Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Throughout sports, maintaining certain traditions is one of the biggest incentives players have in their heads when they take the field. This is a mental aspect of sports that should never be discounted.
Most NFL teams who are at or near the top of the league for long periods have something in common: they develop – and nurture – a tradition of winning at home. Green Bay is one of those teams who have traditionally played well at Lambeau field. The Packers have been a good, but not great, team when playing at home over the past decade or so.
After going 2-6 in 2008, the Packers have had mostly winning seasons at home, but they’ve been less than dominating of late. In 2012 they slipped to 4-5 (counting post-season games), in 2013, they went 4-4-1, and in 2017 they were 4-4. Last year they managed to go 5-2-1 at home. – but 1-7 away.
The Packers best home records in recent years were 7-1 in 2011, 9-0 in 2014, and 7-2 in 2016. Over the past 10 seasons, they’ve recorded 56 wins and 32 losses or ties at home – a win percentage of 63.6.
The team with by far the best win percentage in recent years is the Patriots. In the past six years, its home wins percentage is 89.5.The lesson is simple: if you want to compete for the Lombardi trophy, year after year, establish a strong tradition of winning at home.
Another team that is hard to beat at home is Kansas City. Over the last six years, the Chiefs are 36-15 at home, a 70.6 win percentage. Pittsburgh is also known for playing well in front of its rabid fans. Since 2013, the Steelers have won 68.6% of their home games.
Dallas, with good teams and despite playing in its palatial retractable-roof stadium, is only 29-22 since 2013, or 56.8%.
Seattle also has a great reputation for winning at home, but that is lately on the decline. Over the last six years the Seahawks have gone only 28-22-1, for a win percentage of 54.9.
In the two most recent, and disappointing, seasons, the Packers have gone 9-6-1. Meanwhile its NFC North rivals are starting to build up favorable home-field traditions. In the last six years the Vikings have not lost more than three home games in a season; they went 8-1 in 2017 and 5-3 last year, and they are winning at a 67.3% rate over that time span.
Chicago, which traditionally has fared poorly at home, suddenly went 7-2 under new coach Matt Nagy. Green Bay’s Coach Matt need to match or better his rival to the south.
Perhaps the most disturbing sign that Green Bay has lost its home-field advantage occurred just over two months ago, when on December 30 Green Bay lost at home, by a 31-0 score, to Detroit.
Even with Aaron Rodgers on the bench, that doesn’t begin to justify getting blanked by a team who came in with a 5-10 record and nothing to play for. Loyal Packers fans deserve better effort than that.
If Green Bay players can’t give good effort out of a sense of pride, then they at least owe it to their famously loyal fans to play up to their full ability.
One of Coach LaFleur’s most important assignments should be to restore Green Bay’s home field advantage.
Total garbage. The Packers had beaten the Lions at Lambeau for 24 consecutive years. Then in 2015, the 2-7 Lions were BEGGING to lose that game. The Packers just wanted to lose more, which is hard to do being that it’s the Lions. Of all the games we talk about where McCarthy should have been fired afterwards this should be one of them. Not even Ray Rhodes lost to the Lions at home. I might be understanding if the Lions were actually one of the top teams in the league at the time, HAHAHAHAHA, but no, they were 2-7.
Since then, the Packers have lost three of their last four home games against the Lions. That’s FUCKING EMBARASSING, TERRIBLE, whatever you want to call it. Then to get blanked 31-0 against the Lions at home the last game of the season is just shameful.
In 2015, the Packers didn’t win a single division game at home and they lost to the Cutler led Bears in front of Brett Favre and Bart Starr. SMFH… In 2017 they got blanked at home by the Ravens, AND the Vikings during once again, the last home game of the season. Something nice to leave the fans with during the holidays right? Funny how Mr.HighlySuccessful is Highly Unemployed at the moment. Coincidence? I think not. Unfortunately it was several years too late.
“Packers fire head coach Mike McCarthy” – December 2, 2018
The ‘million monkeys’ stage was surpassed long ago on the topic of McCarthy. There’s nothing left to be whined about you haven’t already whined about.
Take a tip from Bueller. “You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go.”
I’m sorry, is the title of the article not called PACKERS’ HOME WINNING TRADITION HAS ERODED UNDER COACH MCCARTHY? Please forgive me for mentioning how bad the Packers have been losing at home over the last several years. I know it has nothing to do with the topic of the article. How silly of me to bring it up.
One of these days I’ll become content with getting shut out at home to bottom barrel teams. I guess I need to lower my expectations. Damn those entitled Packer fans..
Yeah, crazy to think that back in the 90s and early 2000s winning all 8 home games was almost a 100 percent guarantee. Then the Falcons came into Lambeau In January of 2003 and punched us In the mouth and we never recovered.
I was at that game, Soooo ugly. Drives ended with 2 picks, 2 TO on downs, blocked punt, blocked fields goals, fumble, Just ugly as F.
If anyone remembers the year before, it was a playoff game against the Rams where Favre threw 6 picks. as in 6 interceptions. as in …how could that even happen…….6 times?
I loves Favre but people forget that as frustrating as a rod throw always or sacks can be at times… we have been spared the untimely game losing picks.
The several I can think of include.throwing brian Dawkins a gift in the 3rd and 26 playoff debacle, the rams game (although I think Schroeder caused 2 of those breaking off routes), I think he pissed the giants game away (not 100% sure as I was wasted), and or course the overtime game against saints as a viking.
Without Favre the packers would have been an eternal laughing stock…but at least we dont have to sit there and wait anxiously for the game ending pick.
When you throw six of them, there ain’t no room to blame receivers, even if they broke off a route or two. SIX….18 years later and i still can’t fathom that.
I think you are referring to the Eagles in 2004 on the 4th and 26.
What got me was…..when he would smile after throwing a pick. Damn…i’d get so hot, i’d be yelling at the tv going…..”yea, keep smiling fk’er”.
As much as I love Favre those 2000s playoff games were complete horse shit and a lot of it because he had already checked out mentally thinking about getting back to work on the property in MS. He just didn’t have that edge anymore late in seasons. God that was fucking frustrating. I remember how pissed I use to get when he would just lob the ball up there or throw it right to an opposing DBs hands. Like heres the game, I dont wanna do this anymore my plane is waiting for me at the airport, see ya next season guys! Screw that. I was glad when the Packers handed it off to Rodgers. Now Rodgers is losing the edge, ha.
Picture caption…..
McCarthy: “Ron, don’t cry…..if they fire me, i’ll bring you with me, i’ll have my pick of any head coaching job out there”
Lol.
“Didnt you hear Ron? The browns job is already in the bag…my first adjustment will be moving demarious back to corner”
I was one that thought he was going to get that job. I was rong.
It appears other teams aren’t in a hurry to sign dinosaur head coaches who can’t innovate.
BAD call on my part.
My apologies to the last 3 McCarthy fans still hanging around. I’m not here trying to hurt anyone’s feelings.
The world in which we live has quite enough “victims” these days as it is..
I think MM is headed down the Mike Sherman 2.0 path; winning NFL record, but unwanted, eventually descends into oblivion. A rueful smile as I recall apologists saying MM would have a job in 5 minutes if the Packers ever released him……
Picture caption…..
McCarthy: Hey Zooker, you know why you’re still here? Because you are the only coach on the staff that makes me look a little competent. You suck so bad that it draws some attention from me. If only you were fatter than me. Like the chicks that keep one fat chick in the pack to make them selves look hotter.
Zooker: Sorry coach I didn’t hear one thing you said, and I know you won’t fire me because you don’t hold people accountable for sucking. I have a jelly doughnut here for you.
Yes MM was allowed to coach 4 years longer than he should have and helped take the team to shitsville. But lucky for us the team just signed Fadol Brown to a one year extension, pass rush problem solved now we can draft a corner and convert him to safety.
Signing a depth player who flashed to compete for a spot on the roster shouldn’t be mocked.
Or would you prefer an oft injured 7th round or Udfa coming off a serious injury as a rotation/injury substitute lineman?
This is called complaining for the sake of complaining. Pretty sure any of the franchise tagged rushers could be had for both our first round picks and a 22 million Aav deal…. but you would be bitching about that too wouldn’t you?
Apparently my sarcasm and shade at TT was lost on you Stiggy. I have no issues with the team signing guys to serve on ST or to spell starters considering the lack of performance on ST and depth on D. I would prefer the team didnt sign big name, big money guys considering it rarely works in the teams favor. Mid level guys that are serviceable, like say Trevathian a few years ago, could have been a good signing without breaking the bank.
Sorry. A week or two ago we had people throwing tantrums over the packers failure to resign ladarius Gunter and I’ve been a little edgy with frivolous complaints since. In hindsight I detect your sarcasm.