Why The Green Bay Packers Will Miss The Playoffs In 2026

SportsMoney Why The Green Bay Packers Will Miss The Playoffs In 2026 By Rob Reischel ,

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Rob Reischel is a Wisconsin-based reporter who covers the NFL. Follow Author Jul 26, 2026, 09:35am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary The Green Bay Packers face a challenging 2026 season, projected to miss the playoffs amid a sustained decline since Matt LaFleur's early success. Their 2025 campaign ended in a historic collapse, including blowing a 21-3 NFC Championship lead and a five-game losing streak. Key defender Micah Parsons' ACL injury sidelines him until Week 7, severely impacting an already struggling pass rush. Compounding issues are significant offseason player losses with minimal replacements, a league-third-toughest schedule, and the team's chronic inability to close out games. Head coach LaFleur's leadership is under intense scrutiny as his record has worsened, raising doubts about the team's ability to rebound.

The Green Bay Packers have largely been trending in the wrong direction since the end of Matt LaFleur’s second season.

LaFleur led the Packers to NFC Championship game appearances in 2019 and 2020 — his first two years on the job — and went 28-8 overall those seasons.

The Packers didn't win a playoff game in 2021. They missed the playoffs altogether in 2022, then traded Aaron Rodgers after the season.

In the three years since, Green Bay has been the NFC’s No. 7 seed each season. After rebounding to win a playoff game in 2023 — Jordan Love’s first year as a starter — the Packers lost in the Wild Card round in both 2024 and 2025.

The Packers carry a five-game losing streak into 2026, tied for the fourth-longest in the NFL. They didn't win a game after Micah Parsons suffered a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 14. And since winning two of his first three playoff games, LaFleur is 1-5 in the postseason, dropping his overall record to just 3-6.

In fact, after an offseason that saw Green Bay lose more than it added, the guess here is the downward trend will continue and the Packers will miss the playoffs.

“We’ve got a lot to prove,” Green Bay center Sean Rhyan said in June. “No doubt about it.”

Green Bay looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender with just a month left in the 2025 campaign after racing to a 9-3-1 start. Then the Packers had one of the greatest collapses in team history, didn’t win again and finished the year 9-8-1.

The ultimate gut punch came in the NFC Championship Game when Green Bay blew a 21-3 halftime lead at Chicago, allowed 25 fourth quarter points and fell to the hated Bears, 31-27.

“You’re only as good as your last performance,” safety Javon Bullard said of the loss to Chicago. “It should resonate in all our heads.”

That loss may still vibrate around the Packers’ collective minds. But that likely won't fix what could potentially ail this team.

Green Bay opens training camp Wednesday, and here are five reasons the Packers will miss the postseason for the first time since 2022.

It almost defies logic, but the Packers went 0-5 after Micah Parsons was injured against Denver in Week 15. Green Bay was also outscored, 130-73, after Parsons went down in the third quarter against the Broncos.

Parsons had surgery for a torn ACL and had a “clean up” of his meniscus on Dec. 29, 2025. Parsons said the Packers employ a strict “nine-month rule” of no football when players are coming back from ACL/meniscus injuries at the same time.

That means if everything goes perfectly, the Packers would open a 21-day practice window for Parsons — which allows a player to practice without counting against the 53-man active roster — in late September or early October. Green Bay players typically use all 21 days of that window, and if Parsons did the same, his first game back would be approximately Oct. 25 at Detroit, which is Week 7.

“I think the goal has always just been, not right now, but longevity with my career here,” Parsons said. “And I think they want that approach.”

Green Bay’s pass rush without Parsons was subpar a year ago and the Packers managed just 4.0 sacks in the four full games Parsons missed. Green Bay also has a mediocre group of cornerbacks, which means its pass defense struggles when the rush doesn’t excel.

The schedule makers were kind to the Packers, as they face just one playoff team from 2025 in their first six games. On the flip side, those teams will also be giddy to see Green Bay without Parsons.

Quay Walker. Romeo Doubs. Malik Willis. Elgton Jenkins. Rasheed Walker. Rashan Gary. Emanuel Wilson. Kingsley Enagbare.

Green Bay lost a bevy of quality players this offseason. And while only Jenkins and Gary were ever named to a Pro Bowl, the departed group played a ton of snaps and were part of a lot of wins.

Green Bay’s additions — Javon Hargrave , Zaire Franklin , Benjamin St-Juste and Skyy Moore — were minimal. The Packers didn’t have a first round draft pick and had just six picks overall, which tied for the smallest draft class in team history.

Green Bay insists it loves the depth of its roster. But after losing more than they gained this offseason, it won’t be easy for the Packers to bounce back.

Green Bay had double digit leads in the final 4 minutes of three games last season — twice against Chicago and at Cleveland — and lost all three.

The odds of Green Bay going 0-3 in those contests was 1-in-250,000, yet somehow the Packers did it.

“I mean, you just have to practice the finish,” tight end Tucker Kraft said. “I’ve said this before, you have to get out of bed in the morning and choose to succeed. You have to talk it into existence.

“You saw the conclusion of the season. We weren’t able to finish and that just speaks to, I don’t know …”

And that’s the problem. The Packers didn’t know how to fix their late-game collapses a year ago.

LaFleur spent much of the o...