After the first two weeks of the season, the dreams of a Super Bowl trophy coming back to Green Bay were very real. Fast forward to December and, despite a playoff berth in hand, injuries have derailed the Green Bay Packers’ season.
With the No. 7 seed locked up regardless of the outcome in Week 18, the Packers need to rest starters against the Minnesota Vikings. Head coach Matt LaFleur needs to look no further than what happened last year to wide receiver Christian Watson.
In 2024, the Packers clinched a playoff berth in a Week 16 win over the New Orleans Saints. Green Bay lost the following week to Minnesota, and they rolled the dice by playing starters at the outset of the Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears.
To provide full context, the Packers were still battling for potentially better seeding, but Green Bay was locked into either the No. 7 or No. 6 seed by the time Week 18 rolled around. The division was not within reach, and as a result, neither was hosting a game on Wild Card Weekend. Still, LaFleur opted to roll with most starters, and Watson went down with a torn ACL.
Would the Packers have gone into Philadelphia and won the following week had Watson not torn his ACL in Week 18? Probably not, but the offense would’ve looked a hell of a lot better.
Things are a tad different now than in 2024. There are no seeding scenarios on the line for the Packers. Win, lose, or draw against the Vikings, it doesn’t matter. The Packers will be the No. 7 seed. When asked by reporters on Sunday if starters would sit or play, LaFleur didn’t give a direct answer.
“I would say we’ve had some early discussions in regards to what we’re going to do, and I’ll be able to update you guys later in the week,” he said. “Despite what has been reported, nothing’s been decided.”
As for the Watson situation from 2024? LaFleur referenced it directly as something that’s stuck in his mind.
“I think you’re always leaning on past experiences, and certainly it was a tough lesson a year ago in regards to what we lost going into the Wild Card round,” he said. “But, yeah, absolutely, you lean into those and then kind of the state of the team as well.”
And of course, Green Bay’s injury situation this year is different — and more dire — than in 2024.
Tucker Kraft, Micah Parsons, Elgton Jenkins, John FitzPatrick, and Devonte Wyatt are already out for the year. Kamal Hadden and Jordon Riley joined that list, suffering season-ending injuries against the Baltimore Ravens.
Playing starters against Minnesota would be borderline insane, given all the players the Packers have already lost. Imagine Jordan Love is cleared from concussion protocol and gets another concussion or gets nicked up in the second half of a meaningless game against Minnesota. LaFleur would be put into witness protection.
Of course, you can’t coach or play with a scared mindset. You’re defeated before you step on the field. However, when you are locked into your playoff spot, no matter what the result is against the Vikings, what sense does it make to play starters?
The alternative is to get a win and go into the postseason with momentum. A loss would make it four straight losses for Green Bay headed into the playoffs. Would a win in Week 18 really provide a massive boost to the Packers? It’s impossible to quantify, but it seems highly unlikely to be worth the risk.
The best-case scenario is you beat Minnesota and maybe — maybe — get a bit of a confidence boost. The worst-case scenario is you play starters and suffer yet more injuries to an already depleted team.
If you want a compromise, a scenario where Love plays the first quarter or a few drives would make some sense. He left the Bears game early with a concussion, so it’s not out of the question to suggest he could benefit from knocking a bit of rust off. But the whole game? Even the first half? It just doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps the most damning thing LaFleur said on Sunday about the topic at hand came when he mentioned all the injuries the team has already suffered.
“You’re kind of limited, especially with our situation right now, with the number of injuries that occurred,” he said. “Guys are going to have to play ball. So they’d better approach it in such a way that they’re getting their mind ready to go play ball.”
When a head coach admits that his team is already behind the eight ball and limited because of injuries, in what galaxy would it make sense to risk extending the injury report with more starters? It doesn’t. The Packers need to rest their key players on Sunday in Minnesota.