When the Green Bay Packers traded Aaron Rodgers last offseason, there were not many people who gave them much of a chance of competing in 2023 or anytime in the near future. Jordan Love was an unproven risk at the quarterback position and the Packers’ offense looked worse in 2022 than it had in any season of the Matt LaFleur era. For a while, the only people who believed in the Packers were the players themselves.
However, the first half of the season seemed to be in doubt. The Packers started 2-5 with Love and the offense looked like a mess. But the more they played together, the better they got. Green Bay finished the year 7-3 and earned the seventh and final NFC playoff berth.
That’s something the 2022 Packers under Aaron Rodgers have failed to accomplish. Meanwhile, Love and the Packers upset the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round before losing to the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.
As disappointing as the loss to San Francisco was (the Packers led in the fourth quarter), there were few positives for Green Bay among the players, fans and media. Sure, they may have lost, but the 49ers were hanging on.
A more experienced team (the Packers were the youngest team in the NFL) could have won this game. The future looks very bright for Love and the Packers. One of its biggest players, two-time Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins, issued a warning to the NFL in a recent interview.
Jenkins, who predicted the Packers to win the NFC North last season in a recent interview with packers.com’s Mike Spofford, didn’t shy away from his usual convictions. His bold prediction for next season? Super Bowl:”We’re on our way.” Jenkins said.
“We come with one goal: we want to win everything. I think we can do it this year, but I’m very optimistic about next year.”We have children in our building. We have everything you need to make it happen. We have to do it. This year we laid a good foundation. We just need a win.”It’s easy to see that Jenkins’ words about the team’s will to win ring true.
As previously mentioned, the young Packers went 7-3 in the second half of the season and upset the Cowboys in the wild card round. With a year of experience, there’s a good chance they can find a way to win the divisional round against San Francisco. Either way, it will be interesting to see the young core of the team continue to develop next year.
