Why The Packers Could Be Dangerous Come January

Tucker Kraft was unfastened each complete nan field. Jordan Love was astir cleanable successful nan 2nd half. Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary swarmed Aaron Rodgers. 

It each added up to nan Packers beating nan Steelers, 35–25, connected Sunday nighttime and moving to an NFC-best 5-1-1. It besides explains why Green Bay is vulnerable successful nan title chase.

The Packers don’t person galore superstars, but they person a ton of bully players. And a ton of ways to win. 

Green Bay doesn’t person Ja’Marr Chase aliases Justin Jefferson connected nan outside. Its champion walk catcher is simply a 24-year-old tight end, Kraft, who successful his 3rd twelvemonth has go 1 of nan apical tight ends successful nan game. Kraft group a career-best successful Week 2 pinch 124 yards successful a 27–19 triumph complete nan Commanders. Six weeks later, Kraft usurped that people pinch 143 yards and two scores connected National Tight End Day. 

On nan perimeter, nan Packers person a cornucopia of good-not-great players. But who should nan force guard? Who should it double-team? At 1 point, Love completed 20 consecutive passes pinch a whopping 10 players catching astatine slightest one, including receivers Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Malik Heath and Savion Williams. Love besides recovered 3 tight ends and 2 moving backs. The champion of nan bunch mightiness beryllium Jayden Reed, who is connected injured reserve pinch a surgery collarbone. 

Against nan Steelers, Green Bay couldn’t get going connected nan ground, rushing for only 94 yards connected 3.6 yards per carry, pinch Josh Jacobs stymied connected 13 attempts for 33 yards. Instead of continuing to effort to slam nan shot into nan front, coach Matt LaFleur went skyward, and Love rewarded him pinch a second-half statement of 16-of-19 for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. All told, Love passed for 360 yards (9.7 YPA) and 3 scores. 

Defensively, nan Packers gave up 16 first-half points earlier tightening up complete nan last 30 minutes. Green Bay allowed only 3 points while forcing a turnover and limiting Pittsburgh to 114 yards (70 connected a garbage-time touchdown march). Rodgers was dismantled successful his first commencement against nan Packers since leaving aft nan 2022 season, going 24-of-36 for 219 yards (6.1 YPA) and 2 touchdowns while being sacked 3 times. 

Up front, Parsons and Gary harassed and harried Rodgers. The duo mixed for 3 sacks and a trio of backmost hits, consistently winning pinch Parsons moving each complete nan line. 

Ultimately, nan Packers earned a Week 8 roadworthy triumph complete a middling Steelers team. It’s a crippled that goes toward nan standings but doesn’t specify who they are. It’s a measurement connected nan ladder of a brutally competitory NFC North.

But nan specifications are what matter, and what could show nan communicative travel January. 

The Eagles are defending champions and should beryllium respected arsenic such. They’ve besides struggled to tally nan shot contempt having Saquon Barkley, while ranking 29th successful allowing scoring drives 46.5% of nan time. 

In Detroit, nan Lions are terrific but struggle erstwhile Jared Goff can’t trust connected nan move rushing tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, arsenic evidenced successful their defeats to Green Bay and Kansas City. The Rams person been solid, but they’ve mislaid 2 games because of shoddy typical teams, missing 3 section goals and an other constituent successful those defeats. 

Jordan Love went 16-of-19 for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns successful nan 2nd half against nan Steelers, and astatine 1 constituent completed 20 consecutive passes. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Of course, nan Packers aren’t perfect. Their tally crippled classed 23rd successful yards per transportation entering Sunday. Love is simply a value quarterback, but he’s not a top-tier passer for illustration Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen aliases Matthew Stafford. 

But Green Bay is arguably nan squad pinch nan fewest holes, whether looking astatine nan roster aliases nan coaching staff. 

In January, nan Packers person galore ways to win, and not a ton of ways to lose. 

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