Lessons Learned with the Packers Not in the Playoffs

As much of a bummer as it is that the Packers aren’t playing January football, we can’t help but watch playoff games, and we might as well take a few lessons from other teams’ accomplishments and misfortunes.

Neither of these is an intellectual breakthrough by any means. They’re more reminders about where the Packers stand and where they need to be.

The first lesson that’s become apparent is that first-round byes matter a lot. Home field advantage is a nice boon, but every game in the regular season is crucial because an extra week of rest is up for grabs. There was a run in the NFL during which seemingly any team could appear in or win a Super Bowl. Just get into the tournament – you never…