The Green Bay Packers have stumbled down the stretch during the last two seasons. While they cannot answer whether it will happen until the season starts, the ability to overcome last season’s collapses is one of the biggest storylines following the team this season, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
“While there’s not a specific drill to learn how to finish out games the right way, LaFleur tried to instill a mindset by making sure every workout and every practice was completed with the same intensity that it started with and tried to drill that into the players’ minds,” wrote Demovsky.
In 2024, the Packers were 11-4 and were fighting in one of the tougher division battles in the NFL. However, they lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17, setting up a meaningless Week 18 game that they also lost. Then, the team lost in the Wild Card, making it a 0-3 finish to the year
It got worse in 2025. The Packers were 9-3-1 when their collapse started. They lost a heartbreaking game to the Denver Broncos, followed by a blown lead to the Chicago Bears.
They were blown out by the Baltimore Ravens. Then, they lost a meaningless Week 18 game before the Bears came back on them once again in the Wild Card. So, the Packers finished that season with five straight losses.
Now that it has happened for two straight years, it is going to linger over the team.
The Green Bay Packers Must Avoid a Late-Season Collapse
GettyHead coach Matt LaFleur talks with the media before the Green Bay Packers mandatory minicamp
Some of the reasons for the collapse in 2025 can be explained. The team started to fall apart due to injuries. They lost Micah Parsons, Devonte Wyatt, Zach Tom, and Tucker Kraft all within a couple of weeks. They lost a couple of them in the loss to the Broncos that started the spiral out of the playoffs.
The good news is that most of the names will be back. They are all currently recovering from their injuries, but aside from Parsons, the team should be healthy for Week 1 of this season. If they can stay healthy this year, things might end better.
Packers Will Be Fighting For a Playoff Spot in 2026
Perhaps a better scenario for the Packers will be a team that starts slow due to the injuries. Then, they have to fight back into the playoffs and not worry about blowing a strong record.
The Packers’ best playoff success with Jordan Love came in 2023. That team started 2-5 and finished on a 7-3 run to sneak into the playoffs. They won their final three games and took that momentum into a playoff win.
Considering Parsons is not healthy, this could end up being the case for the 2026 Packers as well. This year, they could start off unhealthy, but if Parsons is back by the halfway point, they will be in midseason form by the playoffs.
While this could be the best case for the Packers, it would also not answer the question of avoiding a late-season collapse. The team holding a strong record throughout the year might not happen for what would be a fourth straight season.
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