Packers Discussion: Rank The Packers Playoff Heartbreakers

It’s been a few days now since the Green Bay Packers lost in devastating fashion to the Chicago Bears in the first round of the playoffs, ending a very up-and-down season with a five-game losing streak. Now that the dust has settled, what better way to reflect than to relive some trauma? So let’s rip that band-aid off and re-open some wounds!

In 2024, our APC fearless leader, Justis Mosqueda, was asked to rank the Packers’ heartbreaking losses based on how much they hurt, beginning with 2007. The last 2 seasons, he’s updated his rankings to include the most recent playoff loss. It’s turning into a depressing but almost therapeutic annual tradition. Therapeutic in the “wow, look how much we’ve been through, how am I still alive?” kind of way, but therapeutic nonetheless.

After Saturday’s loss, Justis updated his list, putting the loss to the Bears in the second spot behind *that* loss to the Seattle Seahawks. I align with a lot of his rankings, but I do have some variance for a few reasons. What went into my rankings is how I viewed the team at the time, my personal experience, and my ability to cope with the loss (aka brutality level). So, let’s reopen some wounds!

My Thoughts: I’m not going to do all of these games, instead I’ll just do my top 5.

1. 2014 NFC Championship (28-22 loss to Seahawks): This one’s a no-brainer. I’ll leave it at that.
2. 2021 Divisional (13-10 loss to 49ers): The Packers finally got their home playoff game, in snowy Green Bay weather, and the team could not get it together. The defense held the 49ers to just 6 points, but a blocked punt returned for a touchdown (special teams, shocking, I know) gave the 49ers the 13 points they needed because the Packers couldn’t generate much offense.
3. 2020 NFC Championship (31-25 loss to Buccaneers): We got the Tom Brady-Aaron Rodgers playoff game we all hoped for. The Packers had the game in their clutches, but couldn’t get over the hump. This one hurt a lot because it was a roller coaster of emotions. The defense made a lot of stupid plays but also picked off Brady 3 times. The offense didn’t capitalize enough on those turnovers, but still played a solid game. It really felt like the team could have won it all that year.
4. 2011 Divisional (37-20 loss to Giants): As Justis put it, “Losing to Eli immediately after going 21-1.” The offense felt unstoppable for the 2011 season. They started that season 13-0, and while the defense wasn’t as good as the prior year, the offense didn’t score under 20 points all season outside of their one loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Getting completely stifled at home was unexpected and honestly a shock to the system.
5. 2013 Wild Card (23-20 loss to 49ers): I’ve been to a handful of playoff games, but this one was the only loss. So, it gets a boost...