Where PFF Ranks The Packers Vs The Rest Of The NFL

Agree Or Disagree?

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In the past few days I was roaming the internet reading different articles about people’s thoughts on the Packers. As I was on PFF’s site I came across an article where they rank every NFL roster written by Dalton Wasserman and Jim Wyman. 

They also name each team's biggest strength, weakness, and X-factor for 2023. I’ll go over their opinions on the Packers step by step and let you know whether or not I agree. 

First off, they rank the Packers as the #27 ranked team in the NFL…

Personally I very much disagree with that assessment. For the Packers to be the #27th ranked team it’s likely that Jordan Love has a very bad year in 2023. 

As I’ve shared in this newsletter many times before, I don’t think it’s likely that Jordan Love is going to be straight up bad in 2023. He has talent and he’s had years of preparation. Sure we don’t really know how good he is until he gets on the field. And yes it’s not impossible for him to have a bad year in 2023. However I just think it’s much more probable that he’s at least one of the top 15 QBs in the NFL. With that in mind I believe the Packers will be more around the #15th best team in the league next season. 

Now let’s move into their opinions on the Packers. 

“Biggest strength in 2023: Halfbacks

Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon headlined a backfield that finished with a league-high 91.9 rushing grade in 2022. Dillon profiles as the power back, while Jones offers more versatility with his quickness and route running. Jones actually finished just one catch behind Allen Lazard for the team lead. Both will be leaned on heavily in 2023 given the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love.”

This is one of the reasons the Packers offense won’t necessarily need Love to be one of the best QB’s in the league to be successful. The running game can and will be heavily relied on next season. 

Jones and Dillon make up one of the top 5 backfields in the NFL. That’ll help Jordan Love in a big way, specifically when it comes to play action. If the Packers can consistently run the ball it’ll take a lot of pressure off of Love. Even if the Packers passing attacks struggles and takes time to grow, the running game will at least keep them afloat. 

This also comes down to the play of the defense. If the Packers defense struggles it’ll put the offense in a tough position. It doesn’t matter how good your running game is if you are behind a few scores. It forces you to become one dimensional. Let’s hope the defense can get more stops than last year so that the Packers offense can consistently rely on the run and pass throughout the entire game. 

“Biggest weakness in 2023: Lack of Dynamic Pass Catchers

Christian Watson showed flashes as a rookie en route to a team-leading 77.8 receiving grade and three 100-yard games. However, he did not have another game with at least 50 yards. Last season, Lazard led the team with just 60 catches and 788 yards, while Green Bay’s tight end group was among the least productive in the NFL. Losing Davante Adams was going to hurt, but Green Bay may have underestimated how important he was to their success.” 

There’s no arguing that yes, the Packers have a very young cast of receiving weapons heading into 2023. With that being the case there is lots of uncertainty as to whether or not the weapons are suitable enough to make Love a success in his first season. One thing we can’t forget is that with Watson and Doubs entering year two they should take big steps forward. 

It’s easy to doubt a young group who hasn’t had much playing time. The theme for the Packers heading into this season is the unknown. The unknown of Jordan Love. The unknown of the weapons getting it together. Because of that it’s easy to just assume they won’t be good. It’s not crazy to think that a group so young will struggle their first year. 

But on the other hand the upside is being understated. There’s a chance 2nd round receiver Jayden Reed ends up being even more productive than Allen Lazard in the next year or two. Both tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft have the chance to be better than any tight ends we’ve had in Green Bay since Jermichael Finley. 

That’s why I think it’s so hard to rank the Packers this off-season and I’d say the range of outcomes for the Packers in 2023 may be wider than any other team. 

I’d say #27 would be the Packers floor while #5-10 would be their ceiling.

“X-Factor for 2023: QB Jordan Love

There’s really no way around the obvious. The Packers’ 2023 fate is tied to Jordan Love. He has just 83 career pass attempts and takes the starting job in eerily similar circumstances to Aaron Rodgers in 2008. Love looked decent in a short appearance this year against Philadelphia, but he played poorly in his only career start in Kansas City in 2021. If he can elevate the young talent around him, the Packers will be thrilled. If he falters, Green Bay could be picking toward the top of the draft in 2024.”

Just as I mentioned earlier, the Packers fate is mostly tied to Jordan Love. It’s hard to find many bad NFL teams with great QBs or great teams with bad QBs. There’s a reason the best QBs get paid the most. They are the foundation of almost every team in the league. We’ll know soon enough just how good Love really is. Until the season starts it’s just guessing based off of the little information that we have at our disposal. 

I’m definitely higher on the Packers than many non Packers fans. I just find it very hard to believe that Love is going to be bad. If the Packers thought he’d struggle they would’ve fought much harder for Aaron Rodgers. I really don’t think it’s crazy to think that they could even be better than they were last year. If Rodgers with a broken thumb led the Packers to 8-9 I have every reason to believe a fully healthy Jordan Love can get them to that same level. 

Time will tell! 

Where do you guys think the Packers should be ranked?