At what point do we let the Packers NFC Championship loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go?

This is the question I’ve been asking myself since it happened over two weeks ago. Now, with the Super Bowl over and done with – and the Buccaneers proving themselves as the best team in football – shouldn’t it be time to start talking about the offseason?

Not yet. Let me hang on a little longer.

There’s plenty of highlights to this season, (Aaron Rodgers wins MVP, Packers earn the No. 1 seed and win NFC North again) but I’ll take you to a few games that I really loved to jog your memory.

Let’s not forget how much of a positive thing Green Bay’s season was.

Packers earn road victory over New Orleans

We all thought we knew what this team was capable of doing this season after dropping 85 points in the first two victories of the season against Minnesota and Detroit. But the big test was taking the show on the road to New Orleans.

The Packers had no trouble dealing with the Saints in the Super Dome, earning a 37-30 victory over the men in black.

What the win also proved is that the offense had playmakers outside of Davante Adams that could produce throughout the season. With Adams sidelined due to injury, Allen Lazard had his best game, catching six balls for 146 yards and a touchdown.

This game gave Packer fans true hope that this team could be special.

Rodgers, Adams go off at San Francisco

After two painful losses a season ago at San Francisco, including the NFC Championship game, the Packers had this game circled on their schedule.

Green Bay went on the road and dominated from start to finish in a 34-17 win on Thursday Night Football. Aaron Rodgers threw for 300-plus yards, while Davante went for 10 catches, 173 yards and a touchdown.

Sure, the 49ers were down many of their starters, and obviously weren’t the same team from a season ago. However, it felt nice to watch the Packers play on the field where they were embarrassed a season ago – but this time, the roles were reversed.

Packers win six-in-a-row, close out season

After a painful overtime loss to Indianapolis, the Packers needed to elevate their play in order to get the season’s goals accomplished.

Green Bay did just that, rattling off six wins in a row to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC and earn the organization’s second NFC North championship in a row. Along the way, the Packers dominated the Bears (twice) and beat up on a playoff-caliber Tennessee team at snowy Lambeau Field.

The win streak was exactly what the team needed in order to head into the playoffs with some strong momentum.

Obviously, the Packers fell short of the ultimate goal of reaching the Super Bowl. But this season wasn’t a waste. It provided many moments of excitement, and more good than bad. I’m already excited for next year.

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Gunnar Davis is a lifelong Packers fan and a recent graduate of Simpson College, where he was a 3-year letterwinner on the offensive line and graduated with a degree in multimedia communications. You can follow him on Twitter at @Gunnar57Davis.

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