Why Packers must not panic after second loss this season to Vikings

Will Packers still have punch left in the playoffs?

The Green Bay Packers aren’t quite there yet, and injuries have played a key role in the team’s inability to get over the top in the NFC North. But if only Aaron Rodgers could say, “Relax,” the Packers must not panic after their second loss to the Vikings this season.

Sam Darnold passed for a career-high 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 on Sunday. The Packers seemed out of contention in the game before a late rally gave them life. However, they couldn’t stop the Vikings on a late third-down play and Minnesota ran out the clock.

The loss moved the Packers to 11-5, but they’re still safely in the playoffs. And there’s no reason to think they aren’t a major player in the Super Bowl chase.

Packers QB Jordan Love needs to step up

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) in the fourth quarter during their football game Sunday, December 29, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Love hit on only 19 of 30 passes for 185 yards, but it wasn’t all his fault. The team relied too much on Josh Jacobs and didn’t start airing it out until the game almost got out of reach.

Green Bay has a star quarterback in Love, and these are the games he needs to shine. Therefore, head coach Matt LaFleur needs to let him shine.

Yes, the Packers are 0-5 against the NFC’s top-three teams, but Love said confidence hasn’t wavered, according to espn.com.

“We know what type of team we are,” Love said. “There’s just a lot of stuff to clean up.”

One thing the Packers must do better is arrive ready to go from the opening kickoff, receiver Romeo Doubs said, according to packers.com.

“We just cannot start slow,” Doubs said. “I speak for myself because I play a part in this offense. Against really good teams, against a team like Minnesota, just collectively, as a core of an offense, we just have to stick together and stay away from the self-inflicted wounds that we create for ourselves.”

And they need to finish when they make comebacks. Twice they’ve fallen short in big rallies against the Vikings.

“We’ve just got to finish,” cornerback Keisean Nixon said. “It’s not about who we can and can’t beat. We can beat everybody. If we figure out how to finish, we’ll win games. It’s playoff time now. It’s win-or-go-home. So either we figure out how to finish or we go back to the crib. We have to figure it out.”

Love said the mental aspect is OK, according to packers.com.

“Belief’s there,” Love said. “We know it wasn’t good enough, in a lot of areas tonight. We got off to a very slow start. (But) we just know what type of team we are. We know the guys we have in the locker room.”

Matt LaFleur has tweaking to do

LaFleur has held the magic touch throughout his Packers career. But this is the time of year when his teams have ultimately fallen short. That needs to change in 2024.

“We’ve just got to keep pushing,” said linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who had 10 tackles (four for a loss). “We’ve got a lot of people who are determined to keep going, not give up. We’re going to take some punches like this, we’ve just got to get ready for next week and we’ve got the playoffs. Just week by week.”

The Packers believe they are an elite team, and their 11 wins add credence to those thoughts. Defensive back Xaiver McKinney said the talent is there to beat elite teams.

“We can,” McKinney said. “Yes. We have the players to do it We have the coaches to do it. We can. Player-wise, we gotta be better and we all know that. It’s not rocket science. We understand what we need to do. We just gotta go out there and do it.”

LaFleur said the Packers didn’t perform at optimal level against the Vikings.

“I don’t think we were at our best, but that’s a credit to them with the slow start,” LaFleur said. “I’ve got to be better and we’ve got to get better. We’ve got to move on and get some momentum.”

The playoffs will be proving point for Packers

Nobody is going to worry about the five losses if the Packers can avenge things in the postseason. Love said focus is the key.

“Everybody has to be locked in to play their best game of the season,” Love said. “It’s no secret, we have to find ways to win these games on the road. That’s going to be our reality.”

LaFleur added, “I think there absolutely is a belief we can win one of these games. We’ve got to go do it, bottom line. It’s going to be a tough road. But I think it’s a challenge that we’ll gladly accept.”

Green Bay will be seeded No. 6 or No. 7 in the first round. That likely means a first-round game against either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Los Angeles Rams. The Packers lost 34-29 to the Eagles in the season opener. They beat the Rams 24-19 in Week 5. Either way, the game will be on the road and it looks like a 50-50 battle.

There’s still a small chance the Packers could play Tampa Bay in the first round, but it will take an unlikely string of events. Green Bay and the Buccaneers haven’t played this year.

The Packers have a lot of respect for having an overall strong team, good offense with solid defense. And they are one of the teams the top seeds won’t want to meet.