The
2018 season was the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
' 98th season in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
, their 100th overall and their 13th and final season under
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Mike McCarthy
Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, he led t ...
. After missing the playoffs for the first time since
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and losing quarterback
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...
to injury during their 2017 season, the Packers failed to improve their 7–9 record from last season and finished with a 6–9–1 record, their worst since
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.
For the first time since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
Jordy Nelson
Jordy Ray Nelson (born May 31, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Kansas State, where he ...
did not play for the Packers as he signed with the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
via free agency during the offseason.
On January 7, 2018,
Brian Gutekunst was named the new
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
, after
Ted Thompson
Ted Thompson (January 17, 1953 – January 20, 2021) was an American professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). He was the general manager of the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2017. Thompson had a 10-y ...
took over as the senior advisor to football operations.
On December 2, 2018, after a 4–7–1 start,
Mike McCarthy
Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, he led t ...
was fired hours after the Packers’ Week 13 loss to the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
and
Joe Philbin
Joseph Anthony Philbin (born July 2, 1961) is an American football coach who, until recently, served as the offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, a position he h ...
was named as the interim head coach. After a loss to the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in week 15, the Packers were eliminated from the postseason for the second consecutive season. This was the first time the Packers missed the postseason in consecutive years since
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
to
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
. This was also the first time the Packers suffered from consecutive losing seasons since
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
to
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, a year before
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
's arrival.
Coaching moves
After missing the playoffs, the Packers made several coaching changes during its offseason, in addition to selecting
Brian Gutekunst as the team's new GM. Notable coaching changes included:
*
Dom Capers
Ernest Dominic Capers (born August 7, 1950) is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the inaugural head coach of the Carolina Panthers and ...
was fired as defensive coordinator, and replaced by former
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
defensive coordinator and
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
head coach
Mike Pettine
Michael Mark Pettine (born September 25, 1966) is an American football coach who currently is an assistant head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2014 to 2015, an ...
.
*
Edgar Bennett
Edgar Bennett III (born February 15, 1969) is an American football coach and former running back who is the wide receivers coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Bennett played college football at Florida State ...
was fired as Offensive Coordinator, and replaced by
Joe Philbin
Joseph Anthony Philbin (born July 2, 1961) is an American football coach who, until recently, served as the offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, a position he h ...
, who had previously served as the Packers Offensive Coordinator from 2007 to 2011.
*
Mike Trgovac
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
was fired as Defensive Line Coach, and replaced by
Jerry Montgomery
Jerry Montgomery (born September 19, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive line coach and running game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).
Playing career
Montgomery pl ...
.
*
Alex Van Pelt
Gregory Alexander Van Pelt (born May 1, 1970) is an American football coach and former player who is the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the ...
left as Quarterbacks Coach, and was replaced by
Frank Cignetti Jr.
*
Luke Getsy left as Receivers Coach, and was replaced by
David Raih.
Player movements
Free agents
The league year and free agency started on March 14, 2018.
Trades
Additions
Subtractions
Draft
Draft trades
*The Packers traded their first-round pick (14th overall) to New Orleans in exchange for New Orleans’ first-round pick (27th overall), fifth-round pick (147th overall), and 2019 first-round pick.
*The Packers traded their first-round pick traded from the Saints (27th overall), a third-round pick (76th overall) and a sixth-round pick (186th overall) to Seattle in exchange for Seattle's 18th overall pick and a seventh-round pick (248th overall).
*The Packers traded their fourth-round pick (101st overall), and a fifth-round pick (147th overall) to Carolina in exchange for Carolina's 3rd-round pick (88th overall).
*The Packers traded their fourth- and fifth-round selections (114th and 150th overall), and cornerback
Damarious Randall
Damarious Wayne Randall (born August 29, 1992) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Early years
Ra ...
to Cleveland in exchange for Cleveland's fourth-and fifth-round selections (101st and 138th overall), and quarterback
DeShone Kizer
DeShone Allen Kizer (born January 3, 1996) is an American football quarterback who has played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the secon ...
*The Packers were awarded four
compensatory picks (133rd, 172nd, 174th and 207th overall).
*The Packers traded linebacker
Lerentee McCray to Buffalo in exchange for Buffalo's seventh-round selection (239th overall).
Undrafted free agent additions
Roster cuts
The roster was cut to 53 on September 1, 2018.
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
The preseason schedule was announced on April 11, 2018.
Regular season
Schedule
The regular season schedule was announced on April 19, 2018.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Chicago Bears
This was the Packers' first win from a 17-point deficit or more entering the 4th quarter in franchise history.
Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week 3: at Washington Redskins
Week 4: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 5: at Detroit Lions
Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 8: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 9: at New England Patriots
Week 10: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 12: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals
This was the first home loss to the
Cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
since
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022.
* January 2 – Luis ...
. Hours after the game, Head Coach
Mike McCarthy
Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, he led t ...
was fired by the Packers.
Week 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 15: at Chicago Bears
Week 16: at New York Jets
Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions
With the loss, the Packers closed out the season with a disappointing 6–9–1 record. This was the second straight year in which the Detroit Lions swept the Packers.
Standings
Division
Conference
Statistics
Starters
Offense
Defense
Team leaders
League rankings
Awards
References
External links
*
{{2018 NFL season by team
Green Bay
Green Bay Packers seasons
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...