Packers Will Be One and Done in Playoffs

If you’d have told me that the Packers would get a playoff berth this year, I would have told you that perhaps you were a bit crazy. Just a bit. After all, the Packers went 6-10 last year. While there were parts of their game that seemed to work, the vast majority of the time they did not click. It was more like watching a couple good players here and there instead of a cohesive team.

While I’m cautiously optimistic about the playoffs, I’m also realistic. Here are a few reasons I think the Packers will be one and done come playoff time.

Aaron Rodgers’ Numbers Are Deceiving

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has the stats to make him look like the best leader the Packers have ever seen. The trouble is that those numbers are deceiving. For example, he will hold on to the ball far too long just to keep those numbers intact. He seems obsessed with his stats, at one point early on in the season saying he was definitely going to the Pro Bowl this year. Shouldn’t a player be more concerned about winning rather than getting individual glory in the Pro Bowl. Now that he’s gotten his wish and is nominated for the Pro Bowl, I can’t help wondering if his mind will be on that rather than on winning in the postseason.

Packers Had Powder-puff Schedule

One reason the Packers have the record they do is because of their schedule. They had an easy time of it this year due in part to a 6-10 season last year. Let’s not forget that a third of those measly wins came courtesy of the winless Lions. Despite a winning season this year, the team has yet to play an offense-driven team.

Favre Fallout

Brett Favre has been gone over a season now, but his presence is still being felt. He is, after all, still in the same conference as the Packers, has a better record, and has beaten the team twice. His legacy and the way he left the team still has a negative vibe that has fans and players alike reeling. Can they overcome it and play their hearts out? They haven’t shown that they can do it thus far, and I doubt they’ll be able to put it all behind them come the playoffs.

Young, Immature Team

The Packers have been one of the youngest teams in the league since Ted Thompson took over. Thompson believes in youth, but the continued penalties and mistakes being made show that the team needs some maturity. The penalties that have haunted them in the regular season will continue to haunt in the playoffs.

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