One year removed from the departure of longtime quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers are once again in contention for a Super Bowl. The Packers have gone from an experienced but old franchise with players such as Rodgers and Davante Adams to Jordan Love and multiple young wide receivers in a short span of time. 

Despite the Packers losing Love towards the end of their Week 1 game against the Eagles, he is slated to recover soon as the injury is not as bad as it was first perceived. In the meantime, backup QB Malik Willis has performed well and led Green Bay to back-to-back wins. 

So, that brings us to the topic at hand, which is five reasons the Packers are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Jordan Love As A Year-2 Starter

Once Love returns, he will assume control of the Packers’ offense with a full year’s experience under his belt. Given how he ended last season, Green Bay looked much more confident and won six of their last eight games. 

By the end of the season, Love was a completely different player to the one who started the year and his overall chemistry with his receivers improved considerably. As a matter of fact, the 25-year-old finished seventh in total passing yards and 2nd in passing touchdowns last year. 

While Willis has been doing a good job in Love’s absence, the Packers are having to rely more on their running game. So, Green Bay will be looking forward to seeing their starting QB return as soon as possible with the hope that he can continue from where he left off last year.  

Green Bay Packers’ Improved Defense

As far as the defensive side of the ball is concerned, the Packers enlisted the services of Jeff Hafley in the offseason. Hafley’s system is considered to be much more aggressive and he will look to get Green Bay’s corners to push up quickly and not allow much room for the receivers to work with. 

He should also be able to get the defensive linemen to get after the quarterback much more than last year. Ideally, teams would have to remain weary of Green Bay’s pass rush which should also improve under their new defensive coordinator. 

More Experienced Receiver Room

Green Bay has one of the youngest teams in the league and most of the young players can be found in their receivers’ room. Lacking a true WR1, head coach Matt LaFleur is least concerned as he feels the unit will function just fine as a whole. 

To be fair, the system worked quite well for the Packers last season and the experience gained from last season should do wonders for the team. Green Bay had four receivers with over 400 receiving yards last season with Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs leading the way. Reed looks to have developed into the Packers’ main threat among the others, but overall the unit works well together.

Tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave also had decent contributions which means the Packers have 5-6 reliable pass-catchers for every game.  

Green Bay Packers’ Acquisition of Josh Jacobs

Aaron Jones served the Packers well during his tenure in Green Bay. However, the main issue with Jones was his health having missed six games in the 2023 season. During the offseason, Green Bay signed former Raider, Josh Jacobs who can be seen as a slight upgrade in the running back room. 

Through three games, Jacobs has already had a couple of big games, especially in Week 2 against the Colts where he rushed for 151 yards. Moreover, Jacobs is also a couple of years younger than Jones and has a slightly better ceiling. 

Matt LaFleur’s Rise

Matt LaFleur has installed a dynamic offense in Green Bay after just one year in Tennessee as an offensive play-caller. While LaFleur’s team is young, he is much more experienced and has proved his worth by helping former QB Aaron Rodgers to consecutive MVP seasons and then developing Jordan Love to where he is today. 

Coming from the Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay coaching trees, LaFleur looks close to leading the Green bay Packers to a Super Bowl appearance and 2024 could just be the year that happens. 

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