So… you know that feeling when you get dumped, then you get fired, then your dog dies, and then you look up and realize you still have to go to work tomorrow and smile at people? Yeah. That’s Sunday.
Because the Green Bay Packers — YOUR Green Bay Packers — walked into Soldier Field with a 21–3 halftime lead in a playoff game against their biggest rival… and somehow walked out with a 31–27 season-ending loss that felt like getting stuffed into a locker by the Chicago Bears while their fans take turns yelling “SAME OLD PACKERS” into your soul.
And no — before anyone tries it — this isn’t one of those “well, you know, injuries…” podcasts. Miss me with that completely. If you’re healthy enough to build a 21–3 lead, then you’re healthy enough to finish the damn game. San Francisco didn’t stop playing football because someone got dinged up. Neither did anybody else. This is the playoffs. Nobody’s handing out participation ribbons. And what Green Bay did in the second half was the exact opposite of playoff football.
In this episode, Lemps comes to you from the basement Packer room in Milwaukee to do what this game demands: pin this loss squarely where it belongs — on Matt LaFleur. Not because Matt missed a kick. Not because Matt committed a penalty. Not because Matt plays corner or defensive line. But because every single LaFleur-era disease we’ve been living with — and screaming about — for years came roaring back all at once in the most humiliating way possible.
You get the full autopsy:
The second-half turtle mode after a brilliant first half — “all gas, no brakes” turning into “all fear, all punts.”
The maddening obsession with running the ball straight into a wall while the game shifts under his feet.
The inability to adjust quickly when the Bears start bringing pressure and playing like a team that actually wants to win.
Shotgun-heavy nonsense that kills your play-action identity and makes life harder on your quarterback for no reason.
And then… the game management. The timeouts. The penalties. The sloppiness in the biggest moments. The “how is this still happening in YEAR SEVEN?” stuff that makes you want to throw your remote into Lake Michigan and then apologize to the lake.
Lemps also goes hard on the bigger theme: culture. The Packers didn’t just lose a game — they lost the exact kind of game that exposes what a team is made of. When things got tight, when Chicago punched back, when the moment demanded composure and toughness and killer instinct… Green Bay folded. Again. And when LaFleur says after the game “we need to keep our composure”… Lemps explains why that starts with the head coach. Teams reflect their coach. And if you keep watching the same movie, you keep getting the same ending.
This one’s bitter. It’s sharp. It’s exhausted. It’s angry. It’s also painfully familiar — because we’ve seen this exact collapse before in different jerseys, different years, different stadiums… with the same guy holding the clipboard.
And then, because Lemps is a man of the people (and because misery loves company), we crack open a small sampling of listener questions/comments — including coaching candidates, the GM conversation, and what the hell comes next if/when Ed Policy decides to finally make the call that a whole lot of Packer fans are screaming for.
If you’re furious, you’re not alone.
If you’re numb, you’re not alone.
If you live in Chicago and you’re about to hear about this for six to eight months, God help you, and Lemps is pouring one out in your honor.
Buckle up. This one isn’t “fun.”
This one is necessary.
Support the show
- Website: Lempstalkinpack.com
- Subscribe/Rate/Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify & iHeart
- Tip jar: Venmo & PayPal links on the site (help fund the victory brews!)
You can follow Chris on twitter at LempsMKE (@ItsJustChrisNow)
LempsTalkinPack is a part of the Packers Talk family of podcasts, serving up five distinct podcasts to satisfy the most fervent of Packer fans. Variety is the spice of life, so subscribe to Packers Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Packers Talk on Twitter and Facebook.
.
You can follow Chris on twitter at LempsMKE (@ItsJustChrisNow)
LempsTalkinPack is a part of the Packers Talk family of podcasts, serving up five distinct podcasts to satisfy the most fervent of Packer fans. Variety is the spice of life, so subscribe to Packers Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Packers Talk on Twitter and Facebook.
——————
Follow Packers Talk Radio Network:
Follow @PackersTalkNet
——————
