The NFL’s impending trade deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET is a telling sign of the halfway point in the season. While no one is sure if Brian Gutekunst & co. will pull the trigger to acquire more talent this year, now is a good time to look at some Packers midseason numbers.

Matt LaFleur

The Packers’ 7-1 record isn’t foreign to coach LaFleur. He previously led a 7-1 record in 2019 — his first season as a head coach. LaFleur hasn’t held more than two losses entering week 8 in his coaching career.

Balance is key – the Packers currently have 265 pass attempts on the season (13th fewest) to 206 rush attempts (14th).

The offense isn’t as explosive through eight weeks as we saw last season, rather, they’re efficiently and methodically working their way downfield. The passing game is averaging 7.4 yards per attempt while the running game is averaging 4.2 yards per carry.

In 2020, the offense averaged 8.2 yards per attempt through the air and 4.8 yards per attempt on the ground.

The Packers are also only on pace for 47 touchdowns this season – a big drop off from its 66 touchdowns that led the NFL last season.

Aaron Rodgers

Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers is quietly lurking on the outskirts of the MVP conversation once again.

While his 1,894 passing yards rank just 17th in the NFL, his 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions are both tied-fifth. He’s also thrown just one interception since Week 1.

His 105.7 passer rating is also the eighth-best in the league entering Week 8. If Rodgers’ 100+ rating holds up this season, it’ll be the 10th campaign of its kind in his career.

Per Next Gen Stats, Rodgers is averaging just 4.9 air yards per completion this season, the lowest in the LaFleur era. Rodgers averaged 5.5 and 5.4 air yards per completion in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

It’s fair to assume the drop-off this season has been due to Marquez Valdes-Scantling not being in the lineup.

Davante Adams

Adams‘ 52 receptions (T-2), 744 yards (4th), 73 targets (4th), and 13 grabs of 20+ yards — while missing two games — has been impressive once again. But his most impressive stat is his percentage of the team’s total air yards. Adams currently accounts for 39.53% of the Packer’s air yards, good for 8th in the NFL.

That’s all to say, if you have him in fantasy, you’re laughing.

Talk about remaining unpredictable — 28 of Adams’ 52 receptions have come when he lines up on the right side of the line of scrimmage. LaFleur is getting his playmaker the ball and he’s doing it all over the field.

——————

Joshua Frey-Sam is a journalism student and aspiring sportscaster hailing from Winnipeg, Canada. A Packers fan since 2005, Josh has worked to master the financial and scouting aspect of the NFL over the past few years. Josh remains a firm believer that Dez did not, in fact, catch the ball. You can follow him on twitter at @jfreysam.

——————