The Green Bay Packers lost their fourth-straight game on Sunday, dropping another home game to a division rival. This time, it was the Minnesota Vikings who marched into Lambeau Field and walked out with a 24-10 win over the lowly Packers. Obviously, there far more poor performances than good ones, but that does not mean there were no positive takeaways.
This is truly a year in which the Packers need to “see what they have,” and not just with Jordan Love at quarterback, but with players at every position. As much as the team calls it a transition, instead of a rebuild, this season certainly has all the makings of a rebuild.
Keeping this in mind, this week’s PFF grades for the Packers offense will be promising in some ways, but terribly disappointing in others.
Jordan Love and AJ Dillon Are Among the Green Bay Packers Highest-Graded Offensive Players vs Vikings
According to PFF, the Packers’ five highest-graded players on offense were:
- Elgton Jenkins (76.5)
- Zach Tom (68.4)
- AJ Dillon (64.2)
- Jordan Love (63.7)
- Dontayvion Wicks (63.4)
The good news for the Packers, at least with this game as a reference, is that Jenkins is your highest paid offensive lineman (beside David Bakhtiari) and Zach Tom projects to be a big part of the line in the future. One would hope that these two players, out of any of the linemen, would be among the best players on the team.
Jordan Love, of course, needs to play well as the team’s quarterback. Whether or not he has done so is still being debated, but the 63.7 grade he received his considered average for NFL quarterbacks. When the season first started, many said they were hoping that Love could just be average.
Finally, Dontayvion Wicks is a young wide receiver that has plenty of potential to be a top three pass catcher on the team. Despite a big drop yesterday, he continued to show that he has all the makings of a quality receiver in the NFL.
As far as AJ Dillon goes, over the past three games, he has been one of the Packers’ most important offensive players. Against the Vikings, he team’s second-leading receiver in terms of yards and led the team in receptions. The Packers will have a decision to make on Dillon after the season, as his rookie contract will be up at the end of the year.
The Green Bay Packers Have a Serious Problem at Tight End and Left Tackle
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Everyone knew that tight end was going to be one of the positions of weakness this year with two rookies taking the places left by Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan. However, the tight end play has been less than stellar all year, and that was showcased in the loss to the Vikings with three Packers tight ends among the five lowest-graded players on offense:
- Josiah Deguara (40.9)
- Tucker Kraft (41.0)
- Ben Sims (46.1)
- Rasheed Walker (53.0)
- Aaron Jones (54.2)
It should be noted that both Deguara and Sims were each given just five offensive snaps, but by their performances, it is easy to see why.
Walker was playing so poorly during the game that he was benched in favor of Yosh Nijman for a while. His presence as a bottom-five performer is concerning as he is filling in for the injured David Bakhtiari, who is out for the year. His poor performance all year may lead the Packers to draft an offensive tackle in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Finally, Jones’ inclusion on this list is not necessarily an indictment on him, but rather on the run blocking as a whole. He also received just 11 touches all game, which is not a winning formula for Green Bay. The Packers will have a decision to make on Jones next season as well as he could become a cap casualty.
In theory, the Packers could be in for another “transition” year again in 2024 if they need a whole new running back room and have a rookie left tackle.
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