The Green Bay Packers have turned things around in dramatic fashion after a slow start that saw them lose two of their first three games. Instead of sinking to the bottom of the division, the Packers have served notice that they just may be the best team in the NFC North and will have a legitimate chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in mid-February.
Green Bay has won five of its last six games, and while the Packers still sit in fourth place in the division, a legitimate question can be asked after the Packers just took apart the defending AFC champion New England Patriots by an overwhelming 45-27 margin.
Just who is going to beat the Packers going forward?
The schedule ahead is challenging, but the Packers are not about to back down from any of the upcoming opponents. They host the offensively deficient Vikings in Week 10 and then have their bye week. They had the Vikings on the ropes in Week 1 before Minnesota surged in the final quarter and stole the opener. This time the Packers get the Vikings at Lambeau.
The Rams and Saints follow on the road, and neither has played up to expectations this year. A shootout with the Bills and Allen follow in Week 14.
Once that game is over, the Packers will know exactly where they stand. They could have Micah Parsons back in the lineup by then, and that could give Green Bay an unstoppable characteristic.
Dominant offensive performances that few teams could match
The win over the Patriots was their most impressive of the season because quarterback Jordan Love delivered a peak performance and looked as good as any quarterback in the league, including Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills or Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Four weeks earlier, the Packers had delivered another impressive victory, taking apart the much-praised Chicago Bears by a 31-7 score. While the Bears did not have Caleb Williams in the lineup in that game, Love and his crew of receivers torched the Chicago defense with little trouble.
A deeper look at both of those games demonstrated what makes the Packers so dangerous. In the win over the Bears at Lambeau Field, Love completed 25 of 31 passes for 367 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. His primary partners in that game were wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. Watson is a burner and Golden is even faster. Watson caught 6 of 8 targets for 143 yard and 2 TDs, while Golden brought in 6 of 7 passes for 123 yards.
Love showed off his ability to deliver the deep pass as he hit Watson with a 53-yarder and Golden with a 50-yarder.
In the win over the Patriots, it was much the same thing in a much tougher environment, Love had another monster game. He completed 23 of 29 passes for 372 yards with 3 TDs while keeping it clean on the interception side of the ledger. He also ran 13 yards for the opening touchdown of the game.
Once again, it was the 1-2 punch of Watson and Golden that supplied much of the damage to the New England second. Both receivers got the best of Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a Pro Bowl performer and one of the best at his position in the league. Watson caught 7 of 9 targets for 171 yards with 1 TD, as he averaged 24.4 yards per catch. Golden caught all 10 of his targets and he had 164 receiving yards and 1 TD.
Packers have an elite QB at the top of his game
Head coach Matt LaFleur said that Love has been doing everything the coaching staff has asked of him.
“I can’t say enough great things about him,” LaFleur said, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “What’s even better about him is just how he is on a daily basis. Just coming in, working with him, he is the same guy every day, whether it’s a great performance like he’s been doing consistently or (not). He’s just the same guy. He’s the same guy that we got when we drafted him, and I think it’s a big-time credit and I don’t want that to get overlooked.”
Consistency has been the key to the Packers quarterback. Even though Green Bay has gotten very little out of its running attack, there is an unstoppable characteristic to the passing game.
Defense has also demonstrated strength
In addition to the offense, they are playing solid defense. The Packers are giving up 21.2 points per game, ranking 11th in the NFL.
Safety Evan Williams is on his way to an All-Pro season 76 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 3 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss and 1 fumble recovery. Linebacker Isasiah McDuffie is also playiing extremely well with 53 stops, 1 sack, 3 TFL, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
A good defense has a chance to become great once the elite pass-rush ability of Parsons returns to this unit. The Packers are growing every week, and they just may not stop until they get a chance to fight for the NFL's most prized possession — the Vince Lombardi Trophy.