Who watched the San Francisco 49ers gut out a win in Philadelphia in the Wild Card round? How about the Buffalo Bills with a late score to take out the Jacksonville Jaguars? The Los Angeles Rams did the same against the Carolina Panthers.
Sure, all three games featured mistakes, turnovers, and bad penalties. Still, no other team suffered such a total collapse as the Green Bay Packers. After seeing the Packers repeatedly fall apart late in games, why can't they lose in a normal fashion?
Four days before Christmas, the Packers led the Chicago Bears 13-3 with 11 minutes to go. It wasn’t a layup considering the time remaining, but it was a spot you feel pretty comfortable in. However, that was before the offensive sputter, the defensive buckling, and a special teams calamity during an onside kick.
Fast forward just a few weeks later, and the Packers had their chance for revenge in Chicago. Leading 21-3 at halftime, you have to be feeling really good about things. Leading 21-6 entering the fourth, the vibes should be just as strong. And yet…
Time and again, Green Bay teams led by Matt LaFleur take their foot off the gas after building leads. Leading 21-3 at the break, the Packers got the ball to start the third quarter. Their next four drives ended with punter Daniel Whelan jogging onto the field.
Everyone remembers the 2014 NFC Championship game in Seattle. Nobody can forget San Francisco's blocked punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the 2021 Divisional Round. The 2023 Divisional Round on the road against San Francisco was equally as painful.
In all three, the Packers built leads, held them late, and then rolled over for the opposition. These Packers teams don't just allow the opponent to sneak back into the game. They open the door, invite them inside, give them the combination to the safe, and let them run out with all the valuables.
Teams lose games. Teams lose in the playoffs. However, the Packers defy the odds in the way they lose.
How mind-numbing is this stat? Per ESPN Insights, since the merger in 1970, the Packers were 306-1 in games where they led by double digits with 5 or fewer minutes remaining. This year, the Packers lost three such games.
The locker room reaction after Saturday's embarrassing collapse? Shockingly, shocked. But why was that the case? Losing in this fashion was nothing new, despite players sounding dumbfounded that it could happen yet again.
"I don't even have any words, man," wide receiver Jayden Reed said. "I really don't."
Many shared the same sentiment. Perhaps the most revealing statement came from linebacker Quay Walker, who sounded like he just chugged some truth serum before talking about another implosion by the Packers.
This was the painfully poetic way for Green Bay's season to end. The Packers built a big lead, got conservative, got lost in the fight, created unnecessary chaos, shot themselves in the foot repeatedly, and ultimately got defeated.
It was unbelievable. Yet, for the Packers, it was totally believable.
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