The theme of Green Bay Packers playoff football the last 30 years has been mostly excruciating playoff exits, mixed around two Super Bowl championships and a few blowout losses. Modern-day Packers fans have been lucky to watch their team play in three Super Bowls since the last 30 years, winning two of them.

However, when it comes to playoff football, lately it’s been almost the same movie every year, with the same ending.

Whether it’s blown 4th quarter leads, walkoff losses in regulation or overtime, or underperforming against a lesser opponent in January after a season filled with promise.

Since 1993, when Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren made their first playoff appearance, the Packers have had 25 playoff appearances, compiling a 24-23 record.

During Holmgren’s tenure the Packers were 9-5 in the playoffs from 1993 to 1998. Under Mike Sherman, Green Bay was 2-4 in the playoffs from 2001 to 2004. Mike McCarthy was next, as the Packers were 10-6 in playoff games from 2007 to 2016. And in the Matt LaFleur era, Green Bay is 3-6 in playoff games starting in 2019.

The team has had multiple playoff wins in five of those years (1995, 1996, 1997, 2010, 2016). However, despite all the success, what’s stood out for the past three decades is the way the team has departed the playoffs via heartbreak, far too often.

1- 2014, I don't know how you top that, given stakes
2- 2007 NFCCG
3- 2003 Div -4th and 26 (or 1)
4- SB 32
5- 2025 WC CHI
6- 2021 Div SF
7- 1998 WC SF - Rice fumbled/TO
8- 2009 WC AZ https://t.co/JKdN2qK4iI

— Jason Perone (@JasonPerone) January 12, 2026

Starting with the Super Bowl XXXII loss, I put together my list of the worst Packers playoff losses since 1997.

10. 2021 NFC Divisional Playoff - SF 13, GB 10

Losing a home playoff game to the rival 49ers in what seemed like a team that was going to finally get back to a Super Bowl. The Packers scored on their first drive from an AJ Dillon touchdown run. But a fumble on the next drive by Marcedes Lewis was a sign of what the rest of the game would be like for the offense. Despite not allowing an offensive touchdown, a walk-off field goal by Robbie Gould ended the #1 seed’s season.

9. 2009 NFC Wild Card - Arz 51, GB 45 (ot)

Despite this team winning the Super Bowl the next season, this loss still hurts 16 years later. Aaron Rodgers missed a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings on the first play of overtime from going over 500 yards with five touchdowns in this playoff shootout. However, three plays later, the highest-scoring playoff game in history was ended on a defensive score. Despite being a round earlier than the 2015 rematch, this game felt like a tougher loss based on the potential of this team (which we saw in 2010 and 2011).

8. 2011 NFC Divisional Playoff - NYG 37, GB 20

The highest-scoring team in Packers history and the only team in franchise history to win 15 games, went out in shocking fashion in their first playoff game to the same Giants team that pops up on the list a few games later. Even though this was not a last-second loss, the pain was not seeing this team have a chance at consecutive Super Bowls. MVP Aaron Rodgers and his great receivers picked the wrong day to be off their games against the Giants.

7. 2025 NFC Wild Card - Chi 31, GB 27

Put this loss a little lower than some would just based on the way this season was playing out. Without guys like Parsons, Kraft, Tom and Wyatt, does the 2025 team make a deep run in the playoffs had it got by the rival Bears? It is the largest blown lead on this lead, being up 21-3 at the half and then losing a heartbreaker for the second time in four weeks at Soldier Field will make this a very tough offseason.

6. 1998 NFC Wild Card - SF 30, GB 27

To Packers fans this is the “Jerry Rice fumbled game.” A few minutes earlier, Brett Favre connected with Antonio Freeman in what seemed like the 4th straight playoff win over the rival 49ers. However, in both Holmgren and Reggie White’s last games as Packers, the defense couldn’t hold a 27-23 lead. Still believe if they win this game, they were eyeing redemption showdowns with both the Vikings and Broncos that year.

5. 2007 NFC Championship - NYG 23, GB 20(ot)

Brett Favre’s last pass a Packer being an overtime interception will be the lasting image of this game. Played in subzero temperatures, the Packers struggled to move the ball outside of a Donald Driver 90-yard touchdown catch and run. A win in this game would have set up the Packers with the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

4. 2003 NFC Divisional Playoff - Phi 20, GB 17(ot)

This game could rank higher on the pain list despite not being a championship game or Super Bowl. The Packers outplayed the eventual 2004 NFC champions for 58 minutes, as Ahman Green had his second big running game (156 yards) against the Eagles that season. However, Mike Sherman not going for a 4th & 1 with just over 2 minutes to go would do in this season. It also ended another possible Super Bowl rematch with the Patriots (another theme on the list; see 2007, 2011, 2014).

3. 2020 NFC Championship - TB 31, GB 26

It wasn’t a walk-off loss like the overtime or last-second field goal losses, but the 2020 team was the Packers best regular-season team since the 2011 team. Once again, Aaron Rodgers won MVP and his team led the league in scoring (also happened in 2011 and 2014). However, a dreadful five-minute stretch of gametime had the Packers go from trailing 14-10 to 28-10, which was too much to overcome against Tom Brady and the Bucs, despite Brady throwing three second-half interceptions. Five years later, the Packers still haven’t gotten back to the championship game.

2. Super Bowl XXXII - Den 31, GB 24

The Packers once again won 13 games, were double-digit favorites and then scored a touchdown after the game’s opening kickoff. It seemed like a path toward another repeat, 30 years later, however two first half Brett Favre turnovers, not running Dorsey Levens more and the inability to stop the run led to the ending of the NFC’s 13-game Super Bowl winning streak. Because the game was almost 30 years ago, it seems forgotten as one of the best Super Bowls, but when the caliber of the two teams, quarterbacks and head coaches is considered, it was one of the best played Super Bowls of all time. Unfortunately the Packers were on the losing end of this game.

1. 2014 NFC Championship - Sea 28, GB 22(ot)

For most franchises, a Super Bowl loss beats any other losses, but that’s how bad the No. 1 loss was. The Packers had a 13-0 lead after the first quarter against the defending champions who also had the league’s best defense of the entire decade of the 2010’s. They were able to get five takeaways, four of them being interceptions of Russell Wilson. But the 16-0 lead in the third quarter was not a big enough lead as a fake field goal for a touchdown, a kneeling down on a 4th quarter interception by Morgan Burnett, the fateful onside kick recovery by the Seahawks and Haha Clinton-Dix’s misplay of a two-point conversion would all lead to the biggest collapse in franchise history. Another team that the Rodgers-led offense was the NFL’s highest scoring and was just another win away from a second Super Bowl championship in five years.

Honorable Mention: 2013 SF 23, GB 20; 2015 Arz 26, GB 20 (ot); 2023 SF 24, GB