MINNEAPOLIS – The Packers took their fifth loss of the season Sunday, and all five losses have come to the top three teams in the NFC – Detroit twice, Philadelphia, and now Minnesota twice.
Nobody is hiding from the fact that the Packers will enter the playoffs in two weeks without the type of win that proves they can beat the best when it matters most.
But nobody is resigned to the fact that no such wins are possible. With the last two division losses, on the road to the Lions and Vikings, coming by a collective five points with both coming down to the game's last possession, the Packers know they're close.
They aren't there yet, but they still believe they can get there.
"Belief's there," QB Jordan Love said moments after his fourth-quarter rally fell short at U.S. Bank Stadium in a 27-25 final. "We know it wasn't good enough, in a lot of areas tonight. We got off to a very slow start.
"We just know what type of team we are. We know the guys we have in the locker room."
Slow starts have been the refrain in these big division games that have gone the wrong way.
Against the Lions, the Packers trailed 17-3 at halftime in the first game and 10-0 early on in the rematch.
Against the Vikings, it was 28-0 in the second quarter at Lambeau Field and then 20-3 – eventually 27-10 – in Sunday's second meeting in Minneapolis.
That's not going to cut it when the playoffs begin in two weeks, no matter who the opponent is, and the Packers know it.
If Green Bay falls to the No. 7 seed, it'll have to travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. If it's the No. 6, most likely Los Angeles and the Rams. Both teams have explosive offenses that can get any team on its heels in a hurry.
However the seeding shakes out, the Packers can't play from behind. Green Bay has proven to be a team that isn't suited to playing catch-up. The Packers have shown plenty of fight in rallying from multi-score deficits this season, but it's never been enough.
"I don't think we were at our best, but that's a credit to them with the slow start," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "I've got to be better and we've got to get better. We've got to move on and get some momentum."
How much momentum the Packers can actually generate playing their regular-season finale against a Bears team on a 10-game losing streak is debatable at best. Blowing out an overmatched Saints team six days ago for a two-game winning streak following the second loss to the Lions didn't do much come Sunday in the Vikings rematch.
So it'll come down to how they perform when it's truly win-or-go-home. It would help the Packers to get a little healthier, but the availability of starters like receiver Christian Watson, cornerback Jaire Alexander, safety Evan Williams, and linebacker Quay Walker, among others, isn't known just yet.
But the self-inflicted wounds and sloppy play are more concerning than the injuries, really. Perfect games aren't achievable – the Vikings certainly didn't play one – but one or two fewer mistakes could go a long way.
If there were just one to have back in this game, it might be the fourth-and-2 from the Minnesota 23-yard line in the second quarter with the Packers down just 7-3.
LaFleur decided to be aggressive and eschew the field goal, liking a play he had dialed up. But Love got to receiver Jayden Reed on a short crossing route late, and Reed couldn't haul in a low throw that he dove for. The ball could've been caught, and it also could've been thrown better.
That's the nature of the game, and Love emphasized afterward that the miscues are never just one person's fault.
"It's on everybody," he said. "There's not one guy it falls on."
Which also means it's on everybody to play sharper, cleaner football. Any team hopes it's closer to that point in late December than the Packers showed Sunday, but they know what's in front of them.
"Everybody has to be locked in to play their best game of the season," Love said regarding the upcoming playoffs. "It's no secret, we have to find ways to win these games on the road. That's going to be our reality."
Another reality is this team isn't giving up. It showed that on Sunday against a top-flight foe, once again, no matter how frustrating the familiar result was.
"I think there absolutely is a belief we can win one of these games," LaFleur said. "We've got to go do it, bottom line.
"It's going to be a tough road. But I think it's a challenge that we'll gladly accept."
