The Sun Still Rises
By Luke Leavitt
If you’re anything like me, one of the last things I like to do is dive into the nitty gritty of a Packers game that ended their season. No interest in a breakdown of plays, explanations to what happened, or opinions from really anyone.
One thing I noticed Sunday morning, however, was the sun still rose. Heartbroken, angry, disappointed, whatever you want to call it. Still, time prevailed. Call it introspection from a playoff loss or not, I simply call it the truth.
One of the beauties of being a diehard fan of a team is that it is one of the few things in life that remains. Friends move on, school ends, jobs change, childhood homes get sold. Yet still, you never really notice it until it all is in the past.
When you’re a kid, you don’t have much of an identity as to who you are. If you’re lucky you don’t deal with too many problems. One thing you might have is a team. When they win, you’re on the top of the world. When they lose, you’re brought to tears inevitably.
People may question why your fandom of individuals you may not personally know, or even a game you maybe never have played can weigh so heavily on your everyday life. The truth is that this team is a part of who you are. That little kid that has experienced a lifetime of change will survive the test of time in being a fan of his or her team.
The pain that comes with elimination certainly packs an extra punch when you feel as if the game was yours to win. A feeling all too familiar in Green Bay’s past decade plus. Creating career moments for the opposition, and leaving us fans with nothing but the question, “What if.”
We can be mad, disenfranchised. Your dreams can be crushed, hopes can be dimmed, but the love and belief in the Packers will never die. Until the next season, when us Packers fans will rejoice with high hopes, and the many after that.
Whenever the time may be, whether it is during our life period or not, Green Bay will rise to the mountain top once again. The feeling of sorrow that has been held so prevalent over the last 15 years will slip to the waist side and be merely forgotten due to the ecstasy of reaching the mountain top.
Despite many seasons passing now that may have felt like “the one.” We are constantly reminded each year how quickly that vision can be lost. Injuries, mental mistakes, miscommunications, blown leads, and so on. Perhaps the next magical run proves all the previous defeats to be just part of the process to glory.
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Luke Leavitt is a Contributor for Cheesehead TV, covering the Green Bay Packers. A Manchester by the Sea, Massachussetts native, Luke is a lifelong Packer fan, and 16-year shareholder. Keep up with Luke on X @LukeLeavitt7
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Comments (21)
Coldworld
January 15, 2026 at 06:41 pm
Over Lambeau, possibly only because it is free if some of the news that’s been emerging has any truth to it.
Alberta_Packer
January 15, 2026 at 06:41 pm
An upvote for the positivity of the article, However - to be frank - relative to the Packers - I am more reminded of Hemingway's novel 'The Sun Also Rises.' When the ending underscores themes of hopelessness, the inability to find lasting meaning, and the unattainability of beautiful dreams (like the Super Bowl).
Rebelgb
January 16, 2026 at 07:45 am
Love it Alberta!!
LambeauPlain
January 16, 2026 at 09:04 am
We will soon see if the Murphy Vision is going to live on with Policy...and if Ed was Mark's hand picked guy to pick up his torch of high expectations for mediocre Team results in "Titletown".
14-4, 14-4, 13-5, 8-9, 10-9, 11-7, 9-8-1 for the last 7 years, while posting a 3-6 playoff record is a troubling trend unless the mediocre results are matching expectations. Maybe they are and the trend will remain a front office friend. Winning the North 3 years in a row is now a distant memory with 4 straight years losing the crown.
For a league that sends 44% of its teams to the playoffs (NFL apparently wants to send 50%), getting to the Playoffs is not a very heavy lift. Winning playoff games, is.
stockholder
January 15, 2026 at 08:49 pm
"The marketing has been great, the
product not so much".
What will it take to get off to a good start.?
What do we really need?
No Excuses Gute.
Fix it.
Since'61
January 15, 2026 at 08:54 pm
The bottom lines for me is that over the decades, the Packers have given me many more good days than bad even with the playoff disappointments. The Lombardi era was enough to last a lifetime but I have been fortunate enough to witness the Favre and Rodgers eras. Only 2 Super bowls over their time but still plenty of great football, great plays and great memories. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61
Starrbrite
January 16, 2026 at 02:37 pm
A great way to view it ‘61. Especially considering the funk I’ve been in since the bears loss (and broncos too.)
Since'61
January 17, 2026 at 12:31 pm
👍 Thanks, Since '61
SinceLombardi
January 15, 2026 at 08:56 pm
Nice article, with some very good points. One thing I can say about the MLF era: he teaches us how to deal with disappointment and catastrophe. I used to not be able to sleep after playoff loses.
Now I half expect them, and sleep through the night.
Oppy
January 16, 2026 at 03:10 am
It's weird you're blaming MLF for becoming accustomed to playoff losses.
The reality is, with exception to the 1996 and 2010 seasons, there's been the same number of playoff losses pretty much every year.
I think Packers fans have this idea that the Packers playoff losses are always catastrophes that are somehow uniquely painful. That Packers fans are cursed. Don't get me wrong, a few have been uniquely awful, but by and large, I think the reality is there's no 'feel good' playoff loss. It's always tragic, because it's the end of the hope you might win a Superbowl. The reality is, with exception to the eventual Super Bowl champion, every fan base feels devastating disappointment and that the playoff loss was a unique catastrophe- it's either you got blown out, had a horrible collapse after having a lead, or you really blew it because it was close and you just couldn't finish.
The difference for Packers fans is we're in the playoffs almost every year, so we take the gut punch almost every year. A lot of teams don't get there regularly, so they don't suffer as many blows.
Yeah, we'd like to win another few Super Bowls, but the reality is 31 teams fail to do so every year.
lou
January 16, 2026 at 09:45 am
That says it all, best post of 2026.
Snap the ball
January 15, 2026 at 11:33 pm
Love will be in his Senior year. Ie 4th. Expect big things this year.
Kraft Watson Golden Reed Hopefully Wicks , Doubs, if Doubs gone. Melton can pick up some extra work
It really came down to Cleveland, Dallas , Carolina game. Would have 12 wins and Ben at home. Get it. Ben at home
Watson and Kraft play together what one game if that .
Reed gone a lot of time
9-0 at home games next year need all hands on deck 9-0 at home….
210 days or so for pre season games.
Snap the ball
January 15, 2026 at 11:43 pm
Is it really MLF. Or Gute
You can’t drive in a parade and watch it too.
So we could say. No Jacob’s fumble vs bears or Doubs debacle we played at home last Sunday. And Mc Miss didn’t me kicks
Did ,of go to much RPO yes. 3 runs 3 qtr
However. No Kraft. Parsons. Wyatt Tom
And leading the first time we played and last
Special teams did us in
Mc Miss didn’t help us at all. Not on Matt for that
Remember Jacob’s fumble they went to knock it out. REMEMBER NIXON STEPPING OUT OF The way. THATS NOT ON MLF.
MLF. will all the injuries and no Zach Tom did enough to win
Some of his players let him down. Reed Drop.
Anyway. He is using the furniture he was given to make the room like nice.
But GUTE DELIVERED THE FURNITURE….
MAYBE WE NEED TO BE THINking GUTE VS MLF
LOOK AT RODGERS WASTED YEARS. ANOTHER WIDE OUT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE.
GUTE NO EXTRA HELP ON THE BACK END
QUAY. COOPER. NIXON AND X. PLAY ALMOST ALL SNAPS. NEED A BREATHER NOW AND THEN
WHEN COOPER WENT down was the difference at the end of the game.
Oxymoron 3339
January 16, 2026 at 10:10 am
Amen Brother. Gute needs to go. He’s not Gute enough.
Snap the ball
January 15, 2026 at 11:48 pm
Nice article
sorry
I can’t stand losing to the Bears especially over last 25 years they beat us only a handful of times including the last two .
I enjoy beating the Bears and will this year twice.
Starrbrite
January 16, 2026 at 02:40 pm
I say the bus ticket outa town should be for Lafleur. Couldn’t win 5 games with substantial leads.
Rosco22
January 16, 2026 at 06:29 am
The is the best thing that I have seen written since the season ending Bears loss !! Thank you Luke Leavitt for writing it ! Thank you Cheesehead TV for posting it !!
The part about “ when you were a kid” helped me put words to what I felt like in 1978 . I can still give you names & numbers for most of the starters on that team.
We need to see more posts like this .
Luke Leavitt
January 16, 2026 at 08:39 am
Thank you! Wrote this article in hopes of comments like that. Nothing like being a fan
Ferrari-Driver
January 16, 2026 at 10:58 am
I believe most of us Packers fans tend to be optimistic and nice people. In a sense the same could be said for our players on a whole...exception Micah Parsons who would rip an opponents face off to get to the quarterback or stop a play in the backfield.
I read an interesting article (at least to me) talking about comments from a former pro bowl player for the Packers, Mike Daniels. I remember him playing with an attitude. I will post the link and if you are interested you can read what he thinks: https://wisportsheroics.com/green-bay-packers-mike-daniels-effort-nfl/
Starrbrite
January 16, 2026 at 02:41 pm
I’m becoming less patient and crankier; must be my age.
CheesePuff
January 16, 2026 at 01:30 pm
Regarding the Packers' attitude during the Matt Le Fleur era, the following article provides some food for thought: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-incredible-choking-packers/ar-AA1U....
That said, I don't think the Packers are going to be able to do better than MLF, so I just try to enjoy the wins and remind myself that only one team's fans are going to be satisfied at the end of the season.