Aaron Rodgers lost this game. PERIOD. He wrote the narrative in the off season. Then in the regular season. And then he shit the bed in the post season. Again. Watch the tape.

Complain all we want about the abysmal special teams play. We expected it to be bad. The offense was, based on all the analysis and commentary on this site, expected to be better than 10 points. Honestly, we really shouldn’t be surprised, Rogers’ ego is too big to allow himself to just take what the defense gives him and patiently move the chains. That’s always been a problem for the Pack against teams with a solid pass rush.

Not sure why you weaken 2 spots on the O-line by having a guy start a position he hasn't played all year after coming off injury.

Was the game plan really for AR to take 5 step drops and hold the ball while looking for #17? I hope not, if so this falls on coaching. However, I think AR went rogue. The first possession was scripted. It looked like a good strategy. Sorry, but I say trade #12 and maybe #17 and retool. LaFleur bears a lot of fault also for not addressing ST.

I still lay the blame at the feet of Special (Stupid) Teams with the 10 point swing on two blocked kicks in this game.

However, Rodgers completely ignored all of his other receivers, as Cobb and Lazard each one target. That is just bat shit crazy. He was just looking for Adams and nobody else, playing hero ball. I don't know what he was thinking or what LaFleur was thinking.

There are whole bunch of people on this site - other than he'saPayne -that havent been on before and are spouting off their hatred. And He'aPayne is dumping on our receiver corps again - even though Lazard, MVS (until he was hurt) Tonyon ( until he was hurt) Cobb ( until he was hurt) all were contributors over the regular season. Deguara and the Big Dog ( fumble against San Fran) also were key in the runblock game although I admit that Deguara has not developed as much as the team figured. So it is no wonder that AR targeted Adams - but that in my opinion something that Lafleur should have worked out long ago.

Here is a nugget for all to chew on:

The sports reporter in me won't let this Packers choke job go. I dug deep early this morning to file this report before the other reporters found this nugget. There was one man who could have prevented this loss from happening. His name is Darren Rizzi.

Who the heck is that, you ask? Well, the foundation for this loss actually happened back in 2019 when Matt LeFleur and/or the Packers brass didn't hire Rizzi, who was respected and had an excellent reputation from his years as special teams coach with the Miami Dolphins. Rizzi was one of the most highly sought assistant coaches in the NFL during the 2019 offseason.

NBC Sports Pro Football Talk's reported back in May of 2019 that LaFleur reportedly tried to sign Rizzi as his special teams coach when he was assembling his staff, but was unable to land him because the Packers low-balled Rizzi on a contract. Rizzi eventually signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract to coach the New Orleans Saints’ special teams. Instead, the Packers hired Shawn Mennenga as their special teams coach.

Mennenga's résumé was definitely not as strong as Rizzi's, and according to reports at the time, wasn’t even LaFleur’s second choice after Rizzi. However, Mennenga had previously worked for Mike Pettine, who was retained as the Packers’ defensive coordinator at the time, and that led to Mennenga getting the job.
Obviously, we all know how poor the special teams unit was under Mennenga. The Packers finished 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special-teams rankings in 2020 and ranked 26th in 2019. He was fired on Jan. 29, 2021. Then, in LaFleur's infinite wisdom, he saw the need to replace Mennenga with his assistant Maurice Drayton, who took the Packers special teams even deeper into the abyss. We all witnessed what happened in the Divisional Round Playoff last night and all season, that I don't have to rehash those facts.

Meanwhile, Rizzi, who has 28 years of coaching experience, including the aforementioned 10-season stint with the Dolphins from 2009-18, has placed five special teams players on six Pro Bowls, including Saints return specialist Deonte Harris and kicker Wil Lutz in 2019.

According to the Saints website, Rizzi coached six players to the NFL All-Rookie team in the past eight years, including Harris in 2019. Rizzi's special teams units have finished in the top half of NFL writer Rick Gosselin's annual special teams rankings in all 10 years that he has served as a coordinator, including first in 2019 and fifth in 2020.

The Saints website went on to say that in 2020, Rizzi fielded a special teams unit that ranked first in opponent punt return average (2.3) and second in opponent kickoff return average (17.2), sixth in kickoff return average (25.4 avg.) and ninth in punt return average (10.2 avg.), while ranking third in opponent average starting position after kickoffs (23.8-yard line) and ninth in average starting position after kickoffs (25.9-yard line). Despite missing seven games with injuries, Harris had a 12.2 punt return average and 27.3 kickoff return average. Lutz (Week Five) and punter Thomas Morstead (Week One) each were named NFC Special Teams Player of the week once.

All the while this was going on in New Orleans, Green Bay was spinning its wheels in the muck and getting deeper and deeper in trouble. So, you want to blame someone for this loss? You have to go back three years to what could have been. You didn't know the name Darren Rizzi before you read my report, but I bet you'll never forget his name now. The Packers should have never let Rizzi leave the building until they paid him and he would have been worth every single penny.

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NBC Pro Football Talk's website, SI.com, the New Orleans Saints website and NFL.com each contributed to this report.

I have to say that I agree with a lot of what you guys had to say. However, I also disagree with some of it. Anyways, here is my 2 cents:

The core is coming back. The entire OL, both RBs, and most of the defense. This is a better starting spot than most rebuilds.

If anyone needs extending, its Devondre Campbell and Jaire Alexander. We haven't had a true ILB since Desmond Bishop and the fact he came in and played lights out showed exactly why its important, and even crazier why the front office openly admits it feels that ILB isnt a crucial piece. We have never had the leagues top shutdown corner, ever. Jaire is exactly that. He is young and must be kept.

I think we do what the Ravens and Tampa did when they won with Dilfer and Brad Johnson, go all in on an amazing defense, and put together an offense that maybe scores 20 a game.

I also understand either way if Rodgers is back. If he isnt, ok; if he is, ok. I like him, I think he does have one bad game per post season, but this time the special teams added to it. I could see if he or the organization decided to part ways or even to stay. But regardless, he would need a paycut.

Teams mentioned as trade partners were interesting. I saw the eagles listed because they have multiple 1sts. Honestly, if they could fleece the eagles for a 1st, 2nd, and 5th... plus Minshew.... deal. They are desperate and dumb enough to do something like that.

Love is just not the guy. I know you guys are positive people, but he has shown literally nothing. Nothing. He threw a screen pass into a running backs feet in his start in KC. Not to avoid a loss or penalty, but just because he is that inaccurate he hit the guys feet at 4 yards away. It was a bad pick, the sooner we admit that, the sooner we heal.

I really didnt like the talk of Rodgers putting everyone through drama. Remember, he didnt leak anything about the private scuffle between he and gutekunst. That was someone within the FO, either high up or just a staffer who hears conversation. Rodgers wasnt happy it leaked and didnt want the drama. He wanted it all to be behind closed doors. So blaming him for the drama is absolutely misplaced.

I lived through the Favre/Rodgers changeover as a diehard. Trust me, this is not the same. Anyone who likens the Rodgers/Love situation to that is just ignorant. Completely different set of circumstances and people.

I think we went all-in, until we had a chance to go "all-er in" and failed to sign OBJ. The man wasnt washed and immediately causes a nightmare with he and Adams on the field. Would have made the difference in the SF game.

We definitely have made three straight exits as the better team, but it is what it is. Like you guys said, I dont think there is any organization in pro sports worldwide that has more "what-ifs" than the Packers.

Good night and good show.

Good morning,
Way too many good post here to comment on them all, so I'll throw a few things out there.
Rodgers did indeed 'shit the bed', again, but some of that lands on coaching. The O-Line was in disarray cuz they shuffled the entire line instead of playing what got them there, Yosh Nijman. The run blocking sucked. MLF calls the plays, and he, like us was seeing other receivers open while Rodgers continued to force the ball to Adams. Is MLF afraid to tell Rodgers what needs to be said, "you're f#@%king up, open your eyes"? We're in big trouble if he is!
I know who Darren Rizzi is, and I didn't need to look him up. He's the excellent ST coach that 'Magic' Mark Murphy low-balled with a ST coaching offer, so he could buy more real estate and build more snow-slides.
I wrote a few weeks ago that I think MLF has a bit of McCarthy in him as he shows too much loyalty to shitty assistants, and then there was the uninspired play on Saturday night, another McCarthy trait, so part of this falls on him..
Then there's Gutekunst who now has the job that Ron Wolf turned down in the mid-80's when Dominic Olenjiczak offered him a 'half-GM-job'. Wolf wanted full control or nothing, and got that when Bob Harlan took over, he's now in the HOF. Gutekunst is a Yes man that went along with shitty ST's, he should have stepped up!
Now, everything goes through 'Magic' Mark, the same shit-show that an 80 y/o Olenjiczak couldn't let go of nearly 40 years ago. A guy fancying himself a real estate mogul running a football team makes perfect sense, to Murphy! Gutekunst, Ball, and the others are his puppets.
Rodgers, if not already gone will be gone soon, and there's no real QB waiting in the wings like there was behind Favre. The salary cap will cost us starters and a couple Pro-bowlers this year, maybe Adams, it's a mess. Keeping guys like Campbell and Douglas will not be easy, and then, how much did Rodgers trade value drop on Saturday night?
There will be an overhaul, a dismantling, a rebuild, whatever you want to call it, how deep it goes remains to be seen, but maybe it should start at the top.

NO QB = NO PLAYOFF'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD RATHER BE IN THE HUNT EVERY YEAR! THESE TWO PUNKS DIDN'T LIVE THROUGH THE 70'S AND 80'S! B R U T A L! MURPHY IS THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO GO!

Nobody gives a damn if Rodgers wins MVP…worst loss of Rodgers career…..He might own the bears BUT San Francisco owns AR in the post season 0-4