As soul-crushing as it was for Green Bay Packers fans to watch control of the NFC North slip through Romeo Doubs’ fingers Dec. 20 against the rival Chicago Bears, it’s not the first time they’ve witnessed a fourth-quarter collapse on the road this season. The Packers also lost a 10-point lead late in the game to the 3-12 Cleveland Browns.
Those two probable victories that turned into sudden defeats are among the reasons the Green Bay is just the No. 7 seed in the current NFC playoff field.
And while mounting injuries to critical players are a big reason why the national outlook on their postseason prospects have changed, the Packers also have a 2-4 record against teams currently in the postseason, including losses to NFC No. 2 Chicago, No. 3 Philadelphia and No. 4 Carolina.
Though the Packers will likely be playing more football next month, many national writers have logically dropped them out of the top 10 in NFL power rankings after the brutal losses to the Denver Broncos and the Bears, with most of them putting Green Bay at No. 12.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Packers stand in the power rankings and why they’re hard to trust against much of the field playing for a chance at the Super Bowl:
11. ESPN
Rob Demovsky said receiver Matthew Golden is the Packers’ rookie of the year, even if he hasn’t delivered game-changing plays:
“The only other candidate here would be second-round offensive tackle Anthony Belton, who has played slightly more snaps than Golden. Though the first-round pick hasn’t lived up to preseason expectations after his big plays in training camp, his 27 receptions for 341 yards provides hope that there’s more to come. He was the fourth receiver taken but is tied for eighth in receptions among pass catchers in his class. Injuries (three missed games) and a lack of opportunities have played a part. ‘I think we haven’t gotten him the ball enough this year,’ quarterback Jordan Love said recently.”
12. The Athletic
Chad Graff and Josh Kendall went with the obvious – that health continues to be an obvious concern for the Packers:
“Two games ago, the Packers lost Micah Parsons. Last week, they played their bitter rivals without quarterback Jordan Love in the second half because of a big hit that led to his concussion. When Green Bay is rolling, it has looked great, but this is a team that has had terrible injury luck this season.”
12. Bleacher Report
Gary Davenport outlined why he doesn’t think the Packers are true playoff contenders:
“Things are going sideways in Titletown. Not that long ago, the Packers were in first place and vying for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Now, after back-to-back losses to Denver and Chicago, their chances at the conference’s top seed are done. Their chances of winning the North aren’t far behind. Packers quarterback Jordan Love also exited Saturday’s loss with a concussion. Running back Josh Jacobs was clearly limited by an injured knee. The loss of edge-rusher Micah Parsons to a torn ACL against the Broncos has clearly affected a Green Bay pass rush that didn’t log a single sack. The Packers need just one win over the last two weeks of the season to clinch a postseason spot. But this team doesn’t look like a real threat in the NFC anymore.”
12. CBS Sports
Pete Prisco wondered if last week’s gut-wrenching defeat at Soldier Field will linger:
“Blowing the lead to the Bears the way they did has to be killing this team. Jordan Love’s health with the concussion is the big issue this week.”
12. NFL.com
Sure, injuries continue to be a problem, but what about those red-zone woes? Eric Edholm noted that they’ve plagued the Packers in their last two losses:
“It was nothing short of a demoralizing loss in Chicago. The Packers seemed to be in complete command, up 10 late in the fourth quarter, before eventually falling in overtime. And QB Jordan Love left the game with a concussion, making his status unclear for the final two weeks of the regular season. The division-title dreams aren’t completely dashed, but Chicago is now firmly in the captain’s chair. It’s easy to point to the slew of late-game errors — the face mask, the onside kick, the bomb TD in OT — as to why the Packers lost, but they also made their bed early in the game. A 16-6 lead should have been much larger, with the Packers coming up short in the red zone. They were 0-for-5 scoring touchdowns down there, including 0-for-3 in goal-to-go situations. They were stopped on downs on the opening drive at the Chicago 7-yard line and fumbled inside Chicago’s 5 in the third quarter. Those shortcomings ended up being just as damaging in the end.”
12. USA TODAY
Nate Davis said the whole next-man-up thing is tough to apply when looking at who often wasn’t on the field for the Packers:
“Helluva time to have their three most important players − DE Micah Parsons, QB Jordan Love and RB Josh Jacobs − hurt.”
12. Yahoo
Frank Schwab explained why the most recent Packers loss could be tough to shake off:
“If the Packers recover an onside kick, we’re talking about them beating the Bears on the road with their backup quarterback, and what a remarkable job Matt LaFleur did to guide the win. One bad break can change the entire narrative for a team, and in the Packers’ case, it changed the trajectory of their season. Green Bay is down to a 12.4% shot to win the NFC North, via DVOA. With little shot at the No. 5 seed, their most likely playoff path starts at Chicago or at Philadelphia, not against the much weaker NFC South champion. Blowing that game might haunt the Packers.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where are Packers in NFL power rankings heading into Ravens game?
