Your Weekly Packers News Update

We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! 

By PACKERSWIRE
Brandon Carwile

5 standouts from Packers’ Week 18 loss to the Bears

The only thing worse than a loss for the Green Bay Packers to close out the 2024 season would be injuries to key players heading into the playoffs.

Welp, to start the second quarter of Sunday’s showdown with the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Christian Watson suffered a non-contact knee injury that could be serious. Then, three plays later, Jordan Love exited the game after landing awkwardly on his right elbow following a desperation pass to Josh Jacobs. Although Watson’s season could be over, Love feels good about his chances of being available for next week’s playoff game.

The injuries didn’t help, but Green Bay did everything they could to squander their 11-game win streak against Chicago. The Bears struck first with a misdirection punt return that fooled the Packers punt coverage, resulting in a 94-yard touchdown for Josh Blackwell. In addition, fumbles by Jayden Reed and backup quarterback Malik Willis robbed Green Bay of two chances to take the lead.

The Packers took the lead during the final minute of regulation but left too much time for Caleb Williams and Chicago’s offense to drive down and attempt a go-ahead field goal as time expired. This time, Karl Brooks wasn’t there to save the day as Cairo Santos’ 51-yarder sailed through the uprights to lift the Bears to a 24-22 victory.

Despite how poorly Green Bay managed the season finale, the result would have had no effect on their playoff seed since Washington won its game against Dallas to lock up the sixth seed.

The Packers officially finished the 2024 season with a record 11-6 and will travel to Philadelphia to face a talented Eagles team. Philadelphia already beat Green Bay this season in the opener in Brazil.

With the regular season officially in the books, let’s do one more standout list to close things out.

Edge Rashan Gary

https://twitter.com/packers/status/1875968515330421052

Chicago’s offense struggled for most of the day, and the first snap was a horrendous start when Caleb Williams bobbled a high snap and was immediately met by Gary in the backfield. Gary, who was named to his first Pro Bowl this week, sacked Williams for a loss of seven. He finished the season with 7.5 sacks, including five over the last eight games. The unfortunate part is that it was the only sack of the game for Green Bay’s defense, but hopefully, Gary will continue to produce during the postseason.

WR Malik Heath

https://twitter.com/ESPN3ALLDAY/status/1876038397955051831

Heath’s opportunities have been few and far between this season, but he’s stepped up when the team has needed him. This week, he filled in for an ill Romeo Doubs and saw five targets for three receptions and a team-high 53 yards–also a career-high. One of those catches was the play of the game, and it came at the perfect time. Down by eight and facing a 3rd and 21 late in the fourth quarter, Willis heaved up a prayer to Heath, who made a leaping 41-yard catch. Heath’s impressive grab set up an Emanuel Wilson touchdown run on the very next play to cut it to a two-point deficit.

S Xavier McKinney

https://twitter.com/packers/status/1875993550283796970

The Bears went deep into their bag of tricks on Sunday. Some of it worked, while others backfired. Coming into the game, McKinney hadn’t had an interception since Week 12, primarily because opposing quarterbacks have avoided throwing in his direction. Well, that doesn’t include wide receivers. When the Bears attempted a trick play with Keenan Allen throwing the football, the wide receiver made a poor decision, which led to McKinney’s eighth pick of the season. He became the first Packers player since Charles Woodson in 2009 to have eight interceptions in a season and the first Packers safety to do so since 2000. The takeaway almost didn’t happen, as McKinney fumbled the ball during the return but was fortunate that Edgerrin Cooper recovered it. It’s the second straight week a Green Bay player has fumbled the ball after an interception. The coaches may need another refresher on ball security with the defense. 

CB Carrington Valentine

Two takeaways in two weeks is a good look for Valentine, who the Packers will be counting on to make plays in the playoffs. With under two minutes left in Green Bay’s territory and winning by two, Williams made a quick pass to DJ Moore on a screen, but Valentine’s tackle jarred the ball loose. Javon Bullard recovered the fumble, which led to the Packers briefly taking the lead late in the game.

K Brandon McManus

After Valentine’s forced fumble, the offense moved the ball only six yards. With the ball on Chicago’s 37, Matt LaFleur decided to put his trust in McManus to attempt a 55-yard field goal. With not much room to spare, McManus made the kick to take a 22-21 lead. Unfortunately, LaFleur called a timeout to stop the clock with 54 seconds left, allowing the Bears enough time to drive down and kick the game-winning field goal. Still, McManus delivered in a clutch moment and has missed only one kick since arriving in Green Bay.

Your Weekly Packers News Update

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By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Christopher Kuhagen

Packers playoff scenarios: NFC standings, tiebreaker with Commanders, game next week

The Green Bay Packers won’t go into their Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears needing a win to get into the playoffs like they did last year.

The Packers (11-5) already have secured their spot in the playoffs.

But Sunday’s 27-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was costly on a couple fronts for their playoff positioning. It officially ended their chances of earning the fifth seed in the NFC postseason. And it also dropped them to the seventh seed in the playoff picture by the end of the night.

Meanwhile, the win for the Vikings (14-2) sets up a winner-take-all matchup in their Week 18 matchup against the Detroit Lions (13-2) on Sunday night. The winner will claim the NFC North championship, the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a bye in the first round. The loser will be the fifth seed and have to go on the road in the playoffs.

Here’s the latest on the Packers’ playoff scenarios, current NFC North standings and what’s ahead.

Packers playoff picture, scenarios

The NFC and the Packers’ playoff picture is coming into clearer focus after Sunday’s Week 17 games. The Packers will be either the sixth or seventh seed in the 2024 NFC playoffs.

However, following the Packers loss on Sunday and the Washington Commanders’ overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay no longer has control over the sixth seed, a position it has held onto for the last several weeks.

The sixth seed now belongs to the Commanders (11-5), who not only clinched a playoff spot with the dramatic victory but they vaulted the Packers in the standings.

The Packers are now seeded seventh.

Commanders-Packers tiebreaker

While both the Packers and Commanders are 11-5, Washington has the tiebreaker over the Packers based on best win percentage in conference games and will be the sixth seed if they finish tied. The two teams did not play each other this season so there is no head-to-head tiebreaker.

That means the Packers will only be the sixth seed if they defeat the Bears in Week 18 to finish 12-5 and the Commanders lose to the Dallas Cowboys to finish 11-6.

If they both finish with the same record, the Commanders are the sixth seed.

The Packers and Commanders’ games are both set for noon Sunday.

Who will the Packers play in the playoffs?

As the seventh seed, the Packers would go on the road in the wild-card round to face the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles, a team they lost to in Week 1 in Brazil.

As the sixth seed, the Packers would face the third seed in the opening round. The NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams are currently in that spot, though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could also still end up as that seed based on next week’s results.

NFC playoff picture 2024

Here’s a look at the current NFC standings with one game remaining in Week 17. The Detroit Lions play on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, though the result of that game won’t change the implications for next week. Seeds 1-4 are division leaders and 5-7 are wild-card teams.

1. Minnesota Vikings (14-2), play at the Detroit Lions in Week 18 with the No. 1 seed at stake, the loser is the No. 5 seed
2. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3), No. 2 seed secured, NFC East champions and wrap up the regular season against the New York Giants in Week 18
3. Los Angeles Rams (10-6), NFC West champions, play the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18, a win clinches the No. 3 seed
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7), host the New Orleans Saints in Week 18, a win clinches the NFC South and the No. 4 seed
5. Detroit Lions (13-2), host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 with the NFC North title and No. 1 seed at stake, the loser is the No. 5 seed
6. Washington Commanders (11-5), play at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, a win clinches the sixth seed
7. Green Bay Packers (11-5), host the Chicago Bears in Week 18, a win and a Commanders loss clinches the sixth seed

In the hunt: Atlanta Falcons (8-8), play host to the Carolina Panthers, need a victory and a Buccaneers loss to win the division and the No. 4 seed

NFC North standings

• Minnesota Vikings: 14-2, beat the Packers 27-25 on Sunday
• Detroit Lions: 13-2, play at the 49ers on Monday night
• Green Bay Packers: 11-5, lost at the Vikings 27-25 on Sunday
• Chicago Bears: 4-12, lost to the Seahawks on Thursday night

Packers Bears game time in Week 18

The Packers will look to rebound from Sunday’s loss in their regular season finale at home against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff is set for noon Sunday, Jan. 5.

The good news for the Packers is that they don’t lose against the Bears and Chicago hasn’t won a game since Oct. 13. The Packers have an 11-game winning streak over the Bears, dating to the 2019 season.

In fact, Matt LaFleur has never lost to the Bears as coach of the Packers.

The Bears have lost their past 10 games. One of the losses came to the Packers, who blocked a field goal on the final play of the game to escape with a 20-19 win.

Your Weekly Packers News Update

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By AtoZ Sports
Wendell Ferreira

Packers’ offensive creativity steals the show in playoff-clinching win over the Saints

The Green Bay Packers are, for the second consecutive year, in the playoffs. A consistent 34-0 win over the New Orleans Saints left no questions behind, and Matt LaFleur reaches the postseason for the fifth time in six years as a head coach. It was the first shutout of the 2024 NFL season.

The coach and offensive mastermind was one of the best performers of Monday Night Football, putting together a gameplan that allowed the Packers confirm how much better they were on the field. Now, NFC seeding is what will matter against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears over the next two weeks.

Offensive creativity

Josh Jacobs is insanely productive, and it’s easy to give him the ball dozens of times. But the Packers rushing offense was much more than that on Monday night, and it helped limit Jacobs’ workload. On the first offensive play of the game, for example, Jacobs and Jayden Reed aligned on the backfield, and Reed ran a positive outside play.

In the second quarter, when the Packers were already leading by two scores and wanted to rest Jacobs, that creativity was obvious.

Matt LaFleur called an end around and a jet sweep for Christian Watson and a fly sweep for Jayden Reed, all positive plays, and the drive was finished off with backup running back Chris Brooks getting into the endzone for the first time in his career.

Early in the third quarter, Bo Melton also rushed for 14 yards with an end around concept.

Part of that execution went through a strong game from the offensive line. Center Josh Myers and especially right guard Sean Rhyan, the two weakest links of the unit, blocked really well on both phases of the offense, and it made a huge difference in the outcome of the game.

In the second half, the Packers clearly slowed down. Part of it was the Saints doing a good adjustment job. But Green Bay was comfortable with the score and was just trying to get out of there as soon and as healthy as possible. By the end, quarterback Malik Willis and mostly backups were on the field — including running backs Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks, and offensive linemen Andre Dillard, Kadeem Telfort, and Travis Glover.

Even with the backups on the field, the Packers were still able to manage a touchdown drive, that ended with an Emanuel Wilson touchdown.

Nine Packers players have had rushing attempts during the game, the highest number for the franchise in 70 years. The three active running backs scored touchdowns.

• Josh Jacobs (TD)
• Emanuel Wilson (TD)
• Chris Brooks (TD)
• Christian Watson
• Bo Melton
• Jayden Reed
• Tucker Kraft
• Jordan Love
• Malik Willis

Defense does what it should

During the Joe Barry era, the Packers defense would give up a lot of yards and points to bad, bad quarterbacks. Last year, that happened against Desmond Ridder, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kenny Pickett, a rough version of Bryce Young, Tommy DeVito. Those days are gone.

Under Jeff Hafley, you can point to some mistakes by the defense, you can argue that they allowed a lot of points for the NFC top offenses. But they do what they have to do against bad quarterbacks, and they dominated against Spencer Rattler on Sunday.

In the first half, Rattler had 13 dropbacks, and he was under pressure in seven of them. That included a strip-sack from cornerback Keisean Nixon, recovered by Rashan Gary.

Safety Zayne Anderson, making his first NFL start, got an interception.

Aggressiveness

The Packers have been one of the most conservative teams in football in 2024, which is somewhat uncharacteristic for Matt LaFleur. But that was different on Monday, and the Packers took full advantage of their good offensive performance.

LaFleur went for it on 4th down twice on the same drive, during the first half, converting with a Jordan Love sneak and then with a throw from Love to Tucker Kraft, who got several yards after the catch to put the team in scoring position.

In the fourth quarter, the Packers decided to be more conservative with a 4th & 5 at midfield, but that was understandable considering the game was 24-0 and it wasn’t a short conversion.

LaFleur was aggressive even when Malik Willis was on the field, and the backup quarterback made a big play on 4th & 2 in the final minutes to find Jayden Reed in the redzone.

Green Bay has one of the best offenses in football, and playing some drives with four downs available is a significant advantage.

Your Weekly Packers News Update

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By AtoZ SPORTS
Wendell Ferreira

Packers passed a valuable test in win over Seahawks, and it could pay off later this season

The first half was certainly more effective and stress-free than the second, but the Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-13 at Lumen Field, improving to 10-4 and basically clinching a playoff spot in the NFC — even though it’s not mathematically secured yet.

Tough environment, good test

Right before the game, NBC’s analyst Cris Collinsworth shared an excellent point. The Packers will make the playoffs, but it will be as a wild card team. To win the Super Bowl, they will have to win multiple road games. So it’s huge for them to get used to these tough places like Lumen Field.

And that’s exactly what the Packers did on Sunday night. The atmosphere of the game made it really look like a playoff game, and the young roster was unfazed for most of the time.

Overall, the offense slowed down in the second half. Part of that was because Mike Macdonald had some good adjustments to stop the run, which the Seahawks did much more effectively after halftime, and part was because Matt LaFleur was extremely conservative with his decision-making.

But the Packers had some big plays late on both sides of the ball to put the game away.

Josh Jacobs’ insane volume

The Packers signed Josh Jacobs in March because they wanted to give their starting running back volume. Well, Sunday Night Football was a big example of that. On the opening drive alone, Jacobs had nine touches (seven carries and two receptions), with 44 scrimmage yards, and a touchdown. He finished the first half with 17 touches and 111 scrimmage yards, which included an average of 5.2 yards per carry, impressively high for this volume.

And they were not doing it because they were forcing anything. It was working very well. The Packers had solid and explosive drives, finishing the first half with two touchdowns and two field goals — and the second field goal could have been another touchdown, had the Packers managed the clock better or had they been more aggressive at the end.

The Seahawks had allowed 17, 6, 21, and 18 points in their previous four games. The Packers scored 20 in a half.

The first bad play by Jacobs only came in the fourth quarter, when he suffered a fumble, recovered by the Seahawks. It was his first fumble since Week 2.

Jacobs had time to rest in the final minutes of the game, but still finished it with 30 touches for 136 scrimmage yards.

Edgerrin Cooper is back

During the week, head coach Matt LaFleur said Edgerrin Cooper added another element to the defense with his speed and athleticism. That might actually be an understatement. He changes the complexity of the unit.

Returning from a hamstring injury, Cooper killed the Seahawks opening drive with a sack on third down. He was always active, and it becomes much harder to throw in the middle of the Packers’ defense when he’s there.

But the Packers were trying to hold him a little bit. Whether it’s because he was coming back or it’s just because that has been the approach all season, Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie were playing more snaps than Cooper, even after Quay Walker left the game with an ankle injury.

When Cooper was on the field, it seemed like he was always making impactful plays. He pressured and hit Geno Smith on the play the quarterback unfortunately got hurt, and then pressured backup Sam Howell on third down to finish the drive.

In the fourth quarter, he nearly picked off Howell and was able to break up his pass. And the interception came later, when the Packers needed it the most. The Seahawks were slowly getting back into the game, and the linebacker picked Howell off in the middle of the field.

In the final seconds, there was still time for a tackle for loss to close the game for good.

Your Weekly Packers News Update

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By AtoZ SPORTS
Wendell Ferreira

Latest playoff update shows what the Packers are fighting for over the last four weeks of the season

The Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Detroit Lions didn’t affect the team’s chances of getting to the playoffs that much. According to The New York Times’ projections, the Packers now have a 98% chance, down from 99% last week. If the Packers go 1-3 over the last four weeks of the regular season, the chances are around 80% to 90%. Even if Green Bay loses out, there would still be a 23% chance of going to the postseason anyway.

With games against the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears left, it’s unimaginable that the Packers will miss the playoffs. The NFC North is out of reach, so there’s not much to fight for over the last four games.

What they need

The Packers’ first goal, obviously, is to secure the playoff spot. But beyond that, the biggest fight over the final month of the season is to make sure they don’t lose the sixth seed to the Washington Commanders.

Being fifth or sixth in the NFC won’t be a big difference, but moving down to the seventh seed would be hugely negative for the Packers.

And that’s because being fifth or sixth, the Packers will face the Champion of the South or West in the wild card round — Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks are ahead, with the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals right behind them.

Going down to the seventh seed, though, would mean an early matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles or Detroit Lions, whoever ends up with the second seed.

Last year, the Packers finished as seventh seed and beat the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, but it’s certainly a scenario they would like to avoid in 2024 — the 2023 Packers are the only seventh seed to win a playoff game since the postseason was expanded in 2020.

Packers vs Commanders

Right now, the Packers are 9-4 and the Commanders are 8-5. As aforementioned, Green Bay plays the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears.

Washington plays the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Dallas Cowboys.

If both the Packers and Commanders finish with the same record, Washington will have the tie-breaking advantage based on its conference record.

This means that, over the last four weeks of the regular season, the Packers must keep at least the same record as the Commanders to keep the sixth seed.

The Packers can still take the fifth seed out of the Minnesota Vikings, but that seems unlikely (and not that important) at this point.

Playoff chances in the NFC (teams with more than 1%)

• Detroit Lions 100%
• Philadelphia Eagles >99%
• Minnesota Vikings >99% (92% via WC)
• Green Bay Packers 98% (98% via WC)
• Washington Commanders 85% (84% via WC)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers 68% (6% via WC)
• Arizona Cardinals 42% (1% via WC)
• Atlanta Falcons 41% (3% via WC)
• Seattle Seahawks 34% (3% via WC)
• Los Angeles Rams 28% (1% via WC)
• San Francisco 49ers 2% (0% via WC)

Your Weekly Packers News Update

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By PACKERSWIRE
Zach Kruse

Packers playing their best football ahead of matchup with mighty Lions

The Green Bay Packers played what could be considered their two best games of the season in back-to-back weeks ahead of Thursday night’s showdown with the mighty Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

By no means are “grades” from Pro Football Focus the be-all, end-all when it comes to evaluating performance, but the Packers received their highest overall grades of the season as a team during a 38-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers and 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins over the last two weeks. Most importantly, the grades match the eye test.

In both games, the Packers dominated the line of scrimmage on offense, defended the run well and tackled well. The passing game was more efficient and wasted fewer opportunities in the red zone. Most of the lingering issues preventing the Packers from ascending from good to great finally smoothed over.

After needing to escape with last-second wins over the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears, the Packers won comfortably against two talented teams in the span of five days.

“We’re being physical in every phase of football,” coach Matt LaFleur said following the Thanksgiving Night win over the Dolphins.

The challenge now will be keeping momentum going against arguably the NFL’s premier team in 2024. The Lions got a pick-six and cruised past the Packers in their first meeting at Lambeau Field. Dan Campbell’s team is now an NFL-best 11-1 after winning 10 straight games.

Again, PFF grades aren’t everything. But the Lions are entering Week 14 with the top overall grade and the No. 2 overall grade on offense and defense. This is an elite team.

Yet no team wants to peak too early. The regular season is a marathon, and teams want to hit full speed in December and January. The Packers limped at times through the early part of the season, in part due to injuries at the quarterback position, but wins over the 49ers and Dolphins are examples of the Packers gaining steam and nearing cruising altitude with an important part of the schedule approaching.

With a win over the Lions, the Packers can not only virtually guarantee a playoff spot but also jump back into the NFC North race. And next week, the Packers will go to Seattle to face the NFC West-leading Seahawks in primetime. The season concludes with division games against the Minnesota Vikings and Bears.

The Lions are dealing with injuries on both sides of the football, and Campbell’s team just needed a dramatic escape against the reeling Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. The Packers just played their best two games of the season. Is this an opportunity for LaFleur’s team to keep rolling against a Super Bowl contender?