Born out of a series of Tweets by commenter @RandBallsStu, an idea by your humble proprietor and a sick thirst to rile up Packers fans for no good reason, we present a new weekly feature called, "The Increasingly Lost Season." In this series, Stu will give a brief recap of the Packers' misfortunes as they tumble from 15-1 Super Bowl repeat team of destiny to Randy Wright-esque putridity (even if, in all likelihood, they really don't).

Stu?

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The Increasingly Lost Season of the Green Bay Packers, vol. 1 As most observers would agree, the 2012 season has become an increasingly lost one for the Green Bay Packers. Blow-out losses at home, getting jobbed by the replacement officials, barely beating the winless, awful Saints: quite simply, it's a season to forget for the green-and-gold, and they haven't even played a game in October! Michael has asked me to document the struggles of this once-elite team for RandBall, with the explicit understanding that this is NOT be a platform to mock and tease the Packers faithful. Rather, this will be a dispassionate look at how quickly a team can go from Super Bowl contender to also-ran. As a Vikings fan, I well know how rapid the descent can be, and hope to offer an explanation and maybe a measure of solace to our neighbors to east. This week, let's revisit where it all started to turn for this star-crossed team: last year's NFC Divisional Round Playoff Game vs. the New York Giants. The Packers, who had cruised through the regular season, were thoroughly dominated at home by the eventual champions. Something was made very clear that day: Aaron Rodgers has significant, perhaps unsolvable issues winning a home playoff game. For all the deserved praise Rodgers receives, please look at his playoff winning percentage at Lambeau Field against someone who knows how to lead men to victory on football's most-hallowed turf:

  • Aaron Rodgers: 0%
  • Daunte Culpepper: 100%

The numbers speak for themselves. What have the Packers done to address this? Well, the not-getting-any-younger Rodgers is still the starting quarterback, as Graham Harrell sits, waiting in the wings for him to exit the stage, much as Rodgers had to wait for Vikings legend Brett Favre to end his stint with Green Bay. Of course, we don't know if Harrell is the answer, and with promising college QBs like Matt Barkley and Geno Smith expected to go early in the 2013 NFL Draft, you can easily argue that the replacement refs did Gang Green a favor when they botched the end of the Seattle game. Indeed, every fluke win this year takes them one step further away from a definitive answer at football's most important position. This week, Green Bay goes on the road to face the rebuilding Indianapolis Colts. It's one of the few remaining realistic chances for the Packers to compete away from Lambeau, and could even give them a rare peek above the .500 mark for the season. In an increasingly lost season, you have to ask: is it worth it?