Ranking the Packers Teams in the Aaron Rodgers era is definitely a topic of differing opinions among Packers fans. In this column, I’ll rank every Packers team since Rodgers became the starter in 2008 and I’ll also include the years he sustained injuries. With that said, the best Packers team in the Aaron Rodgers era is..

1) 2014 Packers

The 2014 Packers are my favorite team in the Aaron Rodgers era and in my opinion, also the best. The Packers went an impressive 12-4 and advanced to the NFC Championship, where they lost to Seattle in a game they should have won.

The offense was dynamic, led by Aaron Rodgers, who tossed 38 touchdowns and won his 2nd MVP award. RB Eddie Lacy enjoyed a fantastic season, with 1139 yards rushing, 42 receptions for 427 yards and 13 total touchdowns. At WR, the Packers were explosive, with two wide receivers eclipsing the 1200 yard mark in Jordy Nelson (98 receptions, 1519 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Randall Cobb (91 receptions, 1287 yards, 12 touchdowns).

The defense was excellent too, especially as the season progressed. The Packers were led by veterans such as Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, AJ Hawk, Morgan Burnett, Sam Shields and Tramon Williams with an additional influx of young talent like Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde, Mike Daniels, Nick Perry and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. In the NFC Championship game against the Seahawks, the Packers defense forced 5 turnovers.

The 2014 Packers were balanced, dangerous and had a mix of veterans and young guys. This team definitely should have played the Patriots in the Super Bowl, a team they played and beat in the regular season.

2) 2020 Packers

3) 2010 Packers

The 2010 Packers, who went on to win the Super Bowl, was a team that peaked at the perfect time and used that momentum to a Championship Title.

The Packers sat at 8-6 on the season after losing a competitive and hard fought game on Sunday Night Football in New England, which ultimately was the catalyst in igniting their championship run. Matt Flynn was the starting QB in that contest, replacing an injured Aaron Rodgers who was recovering from a concussion. Flynn went on to throw for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 31-27 loss. When Rodgers returned to the starting lineup the following week, the Packers ripped off six consecutive wins en route to their Lombardi Trophy.

Once the 2010 Packers caught fire, there was no turning back. The offense clicked, led by Rodgers, a stable of talented wide receivers and a rookie RB in James Starks. The defense, led by Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson and Nick Collins, created turnovers and made big defensive stops.

Ranking the 2010 Packers Team at #3 is tricky. On one end of the argument, they did win a Super Bowl and were the best team in the NFL from Week 16 onwards. On the other hand, they finished 10-6 and squeaked in as a Wild Card.

4) 2011 Packers

The 2011 Packers went 15-1, using the momentum from their Super Bowl Championship the year before to create a flurry of points and torch opposing defenses. Aaron Rodgers won his 1st MVP Award, throwing 45 touchdowns in an offense that finished the season with an average of 35 points per game.

The Packers earned the #1 overall seed in the NFC, where they saw their season get cut short in a monster upset loss in the NFC Divisional Round against the New York Giants. Similar to the 2020 NFC Championship game, the Packers allowed a long, back-breaking touchdown in the final seconds of the first half that ultimately was the turning point in the game. Although the Packers turned the ball over 4 times in that game (3 fumbles, 1 interception), the 2011 Packers defense was the ultimate downfall for the team, which was one of the worst defenses in NFL history.

5) 2019 Packers

6) 2016 Packers

Similar to the 2010 team, the 2016 Packers caught fire and rode an 8 game winning streak to the NFC Championship game, where they were eventually defeated by the Atlanta Falcons. After losing a road game to the Redskins on Sunday Night Football, the Packers were 4-6 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008 seemed like a real possibility.

The rest is history. Aaron Rodgers mentioned in a mid-week interview following the loss to Washington that the Packers needed to “Run the Table”. The famous words muttered by QB1 will live in history forever, and Aaron Rodgers played like the MVP of the league for the remainder of the season.

The Packers ripped off 6 wins in a row, to get their record to 10-6, the final victory a division clinching win at Detroit on Sunday Night Football, who were also competing for the Title. The Packers went on to beat the Giants and Cowboys in the playoffs.

7) 2009 Packers

In a way, the 2009 Packers set the stage for the 2010 team to win the whole thing. The Packers went 11-5 in 2009 and finished the season by winning 7 out of their last 8 games.

Led by Aaron Rodgers, his 2nd year as a starter, the Packers had a combination of young talent in guys like Ryan Grant, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Greg Jennings and JerMichael Finley fused with reliable and excellent veterans like Donald Driver (70 receptions, 1061 yards, 6 touchdowns) and Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson (9 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, 3 touchdowns).

The Packers gained a lot of confidence in 2009 after a down year in 2008, where they eventually lost in a Wild West Shootout to the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card Round, 51-45.

8) 2015 Packers

The 2015 Packers battled injuries and adversity for a lot of the season. They jumped out of the gates at 6-0 and stumbled to a 4-6 record in their last 10 to ultimately finish at 10-6. The Packers beat the Redskins in the wild card round and saw their season end in Arizona in a crazy game full of back-up receivers and Hail Mary’s.

9) 2012 Packers

The 2012 Packers went 11-5, won the NFC North, won a wild card game against the Vikings and saw their season end in San Francisco in a 45-31 defeat where QB Colin Kaepernick ran for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns.

10) 2013 Packers

The 2013 Packers got off to a fast start, getting to a 5-2 record before their Monday Night Football game against the Bears. In that game, Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone and didn’t return until the Packers final game of the season.

In Rodgers’ absence, the Packers struggled, going 2-5-1 under backup quarterbacks Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn. Amazingly, the Packers still had a chance to win the NFC North in their Week 17 matchup against the Bears. The Packers defeated the Bears in a game for the ages, sealing the NFC North title with a final record of 8-7-1.

The Packers once again played Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers in the playoffs, this time in one of the coldest games in Lambeau Field History. Green Bay lost 23-20 on a last-second field goal, ending their season.

11) 2017 Packers

Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay started the season 4-1 and appeared to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Unfortunately, Aaron Rodgers sustained an injury in Week 6, which kept him out of action all the way until Week 15. Rodgers returned in a late-season matchup against the Panthers and had the Packers won, would’ve still had a chance to make the playoffs. Green Bay lost that game however and effectively ended their postseason hopes.

12) 2008 Packers

Coming off an NFC Championship loss in 2007, the Packers went into 2008 with a brand new starting QB in Aaron Rodgers. #12 had a very solid first season, throwing for 28 touchdowns and showing tons of promise. With that said, the Packers lost 7 games by 4 points or less, several in heart-breaking fashion and the Packers finished the season at a disappointing 6-10.

13) 2018 Packers

The 2018 Packers feels like the lost season in all the great years of Aaron Rodgers led teams. Rodgers played in all 16 games, yet the Packers struggled collectively. Mike McCarthy was fired after 13 seasons in Green Bay and the Packers never really felt like a team that was close.

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Alex grew up in a family of Chicago Bears fans in the suburbs of Chicago but was always a Packers guy. Alex\'s AIM name when he was in elementary/middle school was PackerAlex. He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and you can follow him on twitter at @Alex_Mayer93.

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