GREEN BAY – Cleaning out their lockers Monday, long before the Packers planned to, the sting of Saturday night's playoff loss in Chicago hadn't gone away much, if at all.
But in processing their emotions, the players at the same time expressed a sense of resolve for their next opportunity. This one got away, in very regrettable fashion, but it has to make them better for the next one or it wasn't worth anything.
"I'm definitely still feeling that disappointment," receiver Christian Watson said. "When you put in that much time, effort, that much work, it's tough to have that kind of finality to it.
"But you gotta find a way to embrace it … gotta find a way to be better because of it."
Losing despite leading 21-3 at halftime and 27-16 with less than half a quarter to go is difficult on all involved. Receiver Jayden Reed called it "haunting." Safety Xavier McKinney said "it's gonna hurt." Cornerback Keisean Nixon? "Hate it."
It's natural to play woulda, coulda, shoulda the way it unfolded, but in the end the players put the result on themselves, so they're putting the future on themselves, too.
"One or two more plays going our way, we're moving, we're playing Seattle, but we're not," nickelback Javon Bullard said. "We know the type of team we've got, we know the type of players we've got. We ain't goin' nowhere. We're goin' to be back.
"It's just tough that we got time now. We chillin' and them boys still playin', so kudos to them and we got to come back, get our minds right for next year."
While players shared their season-ending thoughts, a strong if not unanimous consensus emerged on several hot-button topics.
First, there's unequivocal support for Matt LaFleur to be back as head coach. Not a single player who spoke with the media questioned his leadership or ability to get this team where it wants to go.
Second, the defensive players would hate to see coordinator Jeff Hafley leave. But in the same breath they'll be very excited for him and his family if he does get his first NFL head coaching job. Selfishly, they just hope it's not right now, as Hafley has a handful of interviews lined up.
Third, finishing games better will be the theme of the offseason. Including the playoff defeat, the Packers lost four games this year in which they possessed a multi-score lead in the second half. The inability to put opponents away cost this team both playoff positioning and any potential playoff run.
How do they change that for next year?
"I think everybody got to look in the mirror, and we got to find ways to be able to dig deeper when (stuff) gets harder, because it's always going to get harder," McKinney said. "If you go deep into the playoffs, the deeper you go, the harder the games are going to be. You're going to have to play 60 minutes and find ways to scratch and claw and win these games. That's really the biggest thing."
Fourth, they'll always wonder what might've been had the team not lost so many prominent players to season-ending injuries. The list includes Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Devonte Wyatt, Elgton Jenkins, and as it turned out, Zach Tom, who was hoping to return for the playoffs but couldn't.
Tom told reporters Monday he's considering surgery on his injured knee, which would require a roughly six-month recovery.
"Just looking back at this whole season, man, look at all the bits and pieces that we were missing," Bullard said. "You put those puzzle pieces back together and even with the pieces we were missing, we still could've been a championship-caliber team, but the chips didn't fall our way.
"We ain't puttin' our head down. We're goin' chin up, chest out. We're goin' to keep moving."
What's next in the NFL, though, is always change. The roster won't be the same next year, with a number of pending free agents such as left tackle Rasheed Walker, center Sean Rhyan, linebacker Quay Walker, receiver Romeo Doubs, edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare and backup QB Malik Willis, among others.
Of those, the two offensive linemen spoke with reporters Monday and both said they'd like to come back. Rhyan also said he got good news on the knee injury that sidelined him for the last few plays of Saturday night's game, as tests showed no structural damage.
Some of the pending free agents might be back, but it's a given they won't all be.
"It's pretty difficult," Watson admitted. "I mean, you spend a lot of time with these guys. A lot of blood, sweat and tears with these guys. So it's definitely tough to see the end of it. But it's just the name of the game."
So is looking ahead to next season determined to improve, individually and collectively. Within the league, despite considerable experience, the Packers are still considered a young and developing team.
The last two years of quick playoff exits haven't measured up to expectations, this most recent setback much harder to accept than the prior. But in this business, it can only stay in the rearview for so long.
"We're gonna have some time to be able to think about it," McKinney said. "But then it's, 'Alright, figure out what we need to do better.' And then once we get back rolling, put it in the past, and we keep moving forward. It's all about really being present."
With a better ending in mind.
"We still have a goal, we still have a mission as a team, regardless of who's here and what not," Watson said. "We've got to find a way to win a championship. That will be everyone's goal, everyone's mission going into the offseason, and we've just gotta approach it that way and find a way to be better because of the result of this season."
