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Trusting Jordan Love, surrounding him with new blood and focusing their offensive strategy on protecting him and giving him time on the ball transformed the Packers into a contending team in the National Conference
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers head coach, confessed that he began planning the divisional round game against Packers when there was still almost half a game left between Green Bay and Dallas. There was no need to waste time, as the Cowboys had no way of coming back.
Incredible to say the above after a season where very few were betting on Green Bay. The departure of Aaron Rodgers made most believe that the Packers would take time to renew themselves and become a threat againBut the opposite happened.
Green Bay Packers / Foto: Getty
They closed the year strong, with 7 wins in their last 8 regular season games and beating the Cowboys in the wild card round. Yes, 49ers are still favorites, but the betting balance should not be as uneven as one would expect.
How did the Packers get to this after letting Aaron Rodgers go? What did they do well to become contenders again so quickly? Let’s try to find the answer to those questions with some factors that we consider crucial for the good performance of the team.
Foto: Green Bay Packers (Facebook)
1.- Test Jordan Love
When it was confirmed that Aaron Rodgers was going to New York, I’m sure many thought that Green Bay Maybe I would look for a renowned QB to replace him, but They gave Jordan Love confidence, who, although he had not had minutes on the field and generated doubts in the first games, little by little he changed opinions in his favor.
And when we say that Green Bay had confidence in him, it is half-hearted, because they did it by challenging him to show his best version
They did not give him the famous fifth-year rookie option (all rookies chosen in the first round have a 4-year contract, but teams can extend it to 5 to “ensure” at least another year for their best talents), Instead they signed him for an additional year for less guaranteed money, but more total money if you meet the objectives they set for you.
Jordan Love / Foto: Getty
That is, instead of giving him the $20 million guaranteed for his fifth rookie year, they signed him for that fifth year for $22.5 million, of which only 13.5 million are guaranteed. That boils down to Jordan Love being put to the test.: if he is the future of the team, he will earn more than what he was already guaranteed; If not, Packers will save money, but the QB will have had a chance to show himself for two years.
And well, with this first year as a starting QB where he already reached at least the divisional round, it is likely that a new renewal awaits him after 2024. They put him to the test and he is showing that it was good for him and the team.
Jordan Love / Foto: Getty
2.- The good 2023 draft
The most important thing for an NFL team to renew itself successfully is to have a good draft. The Packers didn’t do too badly trading several picks with the Jets in the transfer of Aaron Rodgers.
They obtained the 13th pick in the first round, where they took Lukas Van Ness, linebacker who had 32 tackles and 4 sacks on the year. They also won the 42nd pick in the second round, where they added to their ranks Luke Musgrave, who had 34 receptions on the year for 352 yards, not counting the three receptions he had against the Cowboys in the wild card round.
Foto: Getty
Added to that we must mention the offensive numbers of Jayden Reed (also taken in the second round): The rookie had 64 receptions for 793 yards and 8 touchdowns; either Tucker Kraft (third round): 31 receptions, 355 yards and 2 touchdowns; even Dontayvion Wicksfifth round: 39 receptions, 581 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In a nutshell, Green Bay not only put a good QB, they accompanied him with a lot of young bloodwell chosen, to configure a good offense that “grew together.”
Green Bay Packers / Foto: Getty
3.- Focus your offensive strategy on protecting Jordan Love
Sure, naturally every team wants their offensive line to protect their QB, but Green Bay made a radical change in its offense over the course of the season and the numbers reflect it.
We talk about a change specifically between October and November. Figures collected by ESPN At that time, they showed that Jordan Love posted the worst completion percentage in the entire NFL at 58% through Week 8which was played the last weekend of October.
But that percentage improved considerably in the four games they played in November. Jordan Love reached 65 percent of completions, in addition to recording 8 touchdowns against two interceptionsmuch better than the balance of 11 touchdowns vs 8 interceptions from the October games and previous ones.
Foto: Getty
The “secret” was in the race deception to give Jordan Love more time with the ball. Having two runners like AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones, who together added 1,270 yards per carry in the campaign, it is impossible for teams not to go with deception and put less pressure on the QB. Love completed 70% of his passes with run deception.
Foto: Green Bay Packers (Facebook)
The change was radical: The Green Bay Packers started November 2-5 and went 7-3 thereafter., to finish the season with 9 wins and 8 losses and get into the playoffs. There the Cowboys learned that underestimating them is a big mistake.
The work of head coach Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and receivers coach Jason Vrable has been brutal… and the results show it.
The Green Bay Packers offense / Photo: Getty
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2024-01-20 01:27:38
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