Packers Defeated 16-3 In Regular Season Finale
Green Bay rests starters in preparation for playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers ended their 2025 regular season with a gameday roster that resembled one from August instead of January. With the team locked into the final spot in the NFC playoffs next weekend, only three starters saw regular action in the season finale at the Minnesota Vikings which resulted in a 16-3 defeat.
“Well, there was some good out there and not-so-good,” coach Matt LaFleur said via packers.com. “I thought defensively our guys played physical and they played for four quarters. Obviously, we couldn’t get enough going offensively and that was disappointing. We really struggled, especially in the first half, with blocking, movement, and getting anything going. In the second half, we did a better job and were able to run the ball a little bit.”
The Packers will travel to Chicago or Philadelphia next weekend for a Wild Card matchup.
Despite almost all regular starters being benched, the injury bug still managed to bite Javon Bullard. He injured his knee in the fourth quarter on a tackle and did not return, though LaFleur did say he thought Bullard would be ok.
A knee injury also ended Bo Melton’s day. The do-it-all player injured his knee as a gunner making a tackle on punt coverage; the severity is not known.
“We were limited on bodies in regards to when we were going nickel defense,” LaFleur said about Bullard playing in the fourth quarter.
Bullard was one of three starters to see regular action throughout the game along with Evan Willams and Anthony Belton. Jayden Reed, Keisean Nixon, and Isiah McDuffie saw playing time as well.
Last season in a mostly-meaningless week 18 game versus Chicago, Jordan Love was banged up and Christian Watson tore his ACL. LaFleur acknowledged that the game impacted his decision to rest as many starters as possible Sunday.
“I think we did the right thing today,” he said. “I feel better about this than I did a year ago after the game.”
Minnesota played its healthy starters, so Green Bay’s second and third-string players had ample opportunity to leave a mark against top NFL competition. None did so more than rookie defensive end Barryn Sorrell.
The former Texas Longhorn registered a sack, eight tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a quarterback hit, and some quarterback pressures for good measure. Sorrell also recovered a fumble on a play made for the blooper reel.
Vikings backup quarterback Max Brosmer had replaced an injured J.J. McCarthy and drove the offense inside the Packer 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. While in the pocket on a first-and-goal pass attempt, Brosmer tripped over his left tackle. The rookie quarterback then stood up somewhat nonchalantly as if the play were over. Brenton Cox Jr. smacked him for the sack and fumble which Sorrell recovered.
Brosmer, from his back, grabbed Sorrell’s ankle to trip him and prevent a run back. That may have been Green Bay’s best chance at a touchdown as its backups were overwhelmed by the Viking starting defense.
With Malik Willis ruled out due to a shoulder injury, third-string quarterback Clayton Tune was thrust into his second-career start. The deck was certainly stacked against him – his offense consisted of the second-string offensive line and receivers. Against the NFL’s most aggressive defensive coordinator in Brian Flores on the road, Tune finished six-of-11 passing for 34 yards. He also took four sacks for 41 yards giving the team a net -7 yards passing.
Green Bay’s lone scoring drive ended the game when Brandon McManus hit a chip-shot field goal as time expired to elude the shutout. Chris Brooks and Emmanuel Wilson each toted the rock on the drive to get the Packers into the low red zone. Brooks finished with 61 yards on 13 carries. Wilson had 44 yards on 18 carries, but lost 18 yards on one second-quarter run when he tried to reverse the field twice.
Jordan Morgan played the entire game at left tackle, his expected position next season. He allowed a sack after Dallas Turner perfectly jumped the snap to rush around Morgan. However, Tune will likely earn the film-room criticism for the play since he didn’t hand the ball off or quickly throw it on a run-pass option.
The Packers finish the season at 9-7-1, on a disappointing four-game losing streak marred by injuries. They went 4-2 in divisional games after going 1-5 last year.
Other Notes:
- Newly-acquired cornerback Trevon Diggs saw playing time as well, and made two good open-field tackles.
- Daniel Whelan punted the ball eight times for a whopping 431 yards. He had one touchback and five pinned inside the 20.
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Jocelyn Hopkinson is a contributor for CheeseheadTV and can be found on Twitter at Packer_FIB
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Comments (63)
KenEllis
January 04, 2026 at 04:21 pm
4th round rookie Barryn Sorrell has more sacks (1) than Gary and LVN COMBINED over the past 10 weeks of the season.
Sorrell finished 2025 with 1.5 sacks. So did LVN.
Norm
January 04, 2026 at 06:51 pm
Gary and LVN are in the witness protection program.
stockholder
January 04, 2026 at 04:24 pm
Pay Walker -
Pay Willis-
If Gute didn't learn that,
Fire him!
Love will get hurt with
Morgan as our LT.
Oppy
January 04, 2026 at 05:19 pm
You think Willis won't get an opportunity to be a starter somewhere in 2026?
Players rarely pass up an opportunity to play for money.. let's not be silly.
Since'75
January 04, 2026 at 05:41 pm
SH......Willis is gone, time to accept it.
JM will never be a LT in the NFL, imo.
stockholder
January 04, 2026 at 06:27 pm
No- He isn't long term.
New Orleans will take the Top 2026 QB.
Brewcity_BearsFan
January 04, 2026 at 10:49 pm
I don't see New Orleans taking a QB. Tyler Shough played pretty well the last half of the season.
SinceLombardi
January 04, 2026 at 05:47 pm
I doubt they pay Q Walker. He makes too many tackles 7 yards from the line of scrimmage and can’t shed blocks. Very disappointing for a first rounder.
stockholder
January 04, 2026 at 06:30 pm
Rasheed over Morgan.
Quay will get paid.
jannesbjornson
January 04, 2026 at 07:12 pm
I would pay Rasheed and let Quay walk. He's not an impact guy. Some very good LBs coming up in this Draft. The DTs may go deep into Rd Four. We can only hope someone else will be making the choices. Sorrell is a starter next year. Brinson seems to be a wasted pick. I would get Stackhouse on the Game Day roster. Let Cox challenge Gary and LVN for snaps this week.
GreenandBold
January 04, 2026 at 06:11 pm
Pay pay fire fire
How bout hire hire
Pay Al Harris to come back to Green Bay and revitalize our DBs . It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the kind of ball hawking the Bears are showing this season . Should show the tapes to the Packers DBs all off season .
dblbogey
January 04, 2026 at 08:30 pm
Our guys prefer to drop easy interceptions.
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 04:41 pm
Whelan is the best punter in the nfl. A shining star on a questionable special teams unit.
Major Snafu
January 04, 2026 at 04:42 pm
I had the nicest loooooong nap during this snooze fest..
One note, this was Harrison Smiths final game. A sure HOF.
Ive used him over the years as my example, draft a quality guy to fill a hole versus draft and development concept.
Packers let quality guys go when it comes time to pay up or they keep duds like Gary, Alexander for big bucks rather then get draft picks and save money. Both those two costs this team a lot in lack of play.
Oppy
January 04, 2026 at 05:20 pm
The Vikings shitty offense could only muster a single TD against, quite literally, the Packers 2nd and 3rd string defense.
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 05:36 pm
True
HarryHodag
January 04, 2026 at 05:37 pm
While no Packers fan should complain about a quarterback slow to develop, I can't help but think there's a rumble or two of displeasure in Minnesota about McCarthy.
canadapacker
January 04, 2026 at 05:47 pm
Mcarthy has had some good games - but he is a bandaid. You need toughness - I am concerned about Love - we better spend some money on the Oline. Good money not bad - Jenks has one more year - but maybe not at center. Resign Ryan - Get rid of the Offensive Line co-ordinator Butkus- not developing players and if Strenavich cannot do both jobs place him with a more offensively minded experienced person - these 3rd and 1 stonewalled
dobber
January 04, 2026 at 06:10 pm
There were long, very silent stretches in that glass monstrosity this afternoon, and you could hear some of those rumbles.
dobber
January 04, 2026 at 06:16 pm
Give him a chance and he'll start singing the praises of Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer....again.
dblbogey
January 04, 2026 at 08:32 pm
I saw some promising stuff from Sorrel and others. God knows we need some people to step up.
Houndog
January 05, 2026 at 09:20 am
Correct, but unfortunately that is the only consolation!
Even the slightest semblance of some offense from the Genius play-caller might have turned it into a win.
HarryHodag
January 04, 2026 at 05:34 pm
Watching Harrison Smith brought back a memory of one of my worst rants on a Packers message board like this. The Packers were in a major need for safety help and Smith was on the draft board with the 28th pick. Packers GM Ted Thompson, always trying to outthink everyone, drafted defensive lineman Nick Perry at 28 and Smith went pick 29 to the Vikings.
Smith was easily one of the top defensive backs coming out of college. An instant starter.
While the Packers also needed d-line help, Ted continued to draft one of his infamous 'tweener' picks, a guy not big enough for end but too big and slow for linebacker. It reminds me a bit of Gute's pick of Jordan Morgan while Cooper DeJean went to Philly.
So as I watched Smith likely finish a Hall of Fame career I think back to that infamous day( Perry is long gone from the Packers) and what could have been.
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 05:37 pm
Right on Harry.
Since'75
January 04, 2026 at 05:46 pm
Harry, look up....
R. Gary and Brian Burns, stats and contract.
Gary was picked 12th, Burns was picked 16th
dobber
January 04, 2026 at 06:13 pm
DE/OLB was one of TT's high priority positions and we languished through years of crappy safety play because he devalued that position.
Norm
January 04, 2026 at 06:55 pm
Perry has been gone so long it's hard to believe he was drafted the same year as Harrison Smith.
Since'75
January 04, 2026 at 07:21 pm
That's what happens when a GM overpays and a player under performs.
HawkPacker
January 04, 2026 at 09:36 pm
Totally agree on Cooper DeJean Harry. I have said that since the draft.
Packerpasty
January 04, 2026 at 05:05 pm
I think Bullard is too important to have been out there in the fourth…
Swisch
January 04, 2026 at 06:09 pm
It seems so long ago that the Packers were 9-3-1.
It's going to take some character to overcome the difficult slog over the last weeks of the season, but it can be done.
Let's root for our Packers to step up in adversity. Our world needs more positivity toward each other.
A couple of wins or more in the playoffs would be all the sweeter after this dismal struggle.
The suspense in life, the drama, even the fun of it all, is not knowing what's going to come next; and yet in each of us having control of any situation insofar as how we respond. It's weird, it's wild, it's woeful, it's wonderful.
Que Sorrell, Sorrell, whatever will be, will be; but all we need is Love, and a little help from his friends.
dobber
January 04, 2026 at 06:14 pm
Like your attitude, Swisch.
Eyes forward!
JohnnyLogan
January 04, 2026 at 07:06 pm
The Packers lost their last four. The Vikings won their last five. And still the Packers are in the playoffs. Football is strange.
But Matt LaFleur? No excuses. You’ve got backups on the field — fine. How about peppering Golden with targets to see what he can do? How about doing anything that resembles offense instead of trying to kill the clock in the first quarter, like the game was already lost on paper?
Nobody expected miracles. Just a sign of life. A scrap. A spark of pride. Instead, it looked like surrender dressed up as strategy — not one ounce of pride, one throw to the kid you supposedly believe in.
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 09:09 pm
Absolutely Johnny—you’re preaching my sermon.
Houndog
January 05, 2026 at 09:34 am
Nailed it, Johnny!
Please forgive me for re-writing your last paragrah as follows:
Nobody expected a sign of life, a scrap, or a spark of pride, and they were correct, there wasn't any!
It looked like surrender and that's what it was — not one ounce of pride!
JohnnyLogan
January 05, 2026 at 03:48 pm
Nice edit.
GVPacker
January 04, 2026 at 07:31 pm
The NY Post reports that, as per Jay Glazer (Fox) Matt Lafleur may be fired as Packers coach after they are eliminated from post season play!
bleedgreen
January 04, 2026 at 08:02 pm
Oh no. This means we have to root for a packers loss in the playoffs?
Houndog
January 05, 2026 at 09:39 am
LOL bleedgreen, Touche'
jurp
January 04, 2026 at 08:30 pm
Matt LaFleur is this century's Marty Schottenheimer and will win as many championships as Marty. I'd like to see him and most of his coaches gone.
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 09:12 pm
If he loses this playoff game, I’m done with LaFluer. Hoping Hafley remains as a D-Coord.
Alberta_Packer
January 04, 2026 at 09:25 pm
More credible if it was the NY Times.
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 10:19 pm
More like the N.Y. Slimes.
Houndog
January 05, 2026 at 09:35 am
I haven't seen or heard that GVP, but we can hope!
But then what? A new coach trying to win with Gutey's mistakes?
GVPacker
January 05, 2026 at 12:11 pm
I was surprised to read the small article I saw In the NY Post on Sunday and I was kind of shocked to find out that the Packers were even considering giving him "The Das Boot" after this season. And now I just discovered that the Packers Bears playoff game next Saturday night will be on Amazon Prime TV Only?
Rebelgb
January 05, 2026 at 10:48 am
Likely bullhonky. However I have come around of the idea of MFL getting booted. Despite his record he seems to have stopped growing as a coach. Like last year he stopped growing. He keeps making the same mistakes and his IG adjustments are crap.
Only thing is, if MLF goes, Guty needs to go too.
joejetson
January 04, 2026 at 07:51 pm
Wasn't expecting a wide open offensive gameplan, but just slamming the ball into pileup at the line of scrimmage over and over was terrible.
LeFleur had his mind made up he was going to run the ball. When that didn't work, he ran some more.
I don't understand how he can evaluate these young guys when he doesn't challenge them to execute a full NFL offense.
On the positive, the young guys on.defense played decent.
From the Minnesota side, they still have a problem at QB. McCarthy didn't show much, and exited with his usual hangnail injury. There's some concern in Minnesota about his long term viability.
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 09:14 pm
An excellent post and exactly how I see. How do you evaluate Looney-Tune if you don’t ask him to pass under duress.
Snap the ball
January 04, 2026 at 07:53 pm
9-0. Next year at home
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 09:15 pm
Agreed. No matter who’s coaching.
Houndog
January 05, 2026 at 09:43 am
You're thinking with your heart, Snap!
We'd all love that, but where do we get the players, the rest of the NFCN won't be sitting on their hands!
Snap the ball
January 04, 2026 at 07:56 pm
To start this year be 4-1. On the road to start the season
Alberta_Packer
January 04, 2026 at 08:46 pm
Only a few observations from this game - as I didn't want to get too emotionally involved. So:
* MLF looked sad while standing on the sidelines.
* If Clayton Tune could pass as well as he runs - he could have a decent NFL career.
* The Packers D seemed to have the same enthusiasm in tackling Jordan Mason - as they did Derrick Henry
* I liked that Jordan Love wore his helmet for some of Packers offensive series. Perhaps to keep mentally engaged going forward into the wild card game?
Starrbrite
January 04, 2026 at 09:18 pm
Right—Love wearing his helmet throughout the game…why?? A new concussion prevention technique?
Alberta_Packer
January 04, 2026 at 09:34 pm
Perhaps he kept thinking that he was going in. Which meant that he still hadn't passed the concussion protocol.
TheKanataThrilla
January 05, 2026 at 07:45 am
I think it is because he has the green dot on his helmet and can listen to the play calls.
SDPack
January 04, 2026 at 11:47 pm
A good game for learning about our roster:
- Jordan Morgan. Ouch. With Rasheed likely gone next year, he is our LT. This is the biggest risk on the roster. In the 2nd round of the 2026 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select XXX, Left Tackle from XYZ.
- Monk was finally let out of the monastery. Not bad! He can actually run block. If that guy could turn into a serviceable starter next year, it frees up cap dollars we don’t need to pay Rhyan or another veteran.
- Sorrel, Oliver - I saw bodies flying around. Energy! I like the potential here. Gary and Van Ness can take their naps on the sideline.
- Oladapo is big, physical and he can play.
- Hopper? I still don’t know. Still hoping so we don’t have to resign Quay and preserve more cap dollars.
- Diggs - I have stayed in worse rentals. He might actually add value.
- Ford - My hope is he emerges as our Howard Green
- Tune - It is impossible to justify him on an NFL roster. With all those above salary cap savings? Wire them directly to Malik’s account.
That’s all I got.
Houndog
January 05, 2026 at 09:51 am
SDPack,
I've been hoping for the next Howard (Big Howie) Green for weeks now! Could this be him?
Rebelgb
January 05, 2026 at 10:43 am
Tune is terrible. Is he really the best QB we could come up with for our Practice Squad? Is he the Nephew of one of Gutys friends? I mean there were what 200+ Div 1 QB's available as of Jan of 2025 and Tune is the best we could do?
SDPack
January 05, 2026 at 01:40 pm
Desmond Ridder is never going to be prom queen but he has started 18 NFL games and is a former 3rd round pick. I think pretty clearly we cut Tune and let Ridder get familiar with our system and see if he can follow a Willis-like reclamation in our system.
Rebelgb
January 05, 2026 at 10:27 am
Golden may be a bust. There I said it. I held off all year trying not to be one of "those" fans. But the final shot of Golden yesterday sitting on the bench with not a single player around him, his head down, showed me the light.
Heres my guess for the little its worth: Golden came in with a big mouth and alienated his teammates and coaches. Especially after he wasnt getting the touches he felt he deserved. I do also wonder if he refused to do kickoff and Punt returns. Certainly his best option for helping the Packers this year would have been in one of those 2 roles, or in both. Dobbs certainly doesnt want to do it, just watch tape of him fair catching, or more likely NOT fair catching and letting the ball hit the turf.
Certainly Golden found some way to piss off his coaches and fellow players.
His pick at the time may have been Guty wanting to play show stopper and make a big splash at the home draft. Goldens appearance at the draft with the painted grill, all the bling, the dress, did make one stop and wonder if this was a "Green Bay" guy. The good news is with Watson's rise to prominence and Reed being back healthy, I dont know if we need Golden as bad as people thought 8 months ago. Especially with Kraft coming back in 2026.
MTmind
January 05, 2026 at 11:37 am
Golden was put in for punt returns and he didn’t do well. He almost got his head ejected from his body on an ill-advised spin move. I don’t think any coach wants to see a first round draft pick have his career cut short because he just wasn’t physically and mentally ready to play during his first year. Golden seems to have needed to get a year under his belt to adjust to the speed of the professional level. While it’s mentioned over and over, fans - including myself - were proclaiming that Adams needed to go after his second year due to drops and a seeming inability to play up to his potential. We all know how he turned out.
JohnnyLogan
January 05, 2026 at 03:59 pm
There must have been something in practice that told the coaches he wasn’t ready because he was virtually invisible this year. His hands are good; we saw that several times. But his speed, at least so far, hasn’t translated into getting open. Davante Adams was a master at separating early, even though he dropped far too many passes as a rookie. Golden looks like the inverse: reliable hands, but… a route-running problem? A late-release issue? We don’t know, because they barely put him on tape. It would have been helpful—borderline essential—to target him a little to see what they had. Instead, they kept him under wraps, and now we’re left guessing about a first-round pick when guessing should never have been necessary.