Packers 2025 regular season

[LouisEly]

21 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Well, the 49ers still got the record they have this year in spite of all those things along the way. There were no excuses and they still got to 10-4. So who is going to hear our excuses?

Four weeks ago SFO was 6-4.  Let's not act like getting those players back hasn't helped their record.  And the last four weeks have included wins against arguably the three of the four worst teams in the league.

[adambr2]

My point is not solely about the 49ers. 

We were bemoaning our injuries on Saturday and I don’t know if anyone even pointed out that the Bears were without their two top receivers.

Everyone has injuries this time of year. The year we won the Super Bowl I think was about the most snakebitten Packer team I’ve ever seen for injuries.

If your “next man up” is not good enough, your roster is not good enough.

[CheezWizHed]

3 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Well, the 49ers still got the record they have this year in spite of all those things along the way. There were no excuses and they still got to 10-4. So who is going to hear our excuses?

And we still have a chance to get healthy as well. The injuries you listed aren’t long-term, besides Parsons and Wyatt and obviously Kraft, which was some time ago.

If they win on Saturday, they can and probably should treat Week 18 as a preseason game which would give their starters 2 weeks of rest before the playoffs. 

Kraft still feels "fresh". 😞😉

The problem with being two games left in the regular season, medium length injuries can be season ending.  A four-game outage from Tom and Williams would include the first playoff game.  

[adambr2]

13 minutes ago, CheezWizHed said:

Kraft still feels "fresh". 😞😉

The problem with being two games left in the regular season, medium length injuries can be season ending.  A four-game outage from Tom and Williams would include the first playoff game.  

Tom is definitely the most important of the “we will get him back” guys. It sounds like he was relatively close on Saturday though so I don’t think it will be long. But I also wouldn’t opposed to him sitting the rest of the regular season if we can afford it.

If the Packers win on Saturday, they will clinch a playoff spot. If the Bears lose to the 49ers, things will get very interesting.

They can either go all hands on deck to try to win the division in Week 18, hoping for help from Detroit, who will be eliminated and have nothing to play for in this scenario.

Or they can treat it like a preseason game and rest up for the WC round. 

My guess is they would sort of try to do both, play to win but rest anyone on the questionable side.

[CheezWizHed]

55 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Tom is definitely the most important of the “we will get him back” guys. It sounds like he was relatively close on Saturday though so I don’t think it will be long. But I also wouldn’t opposed to him sitting the rest of the regular season if we can afford it.

If the Packers win on Saturday, they will clinch a playoff spot. If the Bears lose to the 49ers, things will get very interesting.

They can either go all hands on deck to try to win the division in Week 18, hoping for help from Detroit, who will be eliminated and have nothing to play for in this scenario.

Or they can treat it like a preseason game and rest up for the WC round. 

My guess is they would sort of try to do both, play to win but rest anyone on the questionable side.

It would be nice if we had another RB to allow Jacobs to rest, too.  Two just isn't enough. 

[Jopal78]

8 minutes ago, CheezWizHed said:

It would be nice if we had another RB to allow Jacobs to rest, too.  Two just isn't enough. 

Jacobs isn’t any good either. When you have 2 runs for more than 20 yards across 15 games, it’s not good. With 8 million in potential cap savings more likely than not he gets released after the season. 

[CheezWizHed]

15 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

Jacobs isn’t any good either. When you have 2 runs for more than 20 yards across 15 games, it’s not good. With 8 million in potential cap savings more likely than not he gets released after the season. 

Your pessimism never ceases to amaze me. 

It is true that Jacobs has had a down year, but has still scored 14 TDs. That would be tied for 4th in the NFL.  He needs 74 yards to break 1000 this year, which could easily be in reach despite his knee issues (he had 36 yards last week in limited carries - double that and he has 72 yards in two games). 

But you go ahead and complain about fringe stats like not having enough long runs. 

Given that he is far closer to being one of our key offensive players than some also-ran, he will be back next year; Perhaps on a tweaked contract, but he isn't being paid an outlandish amount either (i.e. $3M more than 2025 - $11.5M total).

 

[adambr2]

Hypothetically, if we can still win the division in Week 18 with a Bears loss, do you guys think the Lions will play to win?

My pessimistic side says the Lions will be checked out, and as the most hated team in the division by the other 3 teams, no one is looking to help us. 

My optimistic side says that Campbell is way too competitive and the Lions have way too much pride to simply roll over for his old OC and go out quietly.

[CheezWizHed]

1 minute ago, adambr2 said:

My optimistic side says that Campbell is way too competitive and the Lions have way too much pride to simply roll over for his old OC and go out quietly.

This. I can't see Campbell "laying down" for anyone... especially his old OC.  Not that I think there is bad blood between the two, but Campbell is the type of coach to go for it on 4th down in a preseason game while he is up 40-3. 

[HarryDoyle]

The same thing happened in 2022 in Rodgers last game as a Packer. The Lions were eliminated earlier in the day but still played to win and did. Granted. it was to eliminate the Packers from playoff contention and the Bears have already clinched a playoff berth, but you're both right that Campbell is way too competitive to mail in. And maybe he would absolutely love to knock the Bears to the #7 seed.

[Jopal78]

2 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Your pessimism never ceases to amaze me. 

It is true that Jacobs has had a down year, but has still scored 14 TDs. That would be tied for 4th in the NFL.  He needs 74 yards to break 1000 this year, which could easily be in reach despite his knee issues (he had 36 yards last week in limited carries - double that and he has 72 yards in two games). 

But you go ahead and complain about fringe stats like not having enough long runs. 

Given that he is far closer to being one of our key offensive players than some also-ran, he will be back next year; Perhaps on a tweaked contract, but he isn't being paid an outlandish amount either (i.e. $3M more than 2025 - $11.5M total).

 

Ok, let’s unpack this. The Packers are in the bottom third of the league in cap space already. They have Wyatt, Quay Walker, Sean Rhyan, all coming out of contract (Not to mention Rasheed Walker, Enagbare and Doubs), cap space is at a premium   Cutting Jacobs saves them 8 million dollars in cap space.  I’ll let you put Wyatt, Walker, and Jacobs in order of importance but if you’re being honest he’s 3rd (maybe even 4th depending how they view Rhyan’s solidification of the OL after moving in as a starter at C). 

Now turning to production. The Packers have lightened his load this year, and his yard per attempt went down despite being rested more. His yards after contact are down significantly, likewise his broken tackles are way down, both of which also likely explain his lack of long runs. Then you dismiss lack of long runs and bring up touchdowns scored. What relevance do touchdowns scored have,  especially when 8 of his 14 were from 3 yards out or less (Unless you think Wilson couldn’t have also barreled in from 3 yards away)?

You’re right, maybe they demand Jacobs take a huge pay cut for ‘26 and he comes back because he estimates he won’t do better as a free agent. Is that a player you really want as a starter?

But objectively, Jacobs is a 28 year old running back, with lots of mileage (more career carries than Saquon, Kamara or McCaffery who are all older), starting to have nagging injuries, his physicality is diminishing statistically, and he’s not a threat to take it to the house. When teams can often find starting tailbacks on the 3rd day of the draft, it’s not really a hard decision on Jacobs. 

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Hypothetically, if we can still win the division in Week 18 with a Bears loss, do you guys think the Lions will play to win?

My pessimistic side says the Lions will be checked out, and as the most hated team in the division by the other 3 teams, no one is looking to help us. 

My optimistic side says that Campbell is way too competitive and the Lions have way too much pride to simply roll over for his old OC and go out quietly.

There is zero chance the Lions pack it in for that last game at Soldier Field.  With how the 49ers looked last night, if GB can claw their way to a win Saturday at home against the Ravens, I think it's very possible the Packers still win the division.

[Fear The Chorizo]

1 hour ago, Jopal78 said:

Ok, let’s unpack this. The Packers are in the bottom third of the league in cap space already. They have Wyatt, Quay Walker, Sean Rhyan, all coming out of contract (Not to mention Rasheed Walker, Enagbare and Doubs), cap space is at a premium   Cutting Jacobs saves them 8 million dollars in cap space.  I’ll let you put Wyatt, Walker, and Jacobs in order of importance but if you’re being honest he’s 3rd (maybe even 4th depending how they view Rhyan’s solidification of the OL after moving in as a starter at C). 

Now turning to production. The Packers have lightened his load this year, and his yard per attempt went down despite being rested more. His yards after contact are down significantly, likewise his broken tackles are way down, both of which also likely explain his lack of long runs. Then you dismiss lack of long runs and bring up touchdowns scored. What relevance do touchdowns scored have,  especially when 8 of his 14 were from 3 yards out or less (Unless you think Wilson couldn’t have also barreled in from 3 yards away)?

You’re right, maybe they demand Jacobs take a huge pay cut for ‘26 and he comes back because he estimates he won’t do better as a free agent. Is that a player you really want as a starter?

But objectively, Jacobs is a 28 year old running back, with lots of mileage (more career carries than Saquon, Kamara or McCaffery who are all older), starting to have nagging injuries, his physicality is diminishing statistically, and he’s not a threat to take it to the house. When teams can often find starting tailbacks on the 3rd day of the draft, it’s not really a hard decision on Jacobs. 

I like Jacobs, but I think he's been playing injured most of this season and its hampered the running game.  Even when fully healthy he isn't a back that can take it to the house any given carry - but he's typically a guy who will give you 3-5 yards a carry automatically if he gets to the line of scrimmage before contact.  It's not like the line has been opening crazy holes, but seeing the production Wilson has been able to get with the same line blocking for him leads me to believe Jacobs isn't himself.

Totally agree the Packers need a RB overhaul next season - Jacobs' free agent deal was essentially a 2 year deal anyway - having him take a big paycut with a restructured deal makes sense along with drafting another RB (Brooks can't stay healthy enough to even get on the field) and probably adding another mid-tier RB in free agency this offseason.

i think the starter/backup roles are really muddled in today's NFL, too - besides a handful of elite RBs.  Getting a mix like the Pats would be ideal where you could split carries between RBs with different styles and if either gets injured/dinged up the other could carry the load for a few weeks.

[homer]

8 minutes ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

I like Jacobs, but I think he's been playing injured most of this season and its hampered the running game.  Even when fully healthy he isn't a back that can take it to the house any given carry - but he's typically a guy who will give you 3-5 yards a carry automatically if he gets to the line of scrimmage before contact.  It's not like the line has been opening crazy holes, but seeing the production Wilson has been able to get with the same line blocking for him leads me to believe Jacobs isn't himself.

Totally agree the Packers need a RB overhaul next season - Jacobs' free agent deal was essentially a 2 year deal anyway - having him take a big paycut with a restructured deal makes sense along with drafting another RB (Brooks can't stay healthy enough to even get on the field) and probably adding another mid-tier RB in free agency this offseason.

i think the starter/backup roles are really muddled in today's NFL, too - besides a handful of elite RBs.  Getting a mix like the Pats would be ideal where you could split carries between RBs with different styles and if either gets injured/dinged up the other could carry the load for a few weeks.

I think they need an RB with some wheels. I cringe every time I see Jacobs on a toss sweep (yeah it worked well that one game in the red zone but that's because the defense fell all over each other at the line of scrimmage)

[Fear The Chorizo]

21 hours ago, adambr2 said:

My point is not solely about the 49ers. 

We were bemoaning our injuries on Saturday and I don’t know if anyone even pointed out that the Bears were without their two top receivers.

Everyone has injuries this time of year. The year we won the Super Bowl I think was about the most snakebitten Packer team I’ve ever seen for injuries.

If your “next man up” is not good enough, your roster is not good enough.

The Super Bowl year in 2010, the Packers had a ton of injuries to their role players, but their key guys either stayed mostly healthy or got healthy for the stretch run - heading into that season the Packers were the odds-on favorite by many to win the Super Bowl, but the slew of injuries really knocked their record down.  Rodgers getting past the concussions and deciding to get nuclear-level hot really carried them along with a defense that had playmakers at every level.

 

This year, the Packers have lost arguably the game's best TE in Kraft while waiting on Watson to get activated from last year's knee injury, lost their best offensive guard (despite playing him at center), lost their best DT who proved to be vital to their pass rush when they struggled earlier in the season when he missed time with a minor knee injury, played with a RB who has been hurt for most of the season, and lost one of the top 3 defensive players in all of football in mid-December.  "Next man up" isn't good enough in today's NFL to replace that caliber of players going down for the season if you truly want to be Super Bowl caliber.  they've also had numerous nagging and mid-length injuries to key role receivers, secondary, and LB positions that have cost them consistency week in, week out.

 

So much of this league today is based on who's healthy and which team's quarterback is playing well in December.  Teams with the kind of injuries the Packers have sustained just run out of gas.  Because of how wide open the NFC playoff field is, I think they still have puncher's chance to make a surprise run - but they could just as easily have a 1 and done playoff exit once again because of all their flaws/injuries.  

[Fear The Chorizo]

1 minute ago, homer said:

I think they need an RB with some wheels. I cringe every time I see Jacobs on a toss sweep (yeah it worked well that one game in the red zone but that's because the defense fell all over each other at the line of scrimmage)

Brooks was supposed to be that guy, but he gets injured putting his pads on

[JosephC]

Two months ago, I would have said cutting Jacobs really isn't on the radar.  But now I look at the roster, and with LT, C, NT, CB, CB, LB (assuming Walker gone, which it seems like the odds are better than 50/50 now) all looking like significant need areas, I don't think anything is off the table.  If you still like Morgan as a LT, subtracting Walker, Jenkins, Rhyan from the offensive line, and then conceding that a player like Jacob Monk is probably not an NFL-quality player, and a second offensive lineman is a major, major need in addition to center no matter how you look at it.  If they had 9 draft picks and a first rounder, it would probably be a safe bet that they would be drafting 3 offensive linemen. 

The once 30 million in cap carryover largely vanished after the Parsons trade, so the cap carryover will probably be something like 5 million.  When adding in the rookie cap numbers and enough minimum salaries to get to the roster minimum, they are about 0.5 million over the cap.  So right now, it looks like they would project to be about 4.5 million under the cap.

Elgton Jenkins gets cut, that frees up 20 million.  Rashan Gary gets a full restructure, that takes his cap number from (roughly) 28.0 million down to 18.9 million, so 9.1 million in saving there.  At one time I thought the 4.5 million under the cap + 20 million + 9.1 million = 33.6 million...that would be enough (even though I would like that number to be more in the 40-45 range ideally).  But now looking at the list of needs and no first round pick, I think there is likely more moves than just Jenkins and Gary and it will be interesting to see what those are.

My guess is that Jacobs and Nate Hobbs would be the next two in line.

[LouisEly]

22 minutes ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

Brooks was supposed to be that guy, but he gets injured putting his pads on

Brooks has been on the injury report for one game this year:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2025_injuries.htm

He's their 3rd string RB - he isn't going to play much outside of special teams.  Are you thinking of Lloyd?

[LouisEly]

36 minutes ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

Totally agree the Packers need a RB overhaul next season - Jacobs' free agent deal was essentially a 2 year deal anyway - having him take a big paycut with a restructured deal makes sense along with drafting another RB (Brooks can't stay healthy enough to even get on the field) and probably adding another mid-tier RB in free agency this offseason.

That's about the last position they need to address (given the cap and other pending FAs).

Jacobs is still a good back, Wilson I think is better than Jacobs, Brooks is adequate for a 3rd string back and a good pass protecter, and Lloyd has about as much upside as you can get from a mid-round pick.

Way more pressing needs at DT, interior OL, CB, TE depth, backup QB,, given that they have no 1st round pick and limited cap space.

[CheezWizHed]

1 hour ago, Jopal78 said:

Ok, let’s unpack this. The Packers are in the bottom third of the league in cap space already. They have Wyatt, Quay Walker, Sean Rhyan, all coming out of contract (Not to mention Rasheed Walker, Enagbare and Doubs), cap space is at a premium   Cutting Jacobs saves them 8 million dollars in cap space.  I’ll let you put Wyatt, Walker, and Jacobs in order of importance but if you’re being honest he’s 3rd (maybe even 4th depending how they view Rhyan’s solidification of the OL after moving in as a starter at C). 

Now turning to production. The Packers have lightened his load this year, and his yard per attempt went down despite being rested more. His yards after contact are down significantly, likewise his broken tackles are way down, both of which also likely explain his lack of long runs. Then you dismiss lack of long runs and bring up touchdowns scored. What relevance do touchdowns scored have,  especially when 8 of his 14 were from 3 yards out or less (Unless you think Wilson couldn’t have also barreled in from 3 yards away)?

You’re right, maybe they demand Jacobs take a huge pay cut for ‘26 and he comes back because he estimates he won’t do better as a free agent. Is that a player you really want as a starter?

But objectively, Jacobs is a 28 year old running back, with lots of mileage (more career carries than Saquon, Kamara or McCaffery who are all older), starting to have nagging injuries, his physicality is diminishing statistically, and he’s not a threat to take it to the house. When teams can often find starting tailbacks on the 3rd day of the draft, it’s not really a hard decision on Jacobs. 

Wyatt is under contract for next year.  He got the rookie 5th year contract (unlike Q Walker). 

R Walker, Enagbare, and Doubs are the type of players you walk away from for the typical second contract.  Quay Walker I'm torn on... Certainly worth the second contract, but not a Urlacher type that you build a defense around either. Plus, Cooper and Hopper are ascending replacements.  

The OL may have solidified, but that doesn't mean Rhyan is explicitly the reason.  I don't think his performance has been much different than Jenkins at C.  The whole line had a string of health and consistency, but that doesn't mean Rhyan is much more than a Myers contract at C. 

I'm sure the Packers will restructure the contract, but I don't see a "huge" paycut either. Jacobs does have an every-other year trend going, so next year is "up"! 

As for all of his 3 yd TDs, please refer back to the prior 15 years of Packer RBs and see how many of them were able to make a 3yd TD?  Adams had a billion 3yd TD catches because we didn't have a reliable RB to get it in. 

[CheezWizHed]

13 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

Brooks has been on the injury report for one game this year:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2025_injuries.htm

He's their 3rd string RB - he isn't going to play much outside of special teams.  Are you thinking of Lloyd?

Brooks actually gets a lot of offensive snaps, just not many carries.  He is more of a FB to block for the RB or pass protection.  He is solid, but it would be nice to have someone that is more upside.  More of a lightning to Jacob's thunder. 

[Recovering Chicagoan]

1 hour ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

There is zero chance the Lions pack it in for that last game at Soldier Field.  With how the 49ers looked last night, if GB can claw their way to a win Saturday at home against the Ravens, I think it's very possible the Packers still win the division.

If both the Packers and Lions lose out, which NFC team gets in? 

[Jopal78]

40 minutes ago, CheezWizHed said:

Wyatt is under contract for next year.  He got the rookie 5th year contract (unlike Q Walker). 

R Walker, Enagbare, and Doubs are the type of players you walk away from for the typical second contract.  Quay Walker I'm torn on... Certainly worth the second contract, but not a Urlacher type that you build a defense around either. Plus, Cooper and Hopper are ascending replacements.  

The OL may have solidified, but that doesn't mean Rhyan is explicitly the reason.  I don't think his performance has been much different than Jenkins at C.  The whole line had a string of health and consistency, but that doesn't mean Rhyan is much more than a Myers contract at C. 

I'm sure the Packers will restructure the contract, but I don't see a "huge" paycut either. Jacobs does have an every-other year trend going, so next year is "up"! 

As for all of his 3 yd TDs, please refer back to the prior 15 years of Packer RBs and see how many of them were able to make a 3yd TD?  Adams had a billion 3yd TD catches because we didn't have a reliable RB to get it in. 

Like I said it’s a money thing, and it’s not a difficult call to make: the Packers have two players amongst the biggest cap numbers in the game, younger players they want to resign and extend and running back is amongst the least valuable positions in the NFL. The Packers can save 8 million by releasing Jacobs, which is likely the end of the story. 
 

 If Jacobs wants to cut his salary to give the Packers near 8 million dollars in savings (which he would likely only consider if he believed he could t do better as an FA), sure you’re right they “might” keep him.

Of course, the Packers history is moving on a year too early rather than a year too late, so the die may have already been cast regardless. Such is the life of an aging veteran in the NFL. 
 

Also, 25 of Aaron Jones’ 45 rushing TDs with the Packers were from 3 or fewer yards. 8 of Jamaal Williams 10 with Green Bay were also from 3 and in. So the fact  Jacobs piles in from short distance isn’t all that remarkable in context. 

[adambr2]

1 hour ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

The Super Bowl year in 2010, the Packers had a ton of injuries to their role players, but their key guys either stayed mostly healthy or got healthy for the stretch run - heading into that season the Packers were the odds-on favorite by many to win the Super Bowl, but the slew of injuries really knocked their record down.  Rodgers getting past the concussions and deciding to get nuclear-level hot really carried them along with a defense that had playmakers at every level.

 

This year, the Packers have lost arguably the game's best TE in Kraft while waiting on Watson to get activated from last year's knee injury, lost their best offensive guard (despite playing him at center), lost their best DT who proved to be vital to their pass rush when they struggled earlier in the season when he missed time with a minor knee injury, played with a RB who has been hurt for most of the season, and lost one of the top 3 defensive players in all of football in mid-December.  "Next man up" isn't good enough in today's NFL to replace that caliber of players going down for the season if you truly want to be Super Bowl caliber.  they've also had numerous nagging and mid-length injuries to key role receivers, secondary, and LB positions that have cost them consistency week in, week out.

 

So much of this league today is based on who's healthy and which team's quarterback is playing well in December.  Teams with the kind of injuries the Packers have sustained just run out of gas.  Because of how wide open the NFC playoff field is, I think they still have puncher's chance to make a surprise run - but they could just as easily have a 1 and done playoff exit once again because of all their flaws/injuries.  

Truth in some of this, but other parts of it is revisionist history. It wasn’t just getting nicked up and then getting healthy late. We lost a massive number of players to IR, I believe it was 15, and at that time in the NFL, IR meant you were done for the season. And some of those were massive losses, they weren’t just role players.

Jermichael Finley was right on par with losing Kraft.

Ryan Grant was a massive loss, he had almost 1500 yards for us in 2009.

Tauscher- huge loss.

Nick Barnett - huge loss. 

These are the biggest examples, but not the only ones.

[Fear The Chorizo]

1 hour ago, LouisEly said:

Brooks has been on the injury report for one game this year:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2025_injuries.htm

He's their 3rd string RB - he isn't going to play much outside of special teams.  Are you thinking of Lloyd?

yes - totally screwed that one up....Lloyd is the RB I'm thinking of!