‘It Is Time’ – And It’s Long Past Time for Packers to End Super Bowl Streak

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Exactly 15 years ago today, three of the most famous words in Green Bay Packers history were spoken.

The Packers were nursing a 21-17 lead at the start of the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Pittsburgh at Green Bay’s 33-yard line, outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene pulled Clay Matthews aside during the commercial break.

“It is time,” Greene said.

SUPER BOWL XLV
February 6, 2011

On the first play of the fourth quarter with the #Packers holding a slim four-point lead, a jarring Clay Matthews-and-Ryan Pickett hit forces the #Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall to fumble in Green Bay territory.

Desmond Bishop recovers. #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/vNgfF15eZ7
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) February 6, 2026

With Charles Woodson out with a broken collarbone, the Packers needed someone to make a play.

It had to be Matthews.

The rest, of course, is history. Matthews sensed the Steelers were going to run the ball in his direction. He told defensive tackle Ryan Pickett to “spill it.” Their jarring hit on Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall forced a fumble that was recovered by Desmond Bishop.

“I had a good feeling that play was going to come,” Matthews said. “I told my defensive end to spin it for me and wrap it around the outside. … I got to make a play, and I did.”

Green Bay Packers defenders Clay Matthews and Ryan Pickett (79) force a fumble by Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall. | Benny Sieu/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

He added: “That’s what we’ve been doing all season long – creating turnovers. If we give the ball back to our offense, it’s going to be hard to beat us.”

Indeed, moments later, Aaron Rodgers fired a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings, and the Packers held off the Steelers 31-25 for their fourth Super Bowl championship.

And last.

Titleless in Titletown

It’s been an incredible 15-year break between Super Bowl wins. Sure, that streak is nothing compared to teams like the Lions and Vikings, who’ve never won the Super Bowl, or the Bears, who haven’t won one since 1985. But this is Titletown. The expectations, fueled by years of high-quality quarterback play, are for championships. Seemingly every year, the Packers are knocking on the door, only to be denied like the school nerd when he knocks on the door of the prom queen.

From 2011, when the Packers went 15-1 in the regular season but one-and-done in the playoffs, through 2025, when the Packers started 9-3-1 and didn’t win again, they’ve won an NFC-high 155 games. Only the Chiefs and Patriots, with 158 apiece, have won more.

However, the playoffs have been one disaster after another, with Green Bay coming up with new and creative ways to melt down at the worst possible times in the biggest games.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) drops a pass against the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Sunday, the Seahawks and Patriots will battle in the 60th Super Bowl. Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, but Seattle’s Sam Darnold, who’s on his fifth team in eight NFL seasons, did what Rodgers couldn’t do during his final decade-plus with the Packers. Jordan Love is hailed as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL today – even if he’s not really a young quarterback anymore – but New England’s Drake Maye has the Patriots in the Super Bowl in just his second season.

Are Packers Ready to Climb the Mountain?

One year after saying it was time for the Packers to compete for championships, does general manager Brian Gutekunst believe his team is on par with the conference champions?

“Not the last five games, certainly not,” he said on Wednesday. “So, that’s hard to say but, listen, I thought during the year that we could compete with anyone and I think we proved that through the season. At the end of the day, we didn’t evolve and develop into a team that could consistently win when we needed to, and that’s what we have to do, right?

“But I thought our guys, there were many moments where we showed up in big moments and won some games and played well in some highly competitive situations. We were 9-3-1 heading into Denver and felt really good about our football team and where we might be able to go. It didn’t turn out that way and I think now we’re in this evaluation period of OK, let’s make sure we do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Green Bay Packers defensive end Karl Brooks (94) sits alone on the bench after losing to the Chicago Bears in the playoffs. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gutekunst will face a tremendous challenge in getting the Packers past the likes of the Seahawks in the NFC.

There’s no denying the impact made by Micah Parsons, but the Packers will feel the pain of not having a first-round pick in 2026 or 2027. Because of the contracts given to Love, Parsons and others, the Packers will have to take a measured approach to free agency.

With limited ways to improve the roster, Gutekunst is going to need to make a series of good decisions.

Hope Is Not a Plan

It’s true. Hope is not a strategy.

With limited paths to improving the roster, Green Bay needs Parsons and tight end Tucker Kraft to not just make it back from their torn ACLs but be in peak form for the stretch run. They need a healthy Love, an impactful Devonte Wyatt and a stable offensive line.

Counting on any of those things, though, would be as foolish as counting on Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine to be every-down cornerbacks on a Super Bowl team.

Gutekunst must be better. With limited money to spend, he can’t afford a repeat of last year’s free agency, when Aaron Banks was not the salvation for the offensive line and Nate Hobbs was not the salvation in the secondary. Without that first-round pick, he’s got to land impact players with those second- and third-round choices.

The team needs to win the games it’s supposed to win, which didn’t happen against Cleveland, Dallas and Carolina.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, left, walks off the field after their wild-card playoff loss at Chicago. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It needs to come up big in big moments, which didn’t happen in either of the losses at Chicago.

It needs a killer instinct to put teams away.

It needs mental toughness to weather the storm.

It needs its coaches to inspire as well as they scheme.

It needs its best players to make big plays in big moments, like Matthews in the Super Bowl.

When the Seahawks held off the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, it was a reminder of what championship teams look like. With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Seattle took the Rams’ best shot and responded. The Packers were clearly incapable of that against the Bears.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur ranks 16th all-time in regular-season winning percentage. Of the 15 coaches ahead of him, 13 coached in the playoffs. Only one of those coaches had a worse winning percentage in the postseason.

All of those problems must be solved if they’re ever going to scale Mount Lombardi.

“In every NFL season, there’s successes, there’s disappointments,” Gutekunst said. “We have one goal here, and we never run from it. We’re here to win championships, and I think this team is capable of that.

“2026 will be a different team, but the expectations won’t change. I thought there’s some really good things during the season. There also were some major disappointments. But I really do like the guys we have in that locker room, the guys that are coming back, and we’ll continue to add to that. I think we’re all excited to get at it.”

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Titleless in Titletown

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