Actionable Next Steps for the Offseason
Stop dwelling on the "what ifs" of the Chicago game. The front office needs to prioritize the defensive line rotation immediately. While the 4-3 alignment under Jeff Hafley showed flashes of brilliance, the lack of depth behind the starters was glaring once the injuries piled up in December. Fans should keep an eye on the free-agent market for veteran safety help; the "turnover factory" the Bears built is exactly the blueprint Green Bay needs to emulate to reclaim the NFC North. Monitoring the recovery of Micah Parsons will be the most significant storyline of the summer, as his presence dictates the entire defensive scheme for 2026.