It was part of that defensive performance

I’ve noticed a pattern in our last three playoff losses. We’ve lost to the best D-line all three years. Each year we’ve had to field an O-line with fewer Pro Bowlers or All-Pros due to injury and free agency. You can get through regular seasons without your All-Pros but it’s games like these where their absences are most noticeable. Rodgers has been sacked 13 times and hit 17 times in those three losses. You’re not going to beat the best D-line without the best O-line. That’s universal.

Fair point. The Chiefs certainly found that out in the Super Bowl last year, too. But there are ways to overcome. Joe Burrow was sacked nine times in Tennessee and the Bengals rushed for just 65 yards, but they found a way.

A few weeks ago Bakhtiari implied that the only reason he played in Week 18 was because Rodgers asked him to do so. It appears that decision caused a bit of a setback and led to him being limited in practice and unavailable for the game. Do you feel his absence in the playoffs could have been avoided and do you think it might have made any difference?

Based on how David Bakhtiari looked in Detroit, I think he could have made a difference, but he also was winded and out of gas after 25 snaps in that game, not having played all season. So if he doesn’t play in Detroit, it’s hard to believe he could’ve played an entire playoff game in his first appearance, especially in cold weather that can be tough on the lungs. It feels like the whole deal was the proverbial catch-22.

Lucas from Morgantown, WV

I don’t want to talk about special teams. Yes, it was a horrendous performance, but we only allowed 13 points. I also don’t want to make any excuses for our offense. However, with both MVS and Dillon missing most of the game, I can only imagine the weight lifted off of their safeties. Am I wrong in thinking those two players make the biggest difference in the way teams load the box?

They are factors, sure, but the Packers spent all season overcoming injuries. They had what they needed to win. I’m sure of that.

Andy from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Mike, I think the most frustrating part about this loss is that there are no excuses besides not playing good enough. Every playoff loss since the Super Bowl, we had something to point to – ran out of players in a position group, the defense just got whipped, or something concrete to point to and fix in the offseason. Not so much this offseason. (Obviously special teams needs addressing, but we should have been able to overcome that with the talent we had available.)

I agree, but there’s also a difference between special-teams miscues that affect field position, and blunders that directly cost you 10 points in a low-scoring game. That’s a mountain, not a molehill, in a defensive struggle.

Joe from Cedar Rapids, IA

Can we stop assuming that home field, on the frozen tundra, is the huge advantage we all thought it was? It certainly was from the ’60s through the ’90s but not in this new century. The crowd was great but it still comes down to players, plays and coaching.

Of course it does. But this is a popular take right now, and those dismissing playing at home in January need to stop and reconsider. I would argue it did provide an advantage in this case, but the Packers just didn’t seize it. In the early-going, Kittle dropped a wide-open pass down the middle. Aiyuk lost one on the hit from Douglas, with the fumble unfortunately overturned via replay. Garoppolo threw a couple of slants behind his guys and some floaters toward the boundary, one of which could’ve been a pick-six. It’s not a stretch to say those early miscues were related to the conditions, as the 49ers adjusted to playing in the cold. It’s why I said Monday the Packers should have been in command of that game. But they weren’t, never getting a multi-score lead, and eventually San Francisco settled in and dealt with the conditions better. Also, don’t undersell the fact the Lambeau crowd kept Green Bay’s defense energized throughout. It was part of that defensive performance. The outcome didn’t turn out as hoped, and maybe it’s not the edge it was in a previous generation, but I’d still rather take my chances at Lambeau in the playoffs than anywhere else.

Justin from Sammamish, WA

Hey guys, it occurred to me that if the Bills had held on for the win, all four road teams would have won in the divisional round. Has that ever happened before? I don’t even remember a time when three road teams won (though knowing my memory it was probably like 4 or 5 years ago.)

This is also good to bring up for those wishing to discard home-field advantage based on one weekend’s games. According to my research (which could be wrong), over the last dozen years, only twice did even two road teams win in the divisional round, in 2016 and 2010, involving the victorious Packers both times. Since the league merger, road teams have never swept all four, and the only time other than this year road teams won three of four was back in 1971.