The Green Bay Packers have won 4 out of their last 5 games following a huge 27-19 home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. Now sitting at 6-6, the Packers are in the thick of the NFC playoff race and currently hold the 7 seed. With the team playing complimentary football and executing at an elite level, it’s safe to say that the Pack is back.
After a Week 8 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at home, the Packers 2023 season looked all but lost with a 2-5 record. There were a myriad of question marks swirling around the team, most notably the idea of whether Jordan Love was the right guy to lead the Packers. The youngest squad in the NFL looked disjointed as ever. The offense struggled to even get a first down, the defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed, and Matt LaFleur’s play calling was lackluster to say the least. Now just over a month later, Green Bay has salvaged their season and are now in position to secure a playoff berth in a season where they weren’t expected to be competitive whatsoever. Jordan Love has propelled himself as the clear future of the franchise, the defense has been playing much better led by Rashan Gary, and Coach LaFleur is calling plays as well as he ever has. Green Bay looks like an entirely different football team, and they have found their identity.
Sunday night marked an impressive performance from the Packers against the defending champs. Nobody gave Green Bay a chance to win this game. Despite all the doubt and negativity, this team rose to the occasion and thrived off their underdog mentality. The offense started the game with an 8-minute touchdown drive. Then after holding Kansas City to a field goal on their first possession, the Packers immediately responded with another touchdown to take a 14-3 lead. One of the strengths of this offense is the ability to spread the ball around and target a number of different players on a given play, making it difficult for opponents to key in on one or even two players. Because of that, it was another excellent game for Jordan Love. He ended the night with a stat line of 25/36, 267 yards, 3 TD’s along with a 118 QBR. We are continuing to see his confidence grow, along with a growing calmness in the pocket and much improved decision-making. He showcased his arm talent with a couple of really impressive throws as well. Over the Packers 3-game winning streak, Love has thrown for 857 yards, 8 TD’s and 0 interceptions. He has been on fire, and a large reason why the Packers have been so successful.
Per usual, it wasn’t pretty for the defense, but they came up with two huge stops in the 4th quarter. They forced a KC punt, then a big-time interception by Keisean Nixon. The Packers won the turnover battle 1-0 and the game. The already shaky Green Bay run defense was not good at all. The Chiefs averaged nearly 6 yards per carry against the Packers. Going forward, this is a facet the Packers need to clean up, especially if they enter the playoffs having to face teams with potent rushing attacks such as Philadelphia and San Francisco. The Packers pass rush continues to pick up steam, coming off solid performances in the last two games. Last night they recorded 3 total sacks, 2 of which came on 3rd downs all within the red zone.
What an exciting time it is to be a Green Bay Packers fan. In a transition year, they are overachieving expectations that were set for them. The upcoming schedule features 5 teams without a winning record, making the odds they make the playoffs increasingly more likely. No matter what happens the rest of the year, the future is bright for the Green Bay Packers. This young roster has just gotten their feet wet and are only getting started.
