The Green Bay Packers don't have a talent problem.
They have a finishing problem.
For all of the excitement surrounding one of the NFL's youngest and deepest rosters, the next step isn't finding another Pro Bowl receiver, another edge rusher or another splash free agent. It's learning how to close games when they have an opponent on the ropes.
Simply put, the Packers have to learn how to step on the throat of their opponent.
Good teams build leads.
Great teams bury them.
That's the difference between winning nine or 10 games and becoming an 11- or 12-win team that earns home-field advantage and enters January as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Last season offered plenty of evidence.
Start with the Week 16 loss at Chicago.
The Packers led 16-6 with 5:03 left in the fourth quarter. The Bears' offense had done very little for three quarters, yet Green Bay allowed the game to slip away. Chicago scored 16 unanswered points, forced overtime and eventually escaped with a 22-16 victory. Games like that simply cannot happen to championship caliber teams.
Then there was the stunning 40-40 tie against Dallas.
Scoring 40 points should always guarantee a victory. Instead, Green Bay's defense couldn't come up with one final stop. Whether it was missed tackles, allowing explosive plays or failing to get off the field on critical downs, the Packers let an opponent hang around until the Cowboys stole what should have been a signature win.
The 16-13 loss to Carolina told a similar story.
Against a team they were expected to beat, the Packers never seized complete control. Instead of putting the Panthers away early, Green Bay allowed them to linger deep into the fourth quarter before ultimately paying the price in a three-point defeat.
The same was true in the frustrating and hapless 10-7 loss to Philadelphia.
Against one of the NFC's best teams, every possession mattered. The Packers had opportunities to make the defining play but couldn't produce the game-changing drive, takeaway or explosive play that separates contenders from champions.
There was also the Browns game. The Packers blew a 10-0 fourth quarter lead before losing 13-10.
Those five games tell the story of Green Bay's season.
Turn just three of them into victories, and suddenly the Packers aren't talking about making the playoffs. They're a 14-win football team battling for one of the NFC's top seeds.
That's how thin the margin is in today's NFL.
Closing games start with Jordan Love. The next stage of his development isn't throwing for more yards or touchdowns. It's becoming the quarterback who refuses to lose when the game hangs in the balance. Patrick Mahomes has mastered that trait. Joe Burrow has it. Josh Allen has it. Love has shown flashes, but the Packers need those moments to become routine.
It also requires a killer instinct from the entire roster.
When Josh Jacobs and the offensive line have a chance to put together a clock-draining drive, finish it. When Jonathan Gannon’s defense forces an offense into third-and-long, get off the field. When an opponent begins to wobble, don't let them regain their footing.
The NFL is filled with talented teams. The difference between good and great often comes down to one possession, one drive or one defensive stop.
The Packers don't need a dramatic makeover.
They need to become ruthless.
Until Green Bay learns to finish off opponents instead of giving them hope, it will remain a dangerous playoff team rather than a championship favorite.
The leap from 10 wins to 12 isn't about acquiring more talent.
It's about developing the mentality that when an opponent is down, the game is over.