The Green Bay Packers lost their crucial playoff decider against the Detroit Lions, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers has admitted he needs to 'get away' and decide his immediate future.
It's been a disastrous year for the Packers, but they still found themselves in a position to clinch the final playoff spot as they wrapped up Week 18 with a home clash against the Lions. The task was simple, win and they were in, but the Packers lost to the Lions again - a team who had already been eliminated.
Rodgers threw for 205 yards and finished the game with one passing touchdown and one interception, as the Packers lost 20-16 to the Lions. The quarterback was clearly distraught that he wouldn't be heading to the post-season, and he's casted some doubt over his future.
"I need to get away and contemplate those things," he said in his post-game press conference. "Those are real to me. I have a lot of pride in what I've accomplished in this league, but I'm also a realist and I understand where we are as a team.
"We're a young team, and there could be some change with some of the older guys. It could be time to step away. But, I could take some time and say, 'Hell, no. I need to get back out there and go on another run.'"
It was a bitter pill to swallow in so many ways for the Packers, as the Lions did their best to stop their divisional rivals despite seeing their playoff hopes dashed before the game began. And it was Jamaal Williams that scored two touchdowns to do so, a player once drafted by the Packers.
Rodgers said after the Packers lost 15-9 to the Lions earlier in the season: "We can't lose a game like that against that team." But his comments have come back to haunt him after the Packers lost again when it mattered most.
The veteran quarterback was rumoured to be leaving the Packers at the end of last season, but signed a three-year contract worth $150.8 million (£124m), with $101.5m (£84m) guaranteed to temporarily end speculation. But the 39-year-old has hinted he may still walk away, after thanking the organisation for the 'generational wealth'.
"Money is energy, and I have made a ton of it and I’m very thankful for this organisation, the generational wealth that they’ve offered me," Rodgers said. There's a lot to iron out within the Packers organisation during the post-season, and Rodgers will also be taking time to reflect, although it's unlikely that he will call time.
