If there’s a massive positive in the 2024 Packers season -apart from making the playoffs for a record 37th time – it is that youth has got its chance. The Packers have also made history by becoming the second-youngest team in NFL history to reach the postseason. The first? That was the Packers in 2023.
2023 vs 2024 Packers Seasons
The 2023 team raised the pulse with some incredible playoff performances, beating the Cowboys and almost doing the same to the 49ers. Maybe history can boost a campaign that ended on a flat note with two disappointing defeats. The 11-6 record was a poor run-in, considering the side were 9-3 at one point. Matt LaFleur’s squad even lost to the Chicago Bears on the final day to break an 11-match winning streak over them. The Bears had lost their previous ten games, too.
It capped a season with some high points for individuals and the same failings against the big beasts. Quarterback Jordan Love and the offense have generally been good at developing explosive plays, but they haven’t consistently scored the points in the red zone that make the crucial difference to the flow of the endgame.
Improvements for 2024
The 2024 Packers featured Josh Jacobs made over 1600 rushing yards and is an upgrade on the declining Aaron Hones, while Dontayvion Wicks began to catch more than he dropped after an unsteady first half of the season. A high penalty count never helps with momentum.
There have been some significant defensive improvements. Safety Xavier McKinney was named to the NFLPA Players’ All-Pro Team. He recorded 85 tackles (58 solo) with a career-high eight interceptions, leading to the accolade. In his first season as a defense coordinator in the NFL, Jeff Hafley has overseen a rise of 20 places in the DVOA ranking.
Stacked Competition, Mostly
There were rushes of good blood to the head, but the competition above them was on an even hotter streak. The only way to make it to the top is to beat the direct rivals, which is something that LaFleur’s 2024 Packers couldn’t manage.
The Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions only lost five games to secure the top two placings in the NFC North. As a result, the Lions head into the playoffs as favorites to win the Vince Lombardi trophy, according to the Super Bowl odds.
The real problem within the regular season was ceding heavy deficits. Despite losing only 31-29 to the Vikings in Lambeau Field in September, Green Bay were 28-0 down at one point. They have been the comeback kings that fell at the final hurdle to make the score look close. It was the same story against the Detroit Lions in December – although the half-time deficit was a more manageable ten points. Even many of the wins in the first half of the season were tight affairs. No one was beaten soundly apart from the struggling Titans and the Arizona Cardinals.
After the unrelenting excellence of the Lions and the Vikings, Green Bay is now in familiar territory as the playoffs come into view. Twelve months ago, they were the seventh seed for the wild card rounds and weren’t fancied. Flying under the radar suited them down to the ground, and they destroyed the Cowboys. They should have beaten the 49ers in the divisional playoff. That one still stings.
There will be no home comforts either, as the same scenario plays out again with the seeding. This time, the opponents in the wild card round are the Philadelphia Eagles, who have won 12 out of their last 13 games. The last time the two teams met, the conditions were slightly different. It was a season opener in Brazil, and the Packers came out second best again in a close encounter.
Even if they get past the Eagles, the Lions will wait for them again. That is a savage path to the Championship battle. The road warrior helmets will need to be at their strongest.
Super Bowls of the Past
The Green Bay Packers have a great heritage with four Super Bowl wins and an exciting roster that is made for the future. The here and now also creates opportunities, especially when 2023 nearly opened the back door to a shot at the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Packers must win their psychological battle to compete on equal terms at the business end, where champions are made.
Fourteen years ago, their last successful visit to the big prize started with a trip to Philadelphia. The dream is still alive, but the reality may be somewhat different. Tough Love is needed on the road and in the game to get that pulse moving again. Quarterback magic might not be enough.
