The Green Bay Packers have sights set on an NFC Wild Card berth, with a roster that’s plenty capable behind emergent franchise quarterback Jordan Love to be in the mix for a Super Bowl berth not just this season but for the foreseeable future.
However, Sunday afternoon in Minnesota revealed a monumental road block that could stand in the Packers’ way of competing for NFC North Division championships in coming years as well as making the path to bringing the Lombardi Trophy home to Green Bay more daunting than ever.
Against the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings dynamic wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison combined for five touchdown receptions, leading the charge in a 42-21 rout.
One NFL executive tells me that he’s convinced Jefferson and Addison are the premier receiver tandem in the league today.
“That’s probably the best receiving corps in the NFL,” an NFL scouting director told me on Sunday, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “Jefferson and Addison are both smooth route-runners with excellent hands, and can run the route tree with great run after the catch ability.”
The fact that Jefferson and Addison 25 and 22 years old, respectively, doesn’t bode well for a Packers defense that is still trying to find the right pieces at cornerback.
As if lining up against the likes of Jefferson and Addison weren’t daunting enough, the Packers also have two dates each per season against the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams as well as a Bears receiving corps featuring Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, and emerging weapon in rookie Rome Odunze, as well.
Given the backdrop of the division, and the explosiveness of the Vikings’ vertical passing game chasing the Lions for this year’s NFC North crown, it’s easy to see why the Packers could be spending the next several offseasons significantly upgrading the secondary to close the gap.
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