GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The 2022 Green Bay Packers just weren’t very good, save for the first day of 2023 when they kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrashing of the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings. But in need of just one more victory to actually make the playoffs? They reverted to the season long form of a red zone struggling, mistake prone offense, a defense that couldn’t get stops when needed most and disciplinary lapses that defied imagination as the Detroit Lions ended Green Bay’s season 20-16 at Lambeau Field. Even though they were eliminated an hour before kickoff when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams in overtime, the Lions, at one time looking lost with a 1-6 record, rebounded by shutting down a turnover plagued Packers 15-9 back in November and finished with 8 wins in their last 10 games to enjoy a 9-8 season, their first winning campaign since 2017, and better yet, playing spoiler to the three time defending North champs. A crushing defeat for sure, but in the end, fitting for a team that started unimpressively fast, got lost in a London fog for five straight weeks, had a fun run in December only to finish 8-9 by wilting at the finish in front of their partisans for a third consecutive season.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur glumly conducted his last post-game press conference of the extremely disappointing 2022 campaign.
This was a first half battle of field goals. On the game’s opening series, Allen Lazard drew a 46 yard pass interference penalty on Jerry Jacobs at the Detroit five yard line. Two runs gained a yard and on third and goal, Aaron Rodgers rolled to his right and had an open A.J. Dillon in the end zone but the off schedule play was off target and Mason Crosby had to kick a 22 yard field goal.
After the defense got a three and out, the Packers faced third and 1 at their own 32. Aaron Jones got stuffed for no gain and on 4th down, LaFleur gambled and lost. A handoff to a motioning Lazard to the left was read perfectly by Alex Anzalone who dropped him in the backfield. The defense dug in again and forced Detroit to settle for Michael Badgley’s 37 yard field goal for a 3-3 tie.
Green Bay again marched to the Detroit 20 but Aidan Hutchinson sacked Rodgers for 11 on third down which brought out Crosby for a 49 yard kick. The same things happened on the next series, a third down Hutchinson sack which led to Yosh Nijman’s benching in favor of Zach Tom at right tackle, and a 48 yard field goal for a 9-3 advantage.
The Lions got tricky with a flea flicker to rookie Jameson Williams that covered 66 yards for a touchdown but the play was called back on a holding penalty. Rookie Devante Wyatt sacked Jared Goff and knocked the ball loose but it bounced right back to the quarterback but Detroit still got into position for another Badgley kick. His 46 yard try drifted wide left.
Given great field position, the offense reached the Detroit 32 when Aaron Jones caught a wide screen, found room up the left sideline and then got the ball punched out. Will Harris recovered the 5th fumble of the season from Jones at the Detroit 14 with 1:16 left in the half. The Lions got into position for Badgley to try again from 48 when the Packers tried to ice him with a time out. Rasul Douglas made sure the ball wasn’t going to get snapped and walked through the lineman to try and pick it up and got flagged for a personal foul penalty that moved Detroit to the 15 and Badgley connected on the 33 yard try to end the half with a 9-6 Green Bay lead.
In need of a stop and a score to open the third quarter, the defense produced the stop but the crossbar denied the score. Mason Crosby’s 53 yard try bounced off the metal and back into the end zone.
The Lions would grab their first lead in three plays. Jamaal Williams ripped off a 13 yard run. Goff then rolled wide left and hit Kalif Raymond on a deep corner route to the right side behind safety Rudy Ford for a 43 yard gain to the one. The former Packer running back finished it off with a walk in, one yard TD run to make it 13-9. The lead didn’t last long as Christian Watson fought through a pass interference flag on Amani Oruwariye by somehow pulling in a remarkable 45 yard catch. Two plays later, Rodgers found Lazard crossing the back on the end line for a 13 yard score and a 16-13 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Detroit marched 75 yards in 13 plays in just over 8 minutes with Williams again finishing it off with a one yard run. It was his 17th rushing touchdown of the year which broke the franchise record held by Hall of Famer Barry Sanders. It was on this series that rookie Quay Walker’s season ended prematurely with one of the most inexplicable unsportsmanlike penalties I’ve ever seen. D’Andre Swift picked up just two yards on first and 10 from the 11 but stayed down with an injury. When a Detroit trainer came to his aid and brushed Walker to get near Swift, Walker shoved the trainer in the back with two hands. The penalty moved the ball to the five and just before the next snap, the officials conferred again and determined this offense warranted a game ejection. It was the second time Walker had been disqualified from a game this year.
Now trailing with under six minutes to play, Rodgers tried another deep shot to Watson. But with a pass rusher bearing down on what LaFleur called a protection bust, the ball stayed airborne long enough for Kerby Joseph to chase it down for an interception with a 23 yard return. It was the 12th pick of the year thrown by Rodgers, four have come against Detroit and Joseph became the first player to pick him three times in one season.
The Lions fed Williams again to pick up two first downs and force the Packers to burn all three timeouts. Hit with a holding call, Detroit pulled out a hook and ladder play that turned 2nd and 17 into third and three at the 2 minute warning. After Williams was held short by a yard, Dan Campbell wasn’t about to kick another field goal and give Rodgers even a minute to work with. A 4th and 1 quick shot to Amon-Ra St. Brown gained 8 and Goff took a knee to finish off the Packers.
By the numbers, Detroit outgained Green Bay 323-291. Goff finished 23 of 34 for 224 yards, no touchdowns, but no mistakes either, he hasn’t thrown an interception since the first Packer game. Williams was outstanding against his old team, pounding out 72 yards on 16 carries with the two scores. He finished the year with 1066 yards and those 17 touchdowns, saying he played with a heavy heart, thinking about his father and great-grandfather who passes away during the year.
Swift was the top receiver with 7 catches for 61 yards.
Green Bay’s leading rusher was Aaron Jones with 48 yards on 12 carries, a long rush of 17. Dillon gained 33 yards on 9 attempts. Watson had several touches early on sweeps and grabs and finished with 5 receptions for 104 yards. As for Rodgers? He was 17 of 27 for 205 yards, one score and one pick, getting sacked twice, good for a rating of 83.1. Pedestrian numbers again from the four time MVP in a game that meant so much to the team. And the inevitable talk of ’23 dominated his post-game press conference. Was it his last at Lambeau Field? Rodgers said he wants to take some time to reflect, he doesn’t plan to leave the franchise hanging into free agency and the draft coming in March and April but he also wants to find out how much the organization wants him back. LaFleur expects a return but admits the decision is the quarterback’s. Rodgers said a lot of factors will be in play;
Aaron Rodgers leaves the post-game podium. For the last time?
Rodgers is also mindful several other long tenured, higher priced veterans (Mason Crosby, Marcedes Lewis, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos, Allen Lazard) might not be back if the Packers want to move in a younger direction. Rodgers walked arm in arm up the tunnel with Randall Cobb who didn’t want to consider the possibilities.
The inactive players were Shemar Jean-Charles, Rasheed Walker, Caleb Jones, Bo Melton and Jonathan Ford.
Prior to kickoff, the Packers asked for a moment of silence to salute the fight of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin who suffered cardiac arrest last Monday in Cincinnati where he continues his remarkable but still lengthy recovery. The team also outlined the “3” at the 30 yard lines in blue to pay tribute to the 24 year old.
Titletown tribute to Hamlin.
Expectations were awfully high when the season began, where they should always be for the NFL’s winningest and most decorated franchise, but the hurt seen on the faces of the players and coaches in the locker room, not to mention the 78,000 plus in attendance heading for home, is only going to deepen as the Green Bay Packers may be about to undergo a seismic transition in personnel and direction before the 2023 season kicks off.
