Well, the Green Bay Packers didn’t make it to New Orleans for today’s Super Bowl. Last year, I talked about what it would take to make it back to the Super Bowl. My biggest argument was for the Packers to host playoff games to be able to make a deep playoff run. That didn’t happen.
So, why didn’t that happen? The best thing to do when one completes a big undertaking is to analyze what went right and what went wrong. Today, we’re going to talk about what I believed the Packers had to do to get to this year’s Super Bowl and figure out if they made improvement in those areas. Then I will mention whether or not those should still be goals on their way to holding the Lombardi Trophy in San Fran next season. Let’s start!
Packers’ Offense
Last year, I said for this team to make it to the Super Bowl that Coach Matt LaFleur would need to trust Jordan Love and let him continue to let it rip. I also went on to say that Aaron Jones would need to see more touches and finally, the Packers would need to spread the ball around the offense.
Did they do this?
The answer to this question is mostly no. Were we ever given the opportunity to see Matt LaFleur trust Jordan Love enough to let it rip? I don’t think so. This was because of Love’s week one injury. Love was hindered throughout most of the season. He said as much this week at Radio Row.
Aaron Jones wasn’t even on the team. However, the Packers brought in Josh Jacobs and gave him all of the touches. Finally, the Packers tried to spread the ball around but due to injuries, drops, suspensions, and players regressing, it didn’t quite work as well.
Should the Packers continue with these goals?
Yes! I think with Love heading into his third starting season that Matt LaFleur will let him go out and prove himself as a top-five quarterback in this league. The Packers and LaFleur kinda have to at this point. I also believe that for the Packers to make the Super Bowl, Josh Jacobs needs to continue to be a focal point of this team. I don’t think the Packers have all of the weapons they need at receiver, though. With Christian Watson out until later in the season, they need to add somebody to the receiver room. Why not get a proven number one?
Packers’ Defense
Last year, I said that the Packers need to add to their defensive backs room, cornerback and safety. Well, they completely overhauled the safety position but didn’t add anybody to the cornerback position -and it showed. Green Bay went into the season believing that Eric Stokes was the answer. He was not.
I also went on to say that the Packers would need to get pressure on the quarterback. This didn’t happen as Green Bay did not add to their pass rush group and LVN, Karl Brooks, and Colby Wooden didn’t develop into high-performing pass rushers.
Finally, I went on to say that Green Bay would need to add to their off-ball linebacker group and they did do that through the draft. It seems like they hit a home run with Edgerrin Cooper, who looks to be a future star in the NFL.
So, no, the Packers weren’t able to accomplish all of these things. They fixed the safety room and added Edgerrin Cooper as an off-ball linebacker. But, they didn’t fix the cornerback position. If anything, it got worse and their pass rush seemingly got worse, too. For the Packers to make it San Fran next season, they need to build up their pass rush and add a corner or two.
Overall
The Packers are still in position to hoist a Lombardi Trophy. To do this they need to do a lot of the same things that I talked about last year. Matt LaFleur needs to let Jordan Love rip it. Josh Jacobs will need to be the biggest feature of this offense. Brian Gutekunst will need to either add a veteran number one receiver to this team, or at least add a top-100 pick wide receiver.
Green Bay also needs to fix their pass rush by adding a player or two on the defensive line and they need to acquire some talent for their cornerback room.
Really, they are “three pieces away”. Oh wait, that’s what Josh Jacobs said this week at Radio Row! 1. Pass Rusher 2. Corner 3. A Number One at Receiver.
If Green Bay can hit on those three spots, then they will have a good chance in playing in Super Bowl LX. Presumably against the Chiefs because let’s just be honest at this point.
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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