Packers' latest loss to Vikings all but ends their season, but how do they fix their problems?

This is a strange situation: Aaron Rodgers will be playing in December, but only for show.

What the Green Bay Packers do the rest of the season, barring an absolute miracle, has little bearing on the playoff race. After another disappointing loss, a 24-17 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers are 4-6-1. They’re most likely just playing out the string for the next five weeks. You’d need to tell quite a tale that ends with the Packers winning out and making the playoffs. Mathematically it’s possible. But keep in mind, the Packers haven’t won two games in a row yet this season.

There will be more calls for Mike McCarthy’s job after the Packers’ fourth loss in five games. One of the most intense fan bases in the NFL will dissect every single thing that has gone wrong this season. The offseason hasn’t started yet, but it’s time for the Packers to think forward to it and figure out how they can avoid another lost season in Rodgers’ career.

Packers have another disappointing night

If there’s an excuse for the Packers’ fade, other than a rough recent schedule, it’s injuries. The Packers have been beat up lately, and took on more injuries Sunday. Still, a lot of teams are dealing with injuries this time of year.

Mostly it just looked yet again like a team that has talent but for whatever reason can’t put it together. Rodgers has been good but not MVP-level good, and the Packers have put themselves in a position where Rodgers needs to be among the best in the game. That won’t change, given that Rodgers’ cap numbers the next three years are $26.5 million, $32.6 million and $33.5 million.

There were some ridiculous moments on Sunday. McCarthy screamed at officials in the third quarter for not spotting the ball before a fourth down quickly enough, but NBC officiating analyst Terry McAulay said the ball was spotted and the down was indicated with 27 seconds left. The Packers wasted a timeout, went for it and an uncreative run up the middle got nothing. The Vikings took possession in Packers territory and drove for a field goal.

There was still hope in the fourth quarter with a little less than six minutes left and the Vikings leading 24-14. But a punt bounced off Packers returner Tramon Williams and the Vikings recovered. After Mike Zimmer made a truly baffling decision to pass a short field goal to go for it on fourth down the Packers got a stop, Rodgers put together a drive. He found Davante Adams open in the end zone and overthrew him. The ball went off Adams’ fingertips as he was all alone. It was that kind of a night.

The Packers’ game Sunday was symptomatic of their entire season. The offense started well and then disappeared in the second half, not scoring a touchdown. The defense allowed Vikings receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs to take turns making big plays. The play-calling wasn’t inspired. There were mistakes that took away what chance the Packers had.

Packers could turn things around next season

The Packers aren’t hopeless. It seems pretty clear they need a new coach. Whether you believe McCarthy is a good coach or not, we don’t need to see Rodgers returning to the sideline with a glassy, blank stare any more times to understand that the message is stale. The Packers need a reset, someone to invigorate the offense and the franchise as a whole. Green Bay will have plenty of interested candidates. They can find a creative mind that can rejuvenate Rodgers.

There are still foundation players. Rodgers, of course. Aaron Jones and Adams are elite skill-position players, and when healthy David Bakhtiari is a good left tackle. The Packers have drafted some good defensive backs the past couple years. Blake Martinez is a good inside linebacker, Kyler Fackrell has emerged as a difference-making pass rusher, and Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark are good on the defensive line. There is some talent on both sides. Any team with Rodgers, even though he’s taking up a ton of cap space, has a chance. Thanks to the last couple drafts, there’s some young talent in place on both sides of the ball. You just wouldn’t know it from the results this season.

The front office had what looks like a good draft, and the willingness to jump into free agency — something former general manager Ted Thompson almost never did — was a positive. The Jimmy Graham signing hasn’t worked out, but the philosophy change was welcomed.

It’s not hard to see Green Bay bouncing back. Teams with quarterbacks as good as Rodgers don’t often stay down very long. They’re usually not down at all. But that’s where the Packers are. They’re a broken team. With this season all but washed away, it’s time to figure out how to get it fixed.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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