Cory's Corner: The Packers Cannot Afford Any More Mistakes
If the Packers want to enter the playoffs, they have to erase the mistakes. Things like presnap penalties, turnovers and missed assignments on defense. Those are things that should be cleaned up in September, not December.
CHICAGO — I don’t know how good the Bears are and more importantly, I still don’t know how good the Packers are.
The Packers outplayed the Bears for the majority of the game on Saturday night but Chicago still pulled a rabbit out of their hats with an improbable 22-16 overtime win at Soldier Field.
It would’ve been a great story for Green Bay because Malik Willis came in for Jordan Love, who was taken out of the game with a concussion. Willis was a calm 9-for-11 for 121 yards and a perfect 33-yard touchdown to Romeo Doubs late in the third quarter. He also ran for three first downs by totaling 44 rushing yards with a passer rating of 142.8.
Willis, 26, could easily start on at least five NFL teams thanks to his dual threat capabilities. With a 17-game schedule, a backup quarterback is very important and bringing Willis back this year meant a lot.
The problem is, where do the Packers go from here? Love is in concussion protocol after absorbing a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit from Bears defensive end Austin Booker. And Willis is dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder on the last offensive play from the Packers on Saturday.
With the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers already clinching playoff berths, that leaves the Packers (9-5-1), Lions (8-7), Panthers (8-7) and Buccaneers (7-8) fighting for the last spot in the NFC.
What’s amazing to me is that the Packers are in this spot to begin with. There was the dreadful 13-10 loss at Cleveland where Love made a bad decision late by throwing a pick. The following week, the Packers tied the Cowboys 40-40. I still want to know if the Packers win that game if not for a costly blocked extra point which led to two points for Dallas. Five weeks after that, the Packers were just five-for-13 on third down and they also lost two fumbles in a tough 10-7 loss to the Eagles.
Those are three examples of how miscues have led to three losses. Even if they had two of those, they could be 11-3-1 right now and would already be in the playoff field.
But now the Packers have to sweat it out because they have proven the entire season that they are living on the edge of dangerous and exciting. Every time Love winds up to throw a deep ball his feet are usually a tangled mess of tree roots and he usually lofts it way too high, which gives the defense time to catch up to it.
We are in late December and this team is still figuring itself out. The offensive line hasn’t been as promised and Josh Jacobs’ knee hasn’t gotten much better since the Giants game.
You really want to know what made me take notice of Love? It was his legs. He ran for 247 yards in 2023, notched only 83 in two less games in 2024 and this year he has 199 — unlikely to come close to it.
That is what made Willis such a force. The Bears had to respect his legs and when they did, he was able to throw it over the top.
However, with two banged up quarterbacks, it doesn’t look good in Green Bay. Sean Clifford looked terrible in the preseason. Putting him in games that actually matter would be a huge mistake.
A guy that intrigues me is Bailey Zappe. He throws a really good ball and is currently on the Browns practice squad. If Love and Willis cannot go on Saturday, then I think it’s worth it for the Packers general manager to inquire about Zappe. His intelligence and accuracy are some of his best traits — which led him to break FBS and FCS records at Western Kentucky for passing yards in a season. His biggest knock is that he doesn’t have a strong arm, but there are plenty of quarterbacks in the NFL right now that don’t have a strong arm.
Even if the Packers get in the playoffs, they would likely take on the Bears in Chicago. The Packers were without their top two defensive players on Saturday and the Bears leading rusher only had 58 yards. Despite all the talk for how Caleb Williams played on the final drive in regulation and overtime, he looked like a deer in headlights for three quarters by going 0-for-2 on third down and being ticketed with an intentional grounding penalty.
The Packers are in a tough spot right now with injuries all over the place. But even with all that, there is a glimmer of hope that they can still pull out wins.
They just cannot afford any more glaring mistakes.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (52)
dobber
December 23, 2025 at 06:56 am
"that leaves the Packers (9-5-1), Lions (8-7), Panthers (8-7) and Buccaneers (7-8) fighting for the last spot in the NFC."
No. Those teams are going for two spots.
One of Carolina or Tampa will win the NFC South. Barring ties, whichever team loses the division will fall out of the WC race.
It's four teams competing for two separate spots.
"Sean Clifford looked terrible in the preseason. Putting him in games that actually matter would be a huge mistake. ...A guy that intrigues me is Bailey Zappe."
Both are currently on practice squads and they'd have to go directly on the Packers' 53 and get 3 game checks. You'd have to ask if either gives you a better chance to win than Clayton Tune, who is currently on the Packers' practice squad and can be elevated for game day (it's almost guaranteed he will be this week). It's already Tuesday on a Saturday game week and while Clifford has experience in the Packers' system but was bad, Zappe does not. At this point, the Packers are rolling with the guys already in the locker room.
Another page of word soup.
SicSemperTyrannis
December 23, 2025 at 08:07 am
JL10's status truly won't be known until game day.. It's very possible he could be ready to go, and 100%. Some concussions take 2 or even 3 missed games to recover.
Hopefully #2 isn't seriously hurt, has there been any update?
dobber
December 23, 2025 at 08:51 am
If he's in the concussion protocol, we'll likely know Love's status on Friday.
marpag1
December 23, 2025 at 12:01 pm
Word soup????? But it says bad play is... y'know... bad. Are you not enlightened?
stockholder
December 23, 2025 at 06:58 am
The Bears still suck- Their not good.
Some suggested there was a divine intervention.
That the “DA Pope” Bear shirts changed the Windy City.
In Rivalries it’s said;
The horse is preparing for battle, but victory comes from the Lord.
The problem isn’t where the packers go.
It’s about spiritual blindness.
A military chaplain is my solution.
Blessings before battle often involve
prayers for protection, strength, and just victory.
The biggest mistake is not putting one on MLFs staff.
TKWorldWide
December 23, 2025 at 07:08 am
Are you playing four dimensional chess?😉🏈
egbertsouse
December 23, 2025 at 07:20 am
With a couple of missing pieces.
Cheezehead72
December 23, 2025 at 07:13 am
Would they play Sky Pilot before or after the blessing?
stockholder
December 23, 2025 at 07:53 am
No to the swan song.
SicSemperTyrannis
December 23, 2025 at 08:09 am
Chicago pope Pizzaballa prefers Mario Bros (probably)
T7Steve
December 23, 2025 at 07:07 am
The Bears had over 100 yards of penalties and still won thanks to a successful on-side kick. They played the whole game,
I feel horrible for Doubs, but why does this sort of thing always seem to happen to the Packers not the team they're facing?
This weekend they need to execute some blocking and run the ball. On D they better have a great plan to stop King Henry. The season comes down to this game if the Packers want to be the ones to control their own destiny.
Everyone sounds worried about the edge rushers, but I think the plan is for then to contain these mobile QBs first and foremost. The LBs need to get home if they're blitzing more than half the time.
Cheezehead72
December 23, 2025 at 07:16 am
Doubs mistake was he forgot his primary responsibility that was to secure the ball. He looked up right before securing the ball. Exactly why we do not know. This team needs to execute. They had so many opportunities to win this game and did not.
SicSemperTyrannis
December 23, 2025 at 08:13 am
This is true of every loss this season, and also the tie; so many opportunities to win. This Cinderella season ...
Meanwhile the 49's have 10 players on IR and the Lions 12, to our 8. We are not the most snake bitten team, but it sure would be nice to have one of our 2 best QBs able to play next game ...
BELIEVER
December 23, 2025 at 10:20 am
Doubs plays like he is worried of getting hit, if the fans can see that the coaches should be able to. He don’t return punts he fair catches them. Special teams suck, we lost the game again because of special teams. Don’t tell me one play doesn’t win or lose a game- that may be true with the offense or defense but not with special teams.
Brewcity_BearsFan
December 23, 2025 at 08:29 am
John Harbaugh has been plenty willing to stop "King Henry" himself. Latest example being this past Sunday night.
Henry was gashing New England, so naturally they kept him on the sidelines their final drive.
mjbrogno
December 23, 2025 at 07:08 am
Cory, I have to agree with you. Unfortunately, we poo poo the bed on the early games in the season. A win against the Ravens will not be easy but, it puts in the playoffs. I do not like to have other teams help but, a Vikings win on X-Mas puts us in the playoffs. I’m looking forward to a potential playoff game against the Bears. We just have to make sure that our secondary knows who to cover, that might be an impossible task. The Bears still suck!!!
murf7777
December 23, 2025 at 07:40 am
I agree, get into the playoffs and hopefully we get to play the Bears whether at Lambeau or what ever their field is called!
Cheezehead72
December 23, 2025 at 07:11 am
Cory I will not disagree that Zappe is a good QB and might help but they can sign Taylor Heinicke to the PS as he is a FA. They sign Taylor to the PS and wait and see if they need him If they steal Zappe they have to sign him to the 53 for 3 weeks. I would rather they steal Mercedes Lewis from Denver's PS. He can come in and help right away.
Strat
December 23, 2025 at 11:06 am
I was thinking the same thing with Heinicke. We've seen the guy step into a situation like this before and do well. He'll take what is there and move the chains. I'd have confidence in him to give the Packers a decent chance.
EricTorkelson
December 23, 2025 at 07:18 am
Where do we go from here... I have a feeling Love will be under center against the ravens, I was impressed if not surprised with the play of the defense against Bears. B Cox, LVN, J Riley, Hobbs players who have not played or did not play for the Packers showed up and righted the ship. B Sorrell, W Brinson ( forget about the facemask ) add to the list and are ascending players. All of a sudden there appears to be more physicality on the defense not to mention our linebacker play there feeling it. So it will probably come down to the offence the play calling the execution and off course our special teams ( hold your breath )
Cheezehead72
December 23, 2025 at 07:29 am
I believe Willis will be under center for the Ravens game. The median time missed for a concussion is 9 days where the mean is 15 days. Remember the mean is skewed by higher numbers so the median is the best estimate.
EricTorkelson
December 23, 2025 at 07:49 am
Got it Cheeze, I am wondering if GB uses or has a Hyperbaric Oxygen machine, for concussions they always seem to posses state of the art healing equipment ?
Cheezehead72
December 23, 2025 at 08:11 am
There is nothing that can be done to aid in the recovery from a concussion that I know of other than rest and time. Much like being drunk. But I am not a doctor and do not pretend to be one.
SicSemperTyrannis
December 23, 2025 at 08:20 am
No statistic is relevant to recovery time for any individual concussion. Whether any treatment might actually help might lack good research while the answer is right there waiting.
Meanwhile all the rule changes with no adjustment to the # allowed on the roster seems like lunacy.
SicSemperTyrannis
December 23, 2025 at 08:16 am
Autocorrect sometimes gets it right: off course special teams. Yes they are!
EricTorkelson
December 23, 2025 at 01:37 pm
Thumbs up
Houndog
December 23, 2025 at 08:43 am
Tork,
As you mentioned the linebacker play, the Packers have activated Collin Oliver to take Fitzpatrick's roster spot.
Not sure if he's really ready to play, but if he is, it'd be nice if he comes in 'As Advertised'.
Savage57
December 23, 2025 at 07:21 am
After two consecutive bed shittings, this team is either going to show up against the Ravens and atone for its errors, or they're going to turn a coincidence into a trend.
Either way, the season's going to be defined in this game.
T7Steve
December 23, 2025 at 08:14 am
The only thing that's has kept the Ls from being Ws the last two games is field goals instead of TDs. Whatever happened to the most efficient offense in the red zone?
SicSemperTyrannis
December 23, 2025 at 08:21 am
Don't forget about the trips to the red zone with 0 points, those have contributed, too ...
T7Steve
December 23, 2025 at 08:36 am
Yes. I figured that went without saying.
crayzpackfan
December 23, 2025 at 08:48 am
Red Zone offense has been ML'effed. He avoids creative passing in the RZ as well as the middle of the end zone. He doesn't roll the QB out or try anything unique with the TE's. Shotgun handoffs are his go to. When the field shrinks, so does MLF's creativity and courage. Scoring in the RZ is hard enough in this league, but when your HC/OC handicaps it by going into a shell, it becomes almost impossible to get 6 out of it.
Houndog
December 23, 2025 at 08:48 am
I wish there was an answer to your question, Steve, but to me you've just raised another!
After watching last night's 49er's/Colts game, if MLF is really from the Shanahan 'coaching tree', WTF was he, a Ball Boy?
HawkPacker
December 23, 2025 at 09:23 am
Nice dog! Myself, I thought MLF and the coaches coached their asses off. This was just bad luck that we lost this game and it hurts but sometimes it is what it is.
LeotisHarris
December 23, 2025 at 08:34 am
Some days it's best to peek into The Corner, wave, and keep on walking. Word soup, indeed.
Jordan will need to rest his bruised brain. Hopefully, Malik can lead us to a win over the equally as clusterf*cked Ravens. I'm with the send the Bears home in the playoffs crowd.
GPG
Houndog
December 23, 2025 at 08:57 am
I'm with you, Leotis!
Sending the Bears home in the playoffs would easily offset the win we just gifted them while taking that shit-eating smirk off Johnson's face at the same time!
Priceless!
HawkPacker
December 23, 2025 at 09:25 am
Yes, it would be great to see that pr*ck scowl.
Swisch
December 23, 2025 at 08:38 am
My biggest frustration is the presnap penalties and other stupid penalties -- mental errors.
Otherwise, while I want the offense to be careful with the ball, I'm not as concerned about a turnover here and there. It's not good to be too cautious.
Plus, in a way, not converting on third down is a turnover. A key for the Packers is moving the sticks.
As for the defense, let's hope they are working on being able to haul in those possible interceptions.
Overall, I think the Packers are playing good football. I like our coaches and players. Keep on keeping on.
Rather than getting discouraged, focus on cleaning things up and making improvements.
A couple of wins to finish the season, and the fans will get back to being overconfident. Not too high and not too low.
Finally, NFL careers are sadly short. Youth is fleeting. Life is poignantly a mixed bag. Treat the remaining games of the season as precious opportunities. Go all out!
BuckyBadger
December 23, 2025 at 09:03 am
The team isn't just figuring things out. That makes it sound like they weren't just top contenders 2 weeks ago entering the Denver game. The team has had to regroup and play a lot of back ups which will cause a lot of these issues. Teams only get so many practices a year and the backups barely get any work with the 1s once the season starts.
canadapacker
December 23, 2025 at 10:51 am
I dont know what is going to happen against the Ravens - ie who will start and how it will go. I am a little bit concerned because Henry ran like the beast that he was last year. But in our defenses defense - get it LOL - they did a pretty good job against the Bears without Parsons.
I kind of think that Willis is going to start. Love's eyes were shut when he got hit - pretty severe hit. Whether or not he will clear concussion protocol highly in doubt. Second concussion too is it not?
As far as the coaching staff is concerned - I think that it is time to get an offensive line coach and special teams co-ordinator. Time to switch things up. For years I have been saying that our tackling one-one outside is poor - this year it is great and that helps the defense. I also think that we may be playing without Nixon for his cheap shot on Moore. I am still waiting to hear about the hit on Love - Booker got a 15 yarder for roughing and then this 15 yard for helmet to helmet - worth 2 games from past precedence.
TarynsEyes
December 23, 2025 at 10:56 am
I see this team as a pot of pasta sauce being made in preseason, but too many seasonings were put into it, not knowing what works with what, and week to week they tried to figure out what to take out, but you can't, it's embedded in the sauce already. Even adding a strong spice (Parsons) only covered the problem to a point, but the horror of too many seasonings still overwhelm and leave a bad sauce to be served on what many believed to be, finally, a really tasty dish.
There will be, and should be, different seasonings next year, and we can only hope that the Chef has learned, or a new one is doing the seasoning for the sauce.
pantz_bURp
December 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm
Thanks for the reminder, gonna crank "Push it" by Salt n Pepper!
>^..^<
EricTorkelson
December 23, 2025 at 12:25 pm
''Holy Betty Crocker'' some interesting thoughts there Eyes, it fits you though you are a stew mixer...
T7Steve
December 23, 2025 at 01:51 pm
Don't know if you made me hungry or if I need a stomach pump.
Good cooking!
Strat
December 23, 2025 at 11:23 am
The title of this article sounds like a MLF quote from every press conference, yet it never changes. So it's just talk, which means and/or does nothing. We've heard it all before, I would certainly expect to hear it again.
When a team is as depleted as the Packers are, they definitely have to play as close to a perfect game as possible. They did that for the majority of the game in Chicago. If they can do the same against the Ravens and just FINISH THE DAMN GAME, I think they can beat the Ravens. The Willis situation just reminds me of the Watson situation last week. I would've bet on Watson playing and would bet on Willis playing this Saturday. Here's hoping, not only because he gives the Packers a good chance of winning, he's also fun to watch.
marpag1
December 23, 2025 at 12:12 pm
The most penalized team in the league is Denver. They are third in the number of penalties committed (only 2 penalties away from 1st) and they have surrendered the most penalty yards in the league.
The least penalized team in the league is LA Rams. They have committed the least number of penalties and they've surrendered the least penalty yards.
Both teams are in the running for 1 seeds.
The historical correlation between raw penalty data and winning percentage is pretty weak.
EricTorkelson
December 23, 2025 at 12:30 pm
I guess its the ( when and the where ) Marpag1 its all in the timing of them not the quantity of them
marpag1
December 24, 2025 at 09:27 am
I dunno. Maybe sometimes, sorta... But I think it's much more complicated.
The other team kicks off and you return it for a TD. But wait... there was a holding penalty. Damn! So instead of a TD, you start on your own 14 yard line. The offense goes three and out and you end up punting. You lose by 3.
The exact same thing happens in the next game. But instead of going three and out from the 14 yard line, your offense marches 86 yards down the field and scores a TD. You win by 4.
The penalty and it's result was exactly the same. Was the difference in outcome due to the "timing" of the penalty? Or was it really about the effectiveness of your offense?
TheKanataThrilla
December 23, 2025 at 12:53 pm
Aaron helped us this past weekend.
Maybe we can help him.
Lare
December 23, 2025 at 04:06 pm
If you want to bet on anything that is a sure thing, bet that the Packers will kill themselves with mistakes every week.
marpag1
December 23, 2025 at 10:39 pm
What a dumb comment. You do realize that the Packers are 3rd highest winning percentage all time and second over the past thirty years?
GreenandBold
December 23, 2025 at 04:57 pm
The Packers are “ living on the edge of dangerous and exciting “ ? I’d say they are a hot mess ! Same mistakes , penalties and brain farts since week 1 and here we are in December . Ask yourself IF they fired MLF after this season would he get hired by any other team as a Head Coach ? Only his hairstylist gets heartbroken .