"Health over momentum. That's what Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur went with in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. Locked into the seventh seed in the NFC playoffs, the Packers started third-string quarterback Clayton Tune and did not start 16 key contributors (a few played only on special teams). The result was predictable: a 16-3 loss that featured minus-7 total passing yards as a team, their fewest in a game since 1976."
"It meant the Packers (9-7-1) enter the playoffs with zero momentum. They lost four straight games to end the regular season. Their last win came Dec. 7 against the Chicago Bears. It also meant the Packers came away without any new major injury concerns to starters. Safety Javon Bullard was the closest thing to a scare. He played 21 defensive snaps before someone landed on his knee, ending his day, but Bullard said afterward that he would be fine."
Green Bay rested most starters in the regular-season finale, starting third-string quarterback Clayton Tune and sitting 16 key contributors to prioritize health over momentum. The Packers lost 16-3 and produced minus-7 total passing yards, their fewest in a game since 1976, closing the regular season on a four-game losing streak. The team enters the playoffs as the NFC's No. 7 seed without adding major new starter injuries. Safety Javon Bullard left briefly with a knee scare but expected to be fine, and Bo Melton was the only other announced injury. Coach Matt LaFleur said he felt better about this decision than last year.
Read at ESPN.com
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