After an overachieving season in which Green Bay found themselves in the divisional round, the Packers look to build off their newly extended phenom quarterback and become contenders in 2024. But are they ready for that? Welcome back to another edition of ‘The Super Bowl Race In The Perspective of Chase’, and today we will preview the Green Bay Packers 2024 season!
2023 Season
Green Bay began their season with a huge win over Chicago thanks to great play from Jordan Love and Aaron Jones. Not many knew what to expect from Love in his first season as the starting quarterback, but he didn’t disappoint. He was inconsistent at times, and slightly inaccurate, but really found his groove as the season went on. He finished seventh in yardage and second in touchdowns. While Love was lighting things up, so were the Packers as a team. Like their quarterback, they had their hiccups. They started 3-6. But then they suddenly turned it on, winning three straight including wins over Detroit and Kansas City, and finished 9-8 and good enough for the 7th seed in the NFC postseason picture. They then dismantled and broken Cowboys team and were a drive away from beating San Francisco and advancing to the NFC Championship. For a team that many thought would be lucky to win seven games before the season, the Packers more than exceeded expectations.
Offseason Additions and Losses
After their 2023 campaign, it’s obvious Green Bay is ready to contend. And they treated their offseason with that exact same mentality. Looking to improve the running game, the Packers re-signed A.J. Dillon, let go of Aaron Jones but instead signed Josh Jacobs to a four year deal worth $48 million. Jacobs is elusive, quick, is a decent pass catcher and complements Love perfectly. Not to mention, he’s only 26 years old, has avoided major injuries thus far and led the NFL in rushing yards just two seasons ago in 2022. And they got him at just $12 million per year. What an upgrade! Green Bay also stole Xavier McKinney from the New York Giants, signing the star safety to a four year deal worth $68 million. McKinney, also at just 26 years old, will be a huge addition for this defense after eight combined INT’s in his last two full seasons in the league. They made some other small moves, but the only other one that made headlines was the Packers extending Love to a four year contract that’s tied for the highest annual salary in NFL history. So the Packers cleaned up well this offseason.
X-Factor: Christian Watson
I feel like this is the 3rd year now where we’ve been expecting major things for Christian Watson. Because yes, he is this team’s X-Factor. Though he struggled to stay on the field, playing just nine games last year and 14 the year before, while his statistics stayed very similar. Like, scary similar. So a wide receiver who can’t stay on the field, hasn’t improved, has only shown flashes and isn’t consistent: why is he their X-Factor? Because when he’s on, it helps the team so much. Green Bay is still looking for their reliable pass catcher. Jayden Reed showed signs last year, Luke Musgrave is a very underrated tight end, Romeo Doubs has looked solid. But none of these guys are number one pass catchers like the former second round pick in Watson has the potential to be. So I think this is a huge season for him, and if he can get it going, this Packers offense could look scary in January.
Reason for Concern: The Hype
Say what you want about this team. They’re good. They have talent. They have potential. They have the package. However, I think this team is being hyped up to a higher level than they should be. Don’t get me wrong, this team had a great year last year. They made the divisional round. But they also had a 3-6 start and happened to get hot, their defense was more inconsistent than it should be, Love had some off-games and I believe their playoff win had more to do with the Cowboys than it did themselves. So it’s a great season. We can sit here and point fingers and say ‘what if’ all we want, though that would be silly. Yes, this team was good. But to label them as Super Bowl contenders after a few good games may not be what his young core needs. And maybe Green Bay will try to over-do it this year thinking they have to contend, when it reality they have time on their side with young and extended pieces.
Reason for Promise: Joe Barry is Gone
I think Packers fans worst nightmare was their defensive coordinator Joe Barry. He just didn’t do a great job of working with the talent he had, and was the reason why the Packers were so inconsistent defensively. He’s now gone. The Packers parted ways with him, and brought in Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley to be the team’s defensive coordinator. He ran a defensive scheme at BC and were a defensive centered team, hoping to bring that to Green Bay. And they have the talent on defense. Rashan Gary is a great piece, totaling nine sacks and 22 QB hits last year. Kenny Clark was also productive making a Pro Bowl team, Preston Smith had eight sacks and Quay Walker has had 121 and 118 tackles in his first two seasons in the NFL. The front seven is in great shape. As for the secondary, it’s not terrible. Jaire Alexander is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He just has to stay healthy. McKinney will be a huge difference maker as well. So they have some weak spots, but overall look like a much better team on the defensive end. And with a new coordinator and new culture, things will look better on that side of the ball this year.
Prediction
I expect big things from Green Bay this year. Another year of experience for Jordan Love should mean more consistency, and that means better things for the offense and team as a whole. They just need some playmakers to take the next step in their game. And defensively, their looking much better this year than last year. So I think they’ll be great. However, it’s hard to imagine they beat out a very good Detroit team for the NFC North title, and will once again find themselves in a funky Wild Card position. Then, they just have to hope they get hot!
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