Packers 2025 regular season

[CheezWizHed]

With Parsons out, I wonder if they will activate Cox or Collin Oliver?  Cox has some wiggle to him and did well at the end of last season, but Oliver is an interesting guy and seems to have a bit of Parsons in him.  Maybe we activate both and put Stackhouse on IR with an "injury". 

[Jopal78]

Didn’t take long for the Parsons trade to turn on the Packers. 
 

Despite adding a superstar defender the Packers are not better (record wise) in ‘25 with Parsons than without in ‘24. So one could already argue the Packers mis-evaluated where they were as a team and the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.

With Parsons out into next season they can’t cut underachieving Rashan Gary now. Yet he, Love and Parsons all makehuge dollars resulting in limited cap room without converting guarantees to bonuses and fouling their future cap. 

 

With cap issues Infusing more talent into the roster will be more challenging and only exacerbated by the 2 first round picks that went to Dallas (cue up jokes they would’ve botched the picks anyways!)

Finally a big question mark if Parsons who relied  on speed and explosiveness will be the same post surgery. The Packers do not have an out with Parsons until after 2027.  Bakhtiari’s struggled for 2 years after his non-contact ACL injury and still ultimately ended his career. Though Watson seemed to have recovered back to pre-injury levels. 
 

If Parsons doesn’t make it all the way back, and the team goes backward on the field it probably costs the front office their jobs

 

 

[CheezWizHed]

2 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

Didn’t take long for the Parsons trade to turn on the Packers. 
 

Despite adding a superstar defender the Packers are not better (record wise) in ‘25 with Parsons than without in ‘24. So one could already argue the Packers mis-evaluated where they were as a team and the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.

Wow... just wow.  If you don't understand that a healthy '25 Packer's roster is a SB contender I'm not sure why you watch football.  The juice was certainly worth the squeeze.  No way to guess that you will have major injuries to your two best WRs, two best OL, two best DL... 

[Jopal78]

2 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Wow... just wow.  If you don't understand that a healthy '25 Packer's roster is a SB contender I'm not sure why you watch football.  The juice was certainly worth the squeeze.  No way to guess that you will have major injuries to your two best WRs, two best OL, two best DL... 

Come on! Sounds like an apologist. Every team has injuries.  

A team with Super Bowl aspirations doesn’t drop games to Cleveland, and Carolina and get lit up for 40 points on defense. Those were with Parsons. 
 

To go further 2 best OLs? Elgton Jenkins was already a bust at Center when he was hurt. (Their OL actually improved when he went down). Who’s the other OL? Tom, Walker,  and Rhyan have played all 14 games. Banks 12, Belton 11. Maybe you mean Morgan… haha. 

They were 4-3-1 with losses to Cleveland, Carolina and a tie with Dallas before Wyatt got hurt so not sure you’re right there either. 
 

Watson has never had 650 receiving yards in a season due to injuries. If he’s truly one of their “2 best WRs” as you say, then it also means their receivers aren’t any good. 
 

Point is they were 11-6 last year. Added arguably the best defensive player in football and are 9-4 with 3 games remaining when said best player suffered a catastrophic injury.   
 

Sounds to me like they weren’t as good as they thought they were; paid a high price (Parsons) to find that out and now are going to have to really hit on some players in the second day of the draft and later to get better for next year. 

[homer]

10 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

Come on! Sounds like an apologist. Every team has injuries.  

A team with Super Bowl aspirations doesn’t drop games to Cleveland, and Carolina and get lit up for 40 points on defense. Those were with Parsons. 

I mean....yes that is a Super Bowl contender. The oddsmakers said as much before the Denver game. 

[Jopal78]

40 minutes ago, homer said:

I mean....yes that is a Super Bowl contender. The oddsmakers said as much before the Denver game. 

Oh boy. Every team has Super Bowl odds. They’re not a predictor of reality, it’s to set betting expectations so the house makes money either way. 
 

There is no way to back door your way to the Super Bowl. 5 of the Packers 9 wins have come against doormat teams who have less than 20 wins combined. They are 1-3 this year against non-losing teams outside the NFC North (Which may suggest their division isn’t too good this year either).

More importantly, they might not make the playoffs and Parsons hasn’t missed a game yet! Super Bowl Contender. Sheesh. 

[homer]

36 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

Oh boy. Every team has Super Bowl odds. They’re not a predictor of reality, it’s to set betting expectations so the house makes money either way. 
There is no way to back door your way to the Super Bowl. 5 of the Packers 9 wins have come against doormat teams who have less than 20 wins combined. They are 1-3 this year against non-losing teams outside the NFC North (Which may suggest their division isn’t too good this year either).

More importantly, they might not make the playoffs and Parsons hasn’t missed a game yet! Super Bowl Contender. Sheesh. 

The 2010 Packers lost to the Dolphins, Commanders (nee Redskins) and Lions. The Commanders were a 6 - 10 team. The Dolphins were 7 - 9.  The Lions were 6 - 10. They were the wild card and won all road games to get to the Super Bowl. 

I get that being Mr Negative guy is kinda your thing but come on.

[Jopal78]

24 minutes ago, homer said:

The 2010 Packers lost to the Dolphins, Commanders (nee Redskins) and Lions. The Commanders were a 6 - 10 team. The Dolphins were 7 - 9.  The Lions were 6 - 10. They were the wild card and won all road games to get to the Super Bowl. 

I get that being Mr Negative guy is kinda your thing but come on.

There’s no negativity, I don’t buy into the Packers/media hype machine. Nobody had the 2010 Packers winning  the Super Bowl. They happened  to gel late in the season and get on a roll. What does that have to do with calling the 2026 squad’s mediocrity?

My point is: playing what turned out to be a fairly easy schedule while adding a premium talent like Parsons, the Packers have not performed any better this season  than their wild card team of ‘24 who got bounced in the first round. 

They apparently weren’t as good as they thought they were and paid a high price to find that out. We’ll see if they can win Sunday earn that division title and maybe get on a roll. 

[LouisEly]

3 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

Every team has injuries.

For some, it's to their best and most important players.  For others, it's not to their best and most important players.

FIFY

 

[HarveysWBs]

Question for the group: considering where the team is now (performance this year and now no Parsons until September at the earliest), what would it take for you to sign off on a long-term extension for Matt LaFleur by the end of the year?

A) Nothing, he’s shown enough (meaning no playoffs or one and done)

B) The team showing enough fight to win the division/win a playoff game

C) Strong run to the NFC championship game

D) Super Bowl appearance

I came into the year assuming B, considering our contention window would preclude a coaching change. I got really low mid-season and was leaning C or D when we really struggled with CLE/CAR/DAL/NYG, etc. Then when the offense turned around I was kind of back to B. The last two days brought me to “E” as in nothing matters anymore and my sporting heart is empty and cold, but I’m trying to think about this rationally again.

I don’t love that I’m ending up here, but I think I’m back at B. If this team still fights hard and makes all comers earn it, including the playoff game, I think you almost have to sign him. I have yet to see a slam dunk replacement out there and you would need somebody certain because an ascending QB and king’s ransom on Parsons cannot be wasted.

I assume the conservative Packers brass answer A, but I’m not 100% sure. Policy didn’t hand him anything yet, and it would have been very easy to have done a deal already. So Policy might be at level B, as well.

Interested in your thoughts.

[Jopal78]

13 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

FIFY

 

Ha ha. They haven’t played a game without Parsons yet. If you mean Watson and Elgton Jenkins as best players, I guess the bar is set low for the definition of  best players. They’re 3-1 since Wyatt went down. Hard to argue his loss has meant much despite the hype.

[HarveysWBs]

3 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

Ha ha. They haven’t played a game without Parsons yet. If you mean Watson and Elgton Jenkins as best players, I guess the bar is set low for the definition of  best players. 

This Tucker Kraft erasure will not stand.

[tmwiese55]

I'd probably just have him play out the contract next year, assuming there isn't an all out collapse to finish the year.    I know that's not the norm, but what's he gonna do.

[LouisEly]

Just now, HarveysWBs said:

This Tucker Kraft erasure will not stand.

Zach Tom would like a word as well.

[Jopal78]

6 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

Zach Tom would like a word as well.

He’s played 12 of 14 games, they are undefeated in the games he missed!  Give me a break. 

[Jopal78]

7 minutes ago, tmwiese55 said:

I'd probably just have him play out the contract next year, assuming there isn't an all out collapse to finish the year.    I know that's not the norm, but what's he gonna do.

Unless they believe there’s somebody they can get who’s better they’ll keep him and give him another contract. Sherman and McCarthy hung around like that longer than they should have 

[young guns]

2 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

He’s played 12 of 14 games, they are undefeated in the games he missed!  Give me a break. 

He played 1 snap vs Cleveland.

[GAME05]

Hafley is probably a HC somewhere next year. Do you boot MLF just for the sake of promoting Hafley and being able to keep him?

[homer]

21 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

There’s no negativity, I don’t buy into the Packers/media hype machine. Nobody had the 2010 Packers winning  the Super Bowl. They happened  to gel late in the season and get on a roll. What does that have to do with calling the 2026 squad’s mediocrity?

You literally said there is no way to back door to a Super Bowl and then proceeded to describe how the 2010 team back door'd their way to a Super Bowl. This team was on a similar trajectory - gelling at the end of the season. I do think they were susceptible to injury at certain key spots. When Tom went out against Denver it was a massive drop in talent at that spot and it showed. The whole argument is that they were a Super Bowl contender and seeing as there aren't any teams in the NFL blowing people out on the regular, that point stands.

[yourout]

15 hours ago, GAME05 said:

Hafley is probably a HC somewhere next year. Do you boot MLF just for the sake of promoting Hafley and being able to keep him?

And I think that really depends on how the season plays out. 

I think the odds are that MLF is back but the chances of a change are not zero.

[LouisEly]

19 hours ago, young guns said:

He played 1 snap vs Cleveland.

And GB was outscored 28-13 by the Broncos after he left the game.

[Jopal78]

20 hours ago, homer said:

You literally said there is no way to back door to a Super Bowl and then proceeded to describe how the 2010 team back door'd their way to a Super Bowl. This team was on a similar trajectory - gelling at the end of the season. I do think they were susceptible to injury at certain key spots. When Tom went out against Denver it was a massive drop in talent at that spot and it showed. The whole argument is that they were a Super Bowl contender and seeing as there aren't any teams in the NFL blowing people out on the regular, that point stands.

It is objective, they are no better this year through 14 games with Parsons than last year, but last year they had seven games against playoff teams on their schedule. This year they’ve had what turned out to be an easy schedule. 

Backing up for a moment, in ‘24 they went 2-5 against those 7 playoff teams , 1-5 in their division and some how convinced themselves they were one player away from being a Super Bowl contender 

If you think the 2025 Packers are on a similar trajectory to the 2010 team, you’re fooling yourself. Reflect a moment and ask yourself in  how many games have they actually played consistent good football. 2 games maybe? And that’s with six games so far against bottom rung teams,

Now,  they don’t have Parsons, the picks or the cash to try to get better in 2026

 

[homer]

15 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

It is objective, they are no better this year through 14 games with Parsons than last year, but last year they had seven games against playoff teams on their schedule. This year they’ve had what turned out to be an easy schedule. 

Backing up for a moment, in ‘24 they went 2-5 against those 7 playoff teams , 1-5 in their division and some how convinced themselves they were one player away from being a Super Bowl contender 

If you think the 2025 Packers are on a similar trajectory to the 2010 team, you’re fooling yourself. Reflect a moment and ask yourself in  how many games have they actually played consistent good football. 2 games maybe? And that’s with six games so far against bottom rung teams,

Now,  they don’t have Parsons, the picks or the cash to try to get better in 2026

 

I don't think they are a contender anymore. I did pre-Parsons injury. And I'm not sure what metric you are using to compare this year's defense to last year's. Also, the defense has not been an issue this year as the "bad" losses were on the offense, which turned it around the last four weeks. 

[Jopal78]

1 hour ago, homer said:

I don't think they are a contender anymore. I did pre-Parsons injury. And I'm not sure what metric you are using to compare this year's defense to last year's. Also, the defense has not been an issue this year as the "bad" losses were on the offense, which turned it around the last four weeks. 

I’m not talking solely defense. Although if you want to go there, the defense with Parsons not putting away the Giants and Cardinals with backup QBs until the final drive of the game, and getting 40 dropped on them by the Cowboys without Lamb their best offensive weapon, all speaks loudly.

The point is and remains:  the whole team even with Parsons wasslightly above average at best. Not the top team in their conference, and through 14 games with Parsons nobody can say they were even the top team in their division. 
 

It would be an interesting exercise to take time and go through the rosters of the NFC North how many players on the Packers outside of Parsons would even be the best player at their position in the division? McKinney, maybe?  Tom? 
 

Would it really boils down to, is the GM has been spinning his wheels for 5+ seasons, his contract is coming up, so he pushed in all his chips and hopes to make a splash with Parsons, and improved results before last Sunday weren’t readily apparent for his team, and no the long run is bungled with lack of premium picks and huge contractual guarantees.
 

 

[OldHeidelberg]

For those who haven't seen the news it's a clean tear for Parsons, the hope is he could return by the opener next season. That is a relief.