It’s more than safe to say that the Green Bay Packers were hoping to head into the playoffs on a better note, but their 37-30 loss to the hapless Detroit Lions was how the 18th game ultimately played out at Ford Field.
For the Packers, they utilized a combination of starters and reserves to get through the game, helping keep some of their regular players fresh and on a normal schedule, while also getting backups key playing time in a game that had no impact on the playoff seeding, as the Packers had already clinched the NFC’s top spot.
Offensive tackle David Bakhtiari and center Josh Myers both returned to the field on Sunday, two much-needed additions for the Packers as they head into the postseason. Both players looked solid in their returns, helping shore up an area that of the Green Bay lineup that has been decimated at times by injuries.
Aaron Rodgers started the game and played only in the first half, throwing for 138 yards and 2 TDs, both to Allen Lazard. Davante Adams was able to set the Green Bay all-time record for receiving yards in a season Sunday with a little help from Rodgers, as he finished this season with 123 receptions for 1,553 yards and 11 TDs.
Adams had six receptions for 55 yards, a healthy number for not having played the entire game. Lazard hauled in five receptions for 75 yards and his two scores, Josiah Deguara caught a long TD from Jordan Love, and the duo of AJ Dillon and Patrick Taylor combined for 25 carries for 116 yards and a score that went to Taylor.
Love’s day was rocky, as his 10/17 for 134 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions shows. Essentially playing mop-up duty in the second half, Love’s decision-making process was quite up and down, missing targets and ultimately having poor ball placement that led to the two turnovers.
Defensively, allowing a now-three win team to put up 20 points in the second half is a rough look for one of the league’s better units. Only sacking Jared Goff once and allowing over 300 total passing yards from one of the league’s worst offenses is not necessarily something for this unit to hang its hat on moving forward.
With the NFC playoff slate set, the Packers comfortably can sit back and enjoy their upcoming bye week, but with an eye towards the rest of the competitive NFC postseason opponents, the Packers will be hard-pressed to continue their regular-season success into the postseason, an accomplishment they were far from achieving on Sunday.
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Mike Johrendt has been an avid fan of the Packers ever since he can remember. He is now a writer at PackersTalk and you can follow him on Twitter at @MJohrendt23
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