By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Nov 07, 2022 at 10:51 AM

Welp, I guess we got our Sunday afternoons back a little earlier than expected this year. 

The Packers lost 15-9 in Detroit on Sunday – a brutal loss, but technically just one loss in the standings. Sure, you could convince yourself that, after this latest embarrassment, the Packers will suddenly improve – despite no on-field evidence of that, and quite the opposite in fact. And sure, you could look at the playoff standings and see that, thanks to the overall mediocrity of the league this year, Green Bay is just two games back of the final Wild Card slot.

But stop. Don't do it to yourself. Like Hawkeye said in "Avengers: Endgame," don't give me hope.

This team just lost to the Detroit Lions, their fifth loss in a row. The Milwaukee Brewers won more recently. And not only did Green Bay lose to the Lions, they looked terrible doing it, unable to score a single point against a historically poor Detroit defense until the second half and their four-time MVP quarterback looking miserable in every definition of the word. Throughout this five-game skid, the Packers have had numerous chances to have a get-right game against an inferior for – and each time, they refuse. They somehow look worse. We probably just have to accept it: A good Green Bay team isn't suddenly walking through that door this year, and it's not like the front office did much to improve those odds at the trade deadline. 

So. On that bright and happy note, let's look back at the dagger in the 2022-23 Green Bay Packers season. 

1. Off to a promising start

Things seemed potentially positive at Sunday's start. The Packers defense eventually earned a stop, and Rodgers and company drove the ball down deep into Lions territory. But then Aaron threw his first interception of the day, doinking a ball off the defensive line in a move that's becoming all too frequent this season. And after four games of this now, we know a bad omen when we see it. 

2. Bad play, bad execution, bad football team

The Packers are deeply struggling on offense – and were continuing to do so against the worst defense in the NFL on Sunday. So I'm not sure it was the optimal time to get cute by chucking up a pass to the injury-prone David Bakhtiari going into uncomfortable receiver mode on a fourth down. I know A.J. Dillon tried and failed to get into the endzone twice – but if only Green Bay had a second, even more electric running back they could've given the ball in this scenario. Oh well, instead they ran this optimistic nonsense that Rodgers comically misthrew, resulting in yet another interception and even more points off the board.

3. Failure to connect

It seems like a bad sign when your quarterback can't even cooperate and get on the same page with the electronics on the sideline. 

4. A glimmer of hope

Here's one of the rare Rodgers' moments from Sunday that didn't make fans want to walk into Lake Michigan. Instead of providing hope during the Lions' game, I feel like this toss was just a sad reminder of how far our quarterback is from his glory days of just a season ago, when throws like these were common and expected rather than rare and pleasant surprises. 

5. At least somebody showed up

Joe Barry's defense has deservedly earned a lot of side-eye and scorn this season; for a squad that was expected to be a top-five unit, they instead get regularly burned and can't get critical stops late in games. But on Sunday, against a Lions offense that is not that team's problem and has considerable weapons, the defense showed up, holding a talented outfit to just 15 points, nabbing an interception and getting this rare clutch stop with just over two minutes to go down six. Unfortunately, Rodgers and the offense couldn't hold up their end of the bargain – per usual this season. 

6. Injury on top of insult

Rashan Gary
PHOTO: Evan Siegle/Packers.com
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Rashan Gary has been one of the season's few bright spots – so of course fate had to murder that and strike the growing Green Bay defensive superstar down on Sunday with a season-ending ACL tear. And that was by no means the only significant injury the Packers suffered while their dignity took a season-ending hit, as Romeo Doubs, Robert Tonyan, Christian Watson, David Bakhtiati and Eric Stokes all required either significant time on the sideline or never came back to the game. The Packers aren't just running out of time this season; they're damn near running out of players. 

7. Wisconsin's most wanted

Aaron Jones
PHOTO: Evan Siegle/Packers.com
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There wasn't much to cheer about in last weekend's loss to the Bills – but the silver lining was the offense seemed finally content to let Aaron Jones cook and reap the benefits. Well, that lasted all of one game as Jones only touched the ball eleven times during Sunday's loss to the Lions, with nine rushes (two less than the less-effective A.J. Dillon) and two catches. Yes, he did get dinged up during the game – but Lafleur and company were barely utilizing before then too. Thankfully, the injury isn't serious, and Jones is expected to be available next week at home against the Dallas Cowboys, where hopefully the Packers commit to him on offense for a whole game. Considering the number of injuries Green Bay suffered on Sunday, they may not have a choice. 

8. The beautiful game

Yep, that's pretty much exactly how I expected a game between the 1-6, historically sieve-like Detroit Lions and the 3-5 pain-inducing Green Bay Packers to play out. The result of this play thankfully wasn't Lions ball – but the Pack would indeed fail to gain yet another yard, falling short yet again this season. 

9. Over before it's begun

Aaron Rodgers
PHOTO: Evan Siegle/Packers.com
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There are technically still eight games left this season, and the Packers are still technically just a few games back of a playoff spot. But judging by the evidence on the field, this season is well over.

Even with much of the NFC underperforming, Green Bay basically has to win out in order to make the playoffs – with the Dallas Cowboys, the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, Derrick Henry's Tennessee Titans, the high-powered 6-3 Miami Dolphins and the division-leading Vikings all ominously awaiting on the schedule. That'd be a brutal slate for a good team, much less one that couldn't beat the Commanders. The lone losing teams left on the slate are the Chicago Bears – who seem to be finding their way – the equally increasingly desperate L.A. Rams and the Detroit Lions ... who just beat the Packers. They're not asking for a miracle; they're asking for a level of divine intervention on a biblical scale. And in case their opponents weren't tough enough, the Packers will have to pull off a remarkable turnaround without key pieces on both sides of the ball. 

Crazier things have happened – but it's looking more like this one-time contender will be making draft night plans rather than Super Bowl ones. 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.