Playoff-Bound Packers Set Incredible NFL Record With Loss to Bears

The Green Bay Packers lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, meaning they finished with a 1-5 record in NFC North games.

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur successfully challenges a call during the first quarter vs. the Bears. / Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will enter the NFL playoffs with an 11-6 record and not a bit of momentum following Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears.

The Packers dropped back-to-back games to the NFC North-rival Minnesota Vikings and Bears to complete the regular season.

With those losses, the Packers finished a woeful 1-5 in division games.

Yet, they still made the playoffs.

According to Stathead, the Packers are tied for the worst division record for any playoff team in NFL history. Here are the one-win playoff teams:

Packers, 2024: 1-5. Finished 11-6.

Steelers, 1989: 1-5. Finished 9-7.

New York Giants, 2022: 1-4-1. Finished 9-7-1.

Packers, 1982: 1-2. Strike season; finished 5-3-1.

The Packers’ five division losses also are tied for the most in NFL history for a playoff team. Remember, with the addition of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks, most of the NFL’s divisions had five teams from 1976 through 2001, meaning teams in four of the six divisions, including the old NFC Central, played eight division games rather than six.

Moreover, the Packers won the fewest division games for any team to ever have 11-plus overall wins. Previously, only two teams had won even two division games but won at least 11 overall.

“We certainly didn’t want to go into the playoffs like this, but that’s our circumstance,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. “So, we’ve got to be tough-minded and we’ve got to be critical, and we’ve got to flip the script as soon as possible and move on to the next game.

“It’s a whole new season, and we know we’ve got a tough road in front of us, but I think it’s one that guys are going to attack for sure.”

Incredibly, the Packers were a fingertip away from qualifying for the playoffs without a single NFC North win. Their lone division win came at Chicago in Week 11, when Karl Brooks blocked a field goal on the final play. Without that, the Packers would have gone 0-6 against division teams.

So, unlike last year, when the Packers caught fire to get into the playoffs, they will be Frozen Tundra cold heading into the postseason.

“It is kind of the mindset of it’s a new season,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “We’re going into the playoffs. We’ve got to flush the season and have a clean slate. We’re going in 0-0. As we know, anything can happen in the playoffs.

“It’s win or go home. Obviously, there’s a lot of things we have to clean up and be better at, but it’s the same message. Obviously, we’re not going in with momentum but who cares? We’ve got to find a way to get better and go attack this week.

The good news, historically speaking, is those one-win teams had some playoff success.

The 1989 Steelers won at the Houston Oilers in overtime before losing by one at the Denver Broncos.

The 2022 Giants won at the Minnesota Vikings before getting hammered at the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 1982 Packers crushed the St. Louis Cardinals at home in the Super Bowl tournament before losing at the Dallas Cowboys.

Who knows what could happen if the Packers can upset the Eagles. After a series of narrow losses to the league’s top teams this season, perhaps that long-awaited signature victory could open the door to a championship run.

“We can’t get down ourselves, we can’t point fingers, because truth of the matter is we have more football to play, and we need to do it,” tight end Tucker Kraft said. “Forty-eight guys on the field, one heartbeat. That’s the way we’ve got to move forward, that’s the way we’ve got to plan, strategize.”

Or, the Packers’ postseason berth is the byproduct of having the woeful AFC South and mediocre NFC West as part of this year’s schedule rotation.

What is absolutely certain is LaFleur has lost his mastery of the division. He went 6-0 against the NFC North during his debut season of 2019 and 5-1 in 2020. From there, his teams went 4-2 in 2021, 3-3 in 2022, 4-2 in 2023 and now 1-5 in 2024.

“We’ve got to wipe this as soon as possible,” LaFleur said. “It’s a new season now. Everybody’s 0-0. We knew we were going to have to go on the road, so we’re going to have to go on the road to Philly and we’ll figure out what day we play and we’ll have a plan in place. Obviously, very disappointed right now.”

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At least the #Packers could count on beating the Bears.

Not anymore. They were a tipped field goal away from getting swept by the Bears and going 0-6 in the division.

Here's the Packers-Bears report card by @JacobWestendorf: ⬇️https://t.co/XFD1OTe2sK

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 6, 2025

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