The Green Bay Packers might just win the Super Bowl
By Andy Davies
The Green Bay Packers are on a roll right now and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Winners of the first two Super Bowls, the Packers have not lifted the Lombardi Trophy since the 2010 season and have not returned to the big game since. They may just win it all this season.
An exciting young roster
This Packers team boasts the youngest roster in the entire NFL, with an average age of 25.11, edging out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 25.59. This team is only getting better, and with some still on their rookie deals, this team is in a great window.
Jordan Love has had his inconsistencies, whether this be interceptions or injuries. However, he has still managed to throw for 2,953 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Backup Malik Willis has also excelled in the absence of Love, after being written off at the Tennessee Titans, thanks to some excellent coaching led by head coach Matt LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich.
Then there is the weapons at Love’s disposal. Unlike other teams, there is no star receiver. They excel with the use of several really good weapons, spreading out the load. Whether it is Jayden Reed’s 727 yards and six touchdowns, Christian Watson’s 620 yards and two touchdowns, Tucker Kraft’s 555 yards and seven touchdowns or Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks getting four touchdowns each, there have been plenty of options to throw to.
They lost long time running back Aaron Jones in the offseason and replaced him with Josh Jacobs, who had struggled with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. Only Saquon Barkley (1,688) and Derrick Henry (1,474) have more rushing yards than Jacobs (1,147) this season, who is also tied for fourth for rushing touchdowns.
It is not just the offense that has excelled. The defense has also been brilliant. Cornerback Xavier McKinney is tied for first in the league for interceptions and the team is in the top ten for total yards allowed per game and ninth for points allowed per game. Whether it is Rashan Gary’s 6.5 sacks, Quay Walker’s 102 total tackles or Kingsley Enagbare’s two forced fumbles, these are some young players on defense giving their all for the team.
With Walker, Jaire Alexander and Javon Bullard all to come back from injury, this Packers defense is only going to get stronger.
Going under the radar
With Jordan Love’s new contract set to kick into the salary cap over the next few years, this team is in win now mode, but no one is talking about them.
This is largely due to the division they are in. They are currently third place in the NFC North despite having an equal amount or more wins than four division leaders across the league.
Their NFC North rivals, the Minnesota Vikings are the only team second place in their division out of all eight to have more wins than the Packers.
The Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos are the only team in the NFL other than the Packers to have more than six wins, but even their total of eight each is two behind the Packers’ 10.
This is a huge testament to the division, as well as the strength of the Green Bay roster and coaching staff.
Comparison with the 2007 New York Giants
For any NFL team, it is not how you start a season but how you end it. Nothing defines this more than the 2023 Dolphins who beat the Broncos 70-20 in Week Three and started the season 9-3, the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers who started 11-0 and the 2021 Arizona Cardinals who started 10-2. All three of these teams went 0-1 in the playoffs.
Like the 2007 New York Giants, the Packers will all but certainly go into the playoffs as a Wildcard Team. Whilst the Giants were the fifth seed that season, the Packers will more than likely be the sixth seed this season. It is hard to find a better sixth seed team in NFL history.
They currently stand with a 10-4 record. They have only lost to teams with winning records in the Detroit Lions twice, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, who are all 12-2 and have a combined winning percentage of .855 and a combined record of 36-6. Three of these four losses have been by three point or less.
In those two losses to the Detroit Lions, they have got better. Their first meeting saw the Packers lose 24-14 at Lambeau Field. However, they only lost to a field goal as time expired at Ford Field, going down fighting 34-31.
In 2007, the Giants faced off against the New England Patriots on the final day of the regular season. They lost 38-35 but many felt that they were a team to be feared in the playoffs, just as the Packers are being viewed at the moment. The two teams met again in the Super Bowl.
Despite the Giants showing a good account of themselves in that regular season loss to New England, they were still massive underdogs. Only four teams had previously won a Super Bowl as a Wildcard team and the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season and were widely expected to win and become the second team in history to win a Super Bowl going the entire campaign unbeaten.
In the end, the Giants were victorious, and this should give the Packers hope.
The Packers have gotten better over the season and the aforementioned losses to the Lions have shown this. With the injuries in Detroit at the moment, with Aidan Hutchinson, David Montgomery and Alim McNeill all ruled out for the season, Green Bay has more than enough players to beat them in the postseason. There’s every chance they meet and win on the road at Ford Field in the NFC Championship or Divsional Round. This would be a massive sucker punch to the Lions fanbase who have for so long believed that this is going to be the year.
The Packers could just win the Super Bowl. Should they make it to New Orleans in February, it would likely see them face off against either the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills or Baltimore Ravens. Of course, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are elite quarterbacks, but all three teams have weaknesses that Green Bay could exploit.
Xavier McKinney would have a field day against the subpar Chiefs wide receiver room, and this young Packers offense would fancy themselves against two leaky defenses in Buffalo and Baltimore.
Right now, this team could beat anyone.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, DOUG PEDERSON, DERRICK HENRY, TREVOR LAWRENCE AND MIKE VRABEL