GREEN BAY — Aaron Rodgers threw a late interception and the Green Bay Packers lost 20-16 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night to fall short of the playoffs.
After winning four straight games and receiving plenty of help from other teams, the Packers had control of their postseason fate heading into the final game of the NFL regular season. But they fell short against the Lions, who had been eliminated from the playoffs earlier Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 in overtime.
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The Seahawks (9-8) instead earned the NFC’s final playoff spot and will visit the San Francisco 49ers (13-4) in the opening round. The Packers (8-9) missed the playoffs for the first time in Matt LaFleur’s four seasons as coach.
Rodgers went 17 of 27 for 205 yards with one touchdown and the crucial pick on the final pass of what was perhaps the four-time MVP’s final game at Lambeau Field. The 39-year-old Rodgers has said he doesn’t know whether he plans to continue playing next season.
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During the game, Rodgers became the eighth NFL player to have at least 5,000 career completions.
Jamaal Williams’ second 1-yard touchdown run of the night against his former team put the Lions (9-8) ahead with 5:55 remaining. Williams had 17 touchdown runs to break the Lions single-season record that Barry Sanders set in 1991.
The Packers got only as far as their 33 on their next series before Kerby Joseph picked off Rodgers’ deep throw on third-and-10 with 3½ minutes left. The Lions held on to the ball for the remainder of the game.
