Cheese Curds, 11/18: Turn out the lights, the party’s over

No, the Green Bay Packers aren’t officially, mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. But after dropping Thursday Night Football 27-17 to the Tennessee Titans, any hope for the rest of this season truly has faded into nothingness.

According to Fivethirtyeight.com, the Packers’ playoff chances somehow still stand at 5% after last night’s loss, but even that feels optimistic. With no semblance of consistency on either side of the football, this team provides no reason for hope, even after a thrilling win last Sunday over a good Dallas Cowboys team.

As long as the Packers remain mathematically alive — and they’ll probably need to run the table the rest of the season to have any chance at a playoff spot — they’ll keep playing their veteran starters. But the issues that plague this team are long-term ones, and the rest of this season probably should be spent determining who is worth keeping in Green Bay for 2023, both in terms of players and coaches.

Changes will surely be coming this offseason. How the Packers perform in the final six games might just determine how widespread those are. But what this team has now simply isn’t working.

Matt LaFleur: Titans ‘whipped us in every phase’ on TNF | Packers Wire
Every time the offense did something positive, the defense gave up a big drive. Each time the defense got a stop, the offense went 3-and-out. Playing complementary football is something that this team simply feels incapable of doing.

Disappointment at its peak as another game gets away from Packers | Packers.com
The defense had some of those nice moments in the second half, but that wasn't nearly enough to overcome the unit's early failures.

After encouraging week, Packers are who we thought they were in loss to Titans - The Athletic ($)
It turns out that the win over the Cowboys really was just a mirage. Whether driven by emotion or luck, this Packers team just isn't a real threat.

Too late to salvage season, but Packers must make changes | Packersnews.com
Joe Barry probably won’t be fired midseason, but it will be a shock if he’s back as defensive coordinator in 2023. It might be time for a bigger shakeup on the defensive staff than just a change of coordinator, too.

The Packers’ Dynasty That Wasn’t Dies vs. Titans - Sports Illustrated
Even amid some bumps over the past few years, the Packers as an organization have maintained a high level of play and competitiveness. There are signs now that it's all coming to an end.

Packers' Aaron Rodgers takes blame for missed throws in loss to Titans | ESPN
Rodgers' misses on Thursday were brutal, particularly in the second half with the team still in position to make a comeback.

Packers rookie WR Christian Watson shines again in latest Green Bay loss | NFL.com
The only real silver linings from Thursday night were Watson, who followed up his three-TD game on Sunday with two more against the Titans, and Randall Cobb, who caught all six targets for 73 yards.

Western Australia's potato war ends with spud king Tony Galati the victor | The Guardian
I have a lot of questions about this headline, but chief among them is how someone can earn the title of "spud king."