Inexperienced Bay was a kind of groups who had been getting hyped to the moon earlier than they traded for Micah Parsons. An 11-6 season a 12 months in the past, paired with good upgrades on offense, and an NFC North with all their rivals rebuilding or retooling, the Packers appeared poised to make noise in 2025. It was acceptable to throw a little bit doubt on all this, as a result of whereas the crew did make incremental enhancements, there was nothing that made main noise.
On Thursday evening the Packers simply dispatched the Washington Commanders, holding the most effective offenses within the convention to a few factors coming into the fourth quarter, earlier than a little bit complacency snuck in and a rubbish time landing late within the sport made the field rating look infinitely nearer than the sport actually was. Inexperienced Bay is now 2-0 after two weeks, simply coasting previous two of the opposite finest groups within the convention. The hype isn’t simply deserved, it’s been earned — and now the Packers hit a a lot simpler stretch of their schedule which may simply see this crew at 4-0 coming into the bye week, and even 7-0 earlier than Halloween.
There are some core elements to why Inexperienced Bay is wanting like the most effective crew within the NFC proper now, and a few pitfalls they should look ahead to transferring ahead.
The place the Packers are going proper
Micah Parsons has reworked the protection
The wildest half about what Parsons has added to the Packers’ protection is that he’s doing it whereas nonetheless being injured. Parsons remains to be coping with a lingering again difficulty he introduced with him to Inexperienced Bay, enjoying restricted snaps within the first sport and never totally collaborating in follow since arriving.
Regardless of all this he’s nonetheless completely dominating on move rush, notably in producing strain up the center.
Not solely has Parsons forcing unhealthy performs from usually unflappable quarterbacks in Jared Goff and Jayden Daniels, however the specter of him on each down is opening up performs for different key gamers on the defensive entrance. Lukas Van Ness, Rashan Gary, and Devonte Wyatt are all thriving for the reason that Parsons addition, and if you mesh this quartet of strain up entrance with run-stopping linebackers, and a stable secondary it’s very tough to discover a constant method to assault the Packers’ protection
Life may be very simple for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley proper now. Fairly than needing to attract up sophisticated blitz packages or schemes to work round his weaknesses, basically all Inexperienced Bay is doing is thrashing their opponents at a number of positions utilizing pretty vanilla scheme range.
What this implies is that the Packers have so much of latitude so as to add wrinkles sooner or later. In two weeks they’ve given away little or no about what unique packages they might be saving of their again pocket, just because they haven’t wanted to do something robust proper now.
Jordan Love is coming into his personal
An eye fixed-popping stat on Thursday evening was the historical past of Packers QBs to take a significant leap ahead after they’re 26 or 27 years outdated. Bart Starr handed for two,000+ yards for the primary time in 1961 when he was 26. Brett Favre received his first NFL MVP at 26. Aaron Rodgers made his first Professional Bowl at 26. Jordan Love, effectively, he’s 26 proper now.
That may be a enjoyable apart, however the actuality is that Love is enjoying one of the best soccer of his profession proper now. By means of two video games he has a passer score of 120.0, a career-high completion proportion of 66%, and has thrown 4 touchdowns with out an interception or fumble. On prime of all this he’s additionally producing extra yards-per-attempt than at any level in his profession.
There are quite a few causes for this. The aforementioned protection is making life a lot simpler for hin in 2025, placing Inexperienced Bay ready the place they don’t have to play from behind. As well as the every-present menace of Josh Jacons within the backfield is obstructing quite a lot of groups from working dangerous blitz packages in opposition to the offense.
We’re seeing a rising tide carry all ships on the offense, and Love is enjoying so effectively that he may have an MVP-worthy season in 2025.
Tucker Kraft has emerged as a difference-maker
Up thus far in his profession Kraft has been a stable, however largely unremarkable tight finish for the Packers. Usually used as an extension of the offensive line, the crew didn’t actually make the most of him as move catcher. Nonetheless, this season — or extra aptly in opposition to Washington, Kraft reworked into the crew’s greatest receiving menace.
Jayden Reed’s damage has put strain on gamers like Kraft to step up and fill the void, which he’s performed in a severe method as a receicer. It’s simply one other potential layer to Love’s passing offense, and one which had constructed a redundancy for Love. Reed was his security internet on quite a lot of performs, however the tight finish taking up a much bigger function within the offense isn’t one thing we noticed coming and it adjustments the outlook of this crew.
What the Packers have to be careful for
Lack of run sport effectivity
Quite a lot of what has allowed Like to succeed to date is groups having to respect Josh Jacobs within the backfield, however that can put on off if the crew can’t discover methods to make Jacobs’ carries extra profitable. Up thus far the crew has not used another working again, and Jacobs isn’t speeding the ball at an efficient charge, averaging simply 3.6 yards-per-carry.
The depth at RB is atrocious proper now. In two video games Jacobs has carried the ball 42 instances, with Chris Brooks and Emmanuel Wilson solely getting a single speeding try every. If this crew can’t choose up constant yards on the bottom the mystique of the offense is buried, and groups will be capable to focus in on Love extra with zero blitzes — one thing he hasn’t actually confronted this season.
It’s removed from a panic button second, however one thing the Packers offense might want to alter for.
The Packers are as full a crew as you’ll discover within the NFL proper now. It’s early, however popping out 2-0 in opposition to the Lions and Commanders is an announcement. Over the following few weeks they face the likes of the Browns, Cowboys, Bengals, and Cardinals — all a lot simpler than the video games they’d had up to now.
It’s okay to purchase into the hype. This crew is for actual.
