Seven Years In, Same Damn Ending | Cheesehead Radio #382

The Packers didn’t just lose a playoff game in Chicago — they auditioned for a documentary called “How To Invent New Pain In 13 Minutes.” Up 21–3 at Soldier Field in January, Green Bay somehow watched the Bears hang 25 points in the fourth quarter like it was a charity drive… except the Packers were the donors and nobody asked.

This episode of Cheesehead Radio is less “postgame recap” and more live-streamed funeral procession — complete with the hosts openly  asking where the St. James Infirmary dirge is, and admitting we have a long-standing hobby of letting teams “create history” against us. (Because why win normally when you can lose in a way that gets a commemorative plaque?)

We unpack the real horror: the first half looked like LaFleur’s best play-calling on tape — creative, unpredictable, sharp. Then halftime hit and Green Bay came out running the offense like it had a court-ordered restraining order against adaptation: shotgun, predictable Jacobs runs into a wall of Bears, three-and-outs so fast the commercial break got whiplash. Meanwhile Jordan Love is slinging four TDs with no picks and the plan becomes: “Let’s take the ball out of his hands and hope the clock politely ends the game.” Bold strategy. Historic, even.

And then… special teams. Oh yes. Brandon McManus turns “job expectation” into “performance art,” missing an XP and a 44-yarder in the playoffs, leaving points on the field like he’s hiding Easter eggs. The panel does the math, the rage, the “walk home from Chicago” therapy, and the truly baffling moment where Josh Jacobs is returning kicks even though the roster includes a literal Pro Bowl returner. Rich Bisaccia’s unit didn’t just wobble — it faceplanted into traffic.

From there it gets even more uncomfortable: players are publicly admitting the team can’t finish, the culture is hardening into “that’s life in the NFL” resignation, and one quote nails it: teams take the Packers into deeper water and they drown. That’s not trash talk — that’s a eulogy.

Then we go straight at the big one: Matt LaFleur. Nice guy? Sure. Clever designer? Absolutely. Championship killer instinct? That’s where the conversation gets sharp. Is it time? Can a culture change with the same coach? Do you extend him, force staff changes, trade him, elevate Hafley, or go full chaos and dream on Harbaugh/Tomlin? (Also: enjoy the “sunshine up the skirt” Kelly-ism — it’s… a sentence that exists now.)

And finally, the Bears element: Ben Johnson’s postgame theater, the handshake nonsense, the locker room “F the Packers” clip. The crew lands in the one place that actually matters: if you don’t want to hear it, beat them. Green Bay didn’t. So now we get to marinate in it.

If you’re looking for calm, serenity, and optimism… first of all, why are you here? Second, this episode is for you anyway — because sometimes the only way through Packers grief is sarcasm, numbers, and three co-hosts dragging the whole operation into the light and asking the question that won’t go away:

Ed. Make the Trade.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Packers fix.

Presented by Ticket King, Cheesehead Radio is back for its 17th season — your go-to Packers podcast for news, fun, and a little bit of frivolity.

Be sure to join C.D., Al and Kelly on their regular jaunts through the Packers Universe. You can follow them on twitter (X) at @tundravision, @JerseyAlGBP and @ThatPackerGirl.

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