New year, same Green Bay Packers.
That was the story on Sunday in Matt LaFleur’s eighth season opener as head coach, and it looked painfully familiar. Green Bay built a lead, then watched it disappear in a 39-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, a game that once sat at 22-10 before the Packers unraveled.
It came on the heels of last January’s wild-card collapse against the Chicago Bears, when Green Bay blew a 15-point advantage. This time, the margin was smaller, but the script felt just as harsh: a division rival, a second-half fade and another finish the Packers could not control.
The early portion of the game suggested Green Bay might have something working. The offense moved with purpose, and per Sumer Sports data, the Packers averaged 0.39 expected points added per pass play while throwing for 199 yards. Jordan Love handled Minnesota’s pressure well, going 8-of-16 for 189 yards against defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz looks.
Then came the second half, and with it the same old problems.
Minnesota adjusted, and LaFleur did not have answers. Green Bay’s offense grew easier to read as the game wore on, especially out of 11 personnel.
In the first half, the Packers called pass plays on 11 of 13 snaps in that grouping. After halftime, it became even more lopsided, with 16 pass attempts and only one rushing attempt from 11 personnel.
The contrast in multi-tight end sets was the other side of the coin. In those looks, Green Bay ran the ball 11 times and threw just five passes.
The bigger issue was that the Packers never found a way to stay ahead of Minnesota’s defensive front. LaFleur’s second-half play-calling lacked answers, and the offensive line could not consistently handle the Vikings’ aggression. Together, those issues helped turn a promising start into Green Bay’s second straight collapse.
After the game, LaFleur addressed the team’s growing reputation for failing to finish, saying, "It's gonna be a topic of conversation for all you guys until we do it."
The numbers behind the problem are hard to ignore. Per the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow, including a Week 16 loss to the Chicago Bears last season when Green Bay squandered a 16-6 fourth-quarter lead, the Packers have now blown as many double-digit second-half leads against divisional opponents in their past five games, including the playoffs, as they had from Nov.
21, 1983-Dec. 19, 2025.
For Green Bay, the issue is no longer a one-game stumble. It’s starting to look like a defining flaw of the LaFleur era.
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Vikings Backup Decision Just Changed Everything In Green Bay
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Wentz responded by helping turn a difficult start into a 39-22 comeback win in Green Bay, settling in quickly and finding Justin Jefferson for multiple scores. He finished 12 of 19 for 133 yards and three touchdowns, a performance that did more than steady the Vikings for one afternoon. It also gave Minnesota a backup situation that now looks a lot more consequential than it did when camp ended. [Read more 🡒]