Hopefully this will pay off at some point

Leandro from Lexington, Kentucky

It feels like the only way to start this inbox is to talk about the first play of the game. I certainly didn’t give up hope, but it was impossible to ignore the sneaking suspicion that we’d seen this movie before.

This is threatening, especially on the street.

Micki from Sturgeon Bay, WI

Well, we limped into the playoffs and left in the ambulance. Not an ideal end to the season.

Whelp, they were the team I thought they were based on what the season showed. I guess they were consistent, but it was frustrating that they made so many mistakes so late. I went into last offseason with a lot of hope, but right now that’s not the case. At least we will recruit more than half of the division, and I know hope will rise again.

It will. Always does that. But as I once again write the End of Season Inbox column, I remember how many people thought I was too down after last year’s playoff loss when the future seemed so bright. But I knew it was a huge opportunity that was missed and there’s no guarantee you’ll get such good opportunities again. This year is proof of that. The opportunity never came for an endless list of reasons, even though everyone hoped it would soon be within reach, including me. There is simply no substitute for being healthy and consistently playing good football. These Packers were the opposite, and while the result is disappointing, I still regret it more. We all know what it looks like, and this year it never looked like it needed to.

I have to say that the Eagles defense is the best I have seen since the 2019 49ers. Still, I think our defense played well enough to win the game. However, with all the injuries there was no way we could have been successful next week against the Lions. That fumble on the opening kickoff certainly stopped the fast start we needed, but if you had told me with three turnovers and a missed FG that we would only be down six points in the fourth quarter, I would have taken it. Thoughts?

The Packers defense played well enough to win, especially against this offense. This unit deserves a lot of credit and I believe the defense is in good hands moving forward. However, it is certainly disappointing that after so many years of wanting to see great postseason performances from the defense, two of the last three playoff exits (SF in 2021 was the other) came while the defense was doing its job and the In the other two phases there were only serious disappointments.

I’m confused about the opening kickoff fumble decision. The replay revealed that Keisean Nixon first recovered the ball and was then contacted by an Eagles player diving for the ball. That was pretty obvious, I thought, from the overhead camera angle. Therefore he should have been down at that time. Game over, Packers ball, right? What am I missing? This game had a massive impact on the development of the ball game.

That was true, and LaFleur mentioned that all the Green Bay coaches upstairs who were watching the television replays thought the Packers would get the ball. It has to be a bit embarrassing for the league to review the game, see a devastating helmet shot that wasn’t scored, and then act like the recovery was the only thing that mattered. But safety rules, verifiable, blah blah blah, you all know my opinion. I digress. Nobody cares.

Steve from Land O’Lakes, FL

As bad as things went from the first whistle, I always thought we had a chance the whole game. It felt much better than the previous two games. Did you feel like we were still the better team despite the score?

Not at all. Not even close. The Packers made numerous mistakes on offense and special teams. The Eagles committed a few penalties, but didn’t have any mistakes nearly as bad as Green Bay’s. They surrendered the third and final spot knowing that all they had to do was avoid mistakes and they would win.

Overall, the Packers got what they deserved this year. What bothers me is the lack of physicality over the years in Green Bay. They appear to be a sophisticated team that can win enough games to get into the playoffs, but can’t get where they need to go. Do you think there needs to be more smashmouth football in the playoffs? I feel like we got beaten up by the playground bully tonight. The Eagles just hit us harder than we hit them.

Philly definitely won the physical battle, but I thought this Packers team had a much more physical component than many over the years. Green Bay ran the ball and stopped the run better than they have in a long time. This requires physicality, and lots of it. Philly had more of it. There’s no denying that, and I expect the Eagles to be playing for the NFC title in two weeks. But this Packers team wasn’t of the same quality as many others.

Jonathan from St. Joseph, MO

I don’t want to hear anything about the officials. The difference in the game was that the Eagles played tough, physical football and the Packers didn’t. I would even say that this is due to some of our injuries. Did you see that, Mike?

The Eagles did it, and they seemed like a team with something to prove after suffering a late collapse last year that left everyone wondering where they were going. Maybe next year it will be the Packers.