Green Bay Packers Football: Team Roster, Schedule & More

Tag: NFL playoffs

  • Will Jordan Love Rise to the Occasion as Packers Target the Playoffs?

    Will Jordan Love Rise to the Occasion as Packers Target the Playoffs?

    As the Green Bay Packers get ready for another NFL season, the team is at a crossroads. With one of the youngest rosters in the league, the Packers have made the playoffs the last two years. This year they want to keep that trend going with minimal losses in free agency and a top 10 roster.

    The NFC North is tougher than ever and with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings looking strong, the Packers need to be ready to step up if they want to make a deep run.

    Building a Competitive Roster

    Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has been building this team for 8 years and has made 80 draft picks. The Packers are 8th in the league in roster depth but face stiff competition in the division.

    The Lions and Vikings are not just good teams, they’re built to win now. The Lions went 15-2 last year with injuries and the Vikings went 14-3 and added Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen to the defense.

    The Lions and Vikings: Foes to Fear

    The Detroit Lions even with injuries showed they can play at a high level. Their offense is a juggernaut and their defense will be better with Aidan Hutchinson back. They also added defensive pieces through the draft and free agency.

    The Minnesota Vikings with a 14-3 record present their own challenges. Although they have uncertainty at QB with J.J. McCarthy starting, their roster is otherwise solid. Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen added to the defense only makes them better.

    Jordan Love: The Key to Success

    For the Packers to go further, Jordan Love has to step up. The team has surrounded him with a good offensive line and talented wide receivers. Emerging stars like Tucker Kraft and Josh Jacobs who had a great debut season with the Packers help out.

    The addition of first round wide receiver Matthew Golden could put the offense in the top 10. But none of that matters if Love can’t take control of the field and lead the team.

    Defensive Strength and Potential

    Defensively the Packers made some smart moves to maintain their strength. Despite a spotty pass rush last year, the addition of Nate Hobbs and the growth of Edgerrin Cooper looks promising. Consistency from the defense will be key to the team’s overall success.

    But how will the defense hold up against the elite offenses in the NFC North?

    Overcoming Challenges and Looking Ahead

    While the Packers are good, there are still questions, especially with special teams and quarterback evaluation. The team’s performance in those areas will decide their fate in the NFC North.

    With the Lions likely to win the division, the Packers need to fix those issues. As the season goes on the Packers will be watched closely. Jordan Love’s development and the team’s ability to adjust and grow will be the keys to playoff success.

    The road gets tough, but with a good roster and good leadership the Packers can make some noise. Whether Jordan Love can deliver when it matters most will be the question of the year.

    As the NFC North gets more competitive, the Packers will have to prove they can handle the heat and take the next step in the rebuild.

  • Did Jordan Love Regress in 2024? Packers Still Believe in His Potential

    Did Jordan Love Regress in 2024? Packers Still Believe in His Potential

    Two days after the Packers lost to the Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs, Matt LaFleur said the next step for Jordan Love was to “evolve as a vocal leader.”

    Four months later, LaFleur likes what he sees. And it doesn’t stop there.

    On Wednesday, after the first OTA practice of the spring, LaFleur was ready to challenge anyone who thought Love regressed last season in Year 2 as the starter.

    “I think there’s like a narrative out there for whatever reason that he wasn’t as productive as the year before,” LaFleur said. “Well, he missed significant time.”

    That time came early, when Love sprained his left MCL in the season opener and had a lasting impact. Even when he returned after missing two games, Love’s mobility was limited, which in turn limited his footwork and accuracy. Just when Love seemed mostly recovered from the knee injury, a groin injury took him out of the second half of the Week 8 game against the Jaguars.

    Still, the Packers went 11-6, two wins more than Love’s first season as the starter. During that 2023 run, he was praised for a hot streak to close the season, when he threw 18 touchdowns and one interception over the final eight games, and then blowed the doors off the Cowboys in the playoff opener only to lose in the final seconds of the next round to the 49ers.

    But there was the perception the Packers — and Love — took a step back last season after they failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs.

    “I mean, what is a step back is what I’d ask?” Love said. “You know what I mean? Everybody has different opinions, things like that. You gotta block that stuff out. It’s all about the goals of the team at the end of the day. I’d say we won more games than we did the year before. That’s why I ask people, ‘What is a step back?’”

    The Narrative of Regression: Fact or Fiction?

    He’s not buying it. LaFleur isn’t buying that Love regressed.

    He pointed to the injuries as the reason for Love’s performance last season. The missed time affected his rhythm, footwork, and timing with receivers.

    But the Packers still won, and Love showed improvement late in the season. His accuracy dipped slightly from 64.2% in 2023 to 63.1% in 2024 but that could be because of the number of dropped passes by the offense (the Packers had the highest drop rate in the NFL).

    In fact, Love’s off target percentage actually went down from 16.1% in 2023 to 14.4% in 2024 so he was more accurate despite the challenges.

    Focus on Leadership and Growth

    Instead of dwelling on the past, Love is looking ahead. A new position coach from former NFL quarterback Sean Mannion hasn’t changed the focus for Love’s offseason work.

    “Just trying to be as consistent as possible with accuracy, ball placement, things like that, the timing of my feet, timing up with the routes, trying to marry all that stuff up,” Love said when asked what he’s working on this offseason.

    And then there’s the leadership development.

    “He’s played a lot of ball and along with that has gained a lot of confidence,” LaFleur said. “I think he’s certainly comfortable in helping lead others and telling them what to do. He’s a coach on the field. He knows this offense as well as anybody in regards to the details and what we’re trying to get accomplished. And I think he articulates that well to the other players.”

    Calm Under Fire

    Love’s even keel has also been praised by teammates.

    Receiver Jayden Reed said he appreciates Love’s composure.

    “He’s probably one of those most calm quarterbacks I’ve ever been around, in my opinion,” Reed said. “He’s so poised in the huddle, whether we’re going through adversity or anything, he’s the same person. He’s always calm, he’s cool, collected. I think he does a great job, we’ve just got to help him, rally around him, and just be better for him.”

    And Love knows a phony or out of character approach can get exposed as fake in an NFL locker room.

    “I think at the end of the day, with leadership and speaking vocally to guys, you’ve got to be yourself,” Love said. “You never want to be forcing things or sound like a message isn’t coming from you, it’s coming from somebody else. It’s always trying to find that balance of being yourself.

    “But I think that the biggest thing is just having those hard conversations with guys when something needs to get done and it might not be getting done the right way.”

    Why the Packers Believe in Love?

    While Love faced his share of struggles in 2024, the coaching staff and teammates are confident in him. He is working on all that, and they’re not budging.