NFL Rankings: Can the Green Bay Packers Forget About the Playoffs?

Last summer, the media projected the Green Bay Packers to go to the Super Bowl.  That was based on the talent of their roster.

We must remember that the NFL has a 16-game season and things happen.  Many of the key players on the Packers have been dropping like flies, and it hurts right now.

Running back Ryan Grant went down first.  Jermichael Finley, Nick Barnett, Mark Tauscher, Morgan Burnett, Atari Bigby and now Cullen Jenkins are out for possibly the rest of the season.  And who knows if quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be available for the game in New England after suffering a concussion in their loss to the Detroit Lions Sunday.

This team began the season at 3-3 and won five out of the last six games before going to the Motor City.  As it stood last week, the Packers were on the outside looking in for the playoffs.  Their 7-3 defeat by the Lions came from a third-string quarterback, who connected with a third-string tight end for the only touchdown of the game.

While Rodgers feels that he has to run out of the pocket more because of a lack of a running game, he should've slid to the ground instead of diving. 

There's enough blame to go around, and head coach Mike McCarthy said that it begins with him: He has an offensive coordinator, and he calls all the plays on offense.

The Packers' only hope of making the playoffs is winning the NFC North, which could come down to the last game in Green Bay, January 2, against the Chicago Bears in a must-win game. It's clearly not the route Green Bay wants to take or the blueprint that was laid out between McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson. 

Forget the Super Bowl, they may even have to forget the playoffs this season.

If the Packers don't make the playoffs, heads will roll and the moving trucks will back up to the loading docks at 1265 Lombardi Ave.  That will be a good sign that some people in the organization will be moving out and moving on.

The coaching staff should shred the film of their dismal performance against the Lions and make the team watch the HBO documentary on Vince Lombardi. 

They will know what it's like to put together a consistent, winning organization.