The Green Bay Packers are embarking on a new era in 2023. Jordan Love is going to be taking over as the team’s starting quarterback after Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets. With such a seismic change occurring, people aren’t expecting much from the Packers this upcoming season.
After missing the playoffs last season for the first time in Matt LaFleur’s tenure as head coach, early predictions aren’t expecting much from Green Bay. They went 8-9 last season and now don’t have Rodgers to bail them out.
However, some people believe the Packers are being counted out too soon. One of those people is a former NFL executive that spoke to NFL Analysis Network. They made a major prediction for the team in 2023 that will surprise a lot of people.
“Look, I think everyone has already written this team off. The Packers are not rebuilding in any way. They still have a very talented roster. I think they make the playoffs this season with Jordan Love leading the way.”
That is certainly a bold prediction as it is impossible to predict what Love is going to provide the team. We have seen very few samples of him in the regular season, with some being good, such as his relief appearance in 2022 against the Philadelphia Eagles. But, some have been poor, such as the emergency start against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.
Leaning on the running game with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon would make sense since the rest of the supporting cast around him is shaky. While there is certainly talent, but their starting tight end and top three wide receivers could all be first and second-year players. So much inexperience could lead to some bumps in the road with a first-time starter under center as well.
Where the Packers could see some improvement to buoy the offense is on defense. Heading into 2022 some analysts were predicting Green Bay to have a top-10, elite unit. Instead, they were painfully average, ranking 17th in points allowed and yardage allowed.
While it is certainly a bold prediction the former executive made, there are paths for the Packers to improve upon what they achieved in 2022. A one or two-game improvement isn’t asking for much, which is all it could take for the Packers to sneak into the playoffs this upcoming season.
