On August 28, 2025, the Green Bay Packers found a level of hope they hadn’t experienced since their run to the 2020 NFC Championship Game.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst made a blockbuster trade for star pass rusher, Micah Parsons. The missing piece to the Packers championship dreams had been delivered.
Almost overnight, the Packers became one of the NFL’s biggest headlines. Analysts and fans alike began labeling them Super Bowl contenders, with some even calling them favorites.
Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love appeared to have all the tools necessary to lead a high-powered offense. Meanwhile, Parsons gave former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley a game changing weapon.
When Micah Parsons tore his ACL, it marked the beginning of a nightmare for Green Bay. The Packers were in control of the game versus the Broncos. However, once Zach Bako-Bewele and Parsons went down to injury, the mental hurdle was too much to overcome.
Since the Broncos game, the decline of the Packers happened rapidly. However, the team reached a new low on Thursday night.
In the primetime home opener, the Falcons cruised to a 35-14 victory led by the run game of Bijan Robinson.
In hindsight, the win over the Jets looks less like a turning point and more like a temporary Band-Aid to stop the bleeding.
If the offensive line doesn’t improve quickly, it’s safe to wonder whether Love can withstand another fourteen games from all of the hits he has taken.
Who is to blame for this spiral that continues to get more out of control? Is there even any hope for a turnaround?
Where do the Packers Go from Here?
For the first time since 2018, you could say that the Packers have reached a full-blown crisis. The franchise is never one to overreact, and when extending Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst, Ed Policy focused on the entire body of work.
However, in LaFleur’s entire body of work there are plenty of losses that look the exact same. Sure, the team collapsed in the playoffs against the Bears, but this is far from one instance.
Losing against the Bears in the playoffs is one thing, but losing after being up 21-3, is simply inexcusable. You can look at many of the errors and point it to coaching and players not being prepared.
It is fair to wonder if Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur are a good match in building a team together. Gutekunst has focused on drafting and developing, the Packer way. However, LaFleur thrives on having all of the finished products to design plays around.
There is plenty of blame to go around. It is on Gutekunst for completely missing on Aaron Banks as a signing and his recent offensive line draft picks. It is also on the coaching staff for not taking the players given to them and setting them up for success.
Jordan Love is missing uncharacteristic throws but is terrified behind the offensive line. His receivers are once again suffering from drops. The run game doesn’t exist. The recipe for a solid offense cannot be found because there is no offensive line.
The love for LaFleur has run out with the fanbase. The patience for Gutekunst is gone, and Policy’s first decision on signing both to extensions is polarizing.
“We knew if we continued to take them to deep waters, they would drown.” These were the words of Robert Saleh with the New York Jets in 2022. LaFleur and Saleh are best friends, and this is how he viewed his coaching and teams’ mental toughness.
This is a sentence I have never forgotten during LaFleur’s coaching tenure. It is a glaring indictment of the continuous woes.
Next on the schedule is the Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield just went down to injury behind an offensive line that could not protect him.
If Green Bay isn’t careful, Jordan Love will end up like Mayfield on Sunday. Losing Love to injury is a serious fear many have, as confidence slips away.
Despite everything, some hope remains. It is only week three, and there can be a turn around. Hopefully, the spiral will take a different turn right back into blind optimism.
