OK, now Matt Stafford is a future Hall of Famer, with a Super Bowl and an MVP, right?

He definitely shortened his wait. His lengthy body of work was plenty solid, but with only two Pro Bowl and no All-Pro selections before 2025, he just added a ton of sparkle to that CV.

Gutekunst at his press conference seemed more than a bit miffed by the five-game stretch the team lost to end the season. It’s interesting that he’s not letting injuries be part of the excuse though, I’d argue that the players that were lost were key cogs in the way LaFleur likes to operate, and the way the defense operated on the other side.

I agree his profound disappointment at how the season ended came through loud and clear from that podium/table. But I understand his unwillingness to point to the injuries for the simple reason the Packers had the Bears beat, twice, and didn’t close the deal. They built leads of 16-6 with five minutes to go and 27-16 with 6½ minutes left in two of the biggest games of the season without those injured players, so they should’ve been able to win those games. In his leadership position, it’s the proper perspective.

Finishing the games and the season would be easier if the team had better conditioning. In six of the first seven games of the season they had at least two scores each game and averaged 15 points in the fourth quarter. In the last 11 games they never scored more than one TD in the fourth of any game averaging a little over four points. You could tell by the body language and being pushed around they weren’t in shape. When do they address this problem?

I disagree conditioning was a problem. In the late-season stretch you reference, against the Giants and Bears (first meeting), the Packers scored a go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter and closed out wins with INTs, and they put the Lions away on Thanksgiving with a clutch drive late. I don’t think conditioning was the reason Romeo Doubs fumbled an onside kick, Malik Willis fumbled a fourth-down snap in OT, or the offense gained just one first down on four THIRD-quarter possessions in the playoffs.

Patrick from Moreno Valley, CA

With Jordan Love entering his prime and so many young core players already locked in, do you feel the Packers are positioned to be more aggressive in free agency over the next couple seasons, or is the long-term draft-and-develop approach still blueprint?

Yes and yes. In all seriousness, I don’t see a 2019 free-agent spending spree coming again anytime soon, but the Packers can make moves to give themselves flexibility to target a top free agent or two, as they’ve done the past couple of years. The days of being hamstrung by the Covid-cap gymnastics to make another run with Rodgers are over. Draft-and-develop remains the foundation, but Gutey always wants and plans to be in position to pursue a player or two early in free agency if it’s the right player(s).

In Wes’s answer to Paul from Rockford’s question about running backs, he stated “Gutekunst didn’t equivocate when asked about Josh Jacobs.” I recall a similar statement being made about Aaron Jones not long ago. So, I feel taking what Gute says in a press conference at face value foolish (maybe too harsh of a word). But, if my memory serves me, Jones was a free agent. That being said I hope Jacobs is back with team. Would there be any appreciable cap savings if he was released?

For the record, Jones wasn’t a free agent. The Packers were reportedly working out a possible pay cut with Jones that didn’t materialize, so they released him and pivoted to Jacobs. If the Packers were to move on from Jacobs, they’d save about $8M in cap space this year (plus another $13.5M comes off the books the following year), but I don’t see it right now. Yes, he’s got mileage and battled injuries this past year, but he’s still just turning 28 tomorrow.

Patrick from St. Charles, MO

Can you please just help us confused fans understand where all this “confidence” in RB comes from? The past few years (really the past 10-plus years) are riddled with special teams failures. Yet we still have confidence in his ability? BG said it’s beyond the X’s and O’s and about the “culture,” but what culture are we even talking about? The culture of a group that drops five straight games to end the season with catastrophic losses (including those due to ST)? As a fan, it’s frustrating…

First, it’s not fair to pin any past sins on a current coach who wasn’t here then. Second, it goes back to the parsing of responsibility for failures I outlined in detail at the end of the season. No reasonable evaluation can pin the botched onside kick and three missed kicks in Chicago on coaching. That’s ludicrous. The individual players own those and no one else. Were there other shortcomings on special teams? Sure, but I believe the internal view is the blocked placekicks (Weeks 3 & 4) were fixed and not an issue the last three-fourths of the season, the early rash of penalties diminished as well, and the lack of a dynamic return game was mostly due to not having a dynamic returner. Plus, the Packers have a great punter and the coverage units were solid until late-season injuries to key special-teamers led to a couple explosive punt returns in the playoff loss. Look, I get the frustration. There’s a lot of it amongst the fan base. But that’s how the organization views the whole picture.

Speaking of cold games, what were the stats from the NFC Championship Game against the Giants? (In 2008 maybe?) Based on what was left of Tom Coughlin’s nose, it looked to be near the top 10 coldest playoff games.

It’s in the top 10 but just outside the top five, I believe. The official gamebook says the 2007 NFC title game was minus-1 at kickoff with a minus-23 wind chill. Kickoff was at 5:42 p.m. CT and the OT field goal sailed through at 9:15, so it presumably got colder as the evening wore on.

Not a question, but in response to your response to John from Canada, maybe all of those close games came out the way they did because the teams with the better records have those records because they are better at finding ways to win those games?

There’s probably some truth to that, but when you look at the games and deciding plays and how random some of those moments were, there’s no denying many of the outcomes could’ve easily flipped.

Wait what?! A separate kitchenette/lunch space for the beat reporters? From this side of the Inbox it’s difficult to ascertain whether you’re being rewarded or punished. Perhaps they’ve had enough of your lunchroom tomfoolery and shenanigans. If this is their idea of sending you all to timeout then I am truly confusticated and bebothered.

The media work area Ed was talking about will be for outside media only. It has nothing to do with me and Wes, much like your creative vocabulary.

Mike from Stevens Point, WI

Hi Mike, “I don’t know’s on third!”

Never a dull moment, right?

The whole time I was watching Sunday, I kept flashing back to 21-3. And thinking, if only, if only. Get on a run and get it done. And as frustrating as this season ended, I can’t wait to see what 2026 holds.

Just like that a new year dawns. All prior disappointments and frustrations are banished. Hope and expectations (reasonable and otherwise) are restored. The Packers are undefeated and all arrows point up. Happy new (NFL) year, and Go Pack Go!