The Green Bay Packers were missing one thing on their resume this season. A win over a truly good team. Houston is a good team. They have a good quarterback. They have a good coach. Prior to this week, the Packers wins came against teams with a combined 7-15 record. Beating teams you should is one sign of a good team. Beating teams with the same or better record – that’s what great teams do.
That being said, we shouldn’t discount the first part. Beating teams you should isn’t easy, something this team could tell you early last year. Green Bay has been lauded for it’s approach to roster building by going all in on a youth movement. This style of roster building doesn’t come without risk however. Lets compare this years team to last to help frame how important a win like Sunday’s was, but also how important the wins prior were.
The 2023 Green Bay Packers came out of Week 7 carrying a 2-5 record. This included losses to a 2-3 Raiders and 2-5 Broncos team. Highlights from those teams included the Raiders firing their coach and the Broncos cutting ties with their QB despite one of the largest dead money cap hits of all time.
Both were games the Packers should’ve won.
Both games Jordan Love and the offense got the ball back late with a chance to win and both times ended in back breaking turnovers.
Fans and beat reporters alike were unironically starting to turn their attention to mock drafts Wondering what QB might be available with what was starting to look like a very high draft pick.
I mention those two games because Green Bay has been in a number of similar situations this year, with vastly different results.
After a brutal end to a winnable game against Philly, the Green Bay Packers faced this years version of their Raiders and Broncos matchups in the Colts and Titans. Every excuse in the world to fold, and instead they went out and won two games against inferior opponents who still had everything to play for. After another close loss, to the overachieving Vikings, Green Bay yet again faced a gauntlet of mediocrity. The hospital Rams and a frisky but flawed Cardinals team.
Last years team folds after Love throws his first career pick six. They fold after letting Arizona start to claw their way back into what should’ve been a complete blowout.
This years team? This years team stays calm, doesn’t panic, and comes away with two more wins they should’ve.
All of that is great – but it all gets forgotten the minute they go out against a 5-1 Texans team that started the season with Super Bowl buzz and lay an egg.
The stats are there for the Green Bay Packers:
They did everything they could to lose. The Packers lost the turnover battle. They went stagnant on offense for long stretches. They made multiple boneheaded decisions on special teams. The Packers may have learned how to beat the teams they should, but it seemed like they weren’t ready for that next step.
Then the Texans gave Love the ball back with just over a minute, and he went out and earned that contract. The Green Bay Packers earned a place amongst the league’s best.
The next opportunity to prove they belong in that group comes in two weeks against a Lions team firing on all cylinders. Before that though, they can’t overlook the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team they should beat. Last years team might make that mistake. This years won’t.
