GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers encountered multiple chances to test their mettle against the top teams in the NFC this season, yet they failed to capture any significant wins.
While they successfully claimed victories in the games they were expected to win, they stumbled in all six encounters with teams that concluded the regular season with records of 11-6 or better, culminating in a 22-10 defeat to Philadelphia in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Rookie safety Javon Bullard candidly expressed his views on Monday as teammates cleared out their lockers, stating, “Good teams beat good teams. You can’t consider yourself one of those elite teams if you haven’t beaten them. I feel like we’re a good team; our record reflects that. But to be elite, you have to triumph over elite competition, and we didn’t achieve that.”
The team seemed to be on a Super Bowl trajectory after a convincing 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints on December 23, which secured a playoff spot. However, they faltered afterward. The Packers ended the regular season with losses against Minnesota and Chicago, leading to an early exit from the postseason.
Tight end Tucker Kraft reflected on the situation, noting, “The whole last few games we played, you could kind of feel what was brewing for us. We just didn’t finish.”
This season served as a growth opportunity for the Packers, who fielded the youngest roster in the NFL for the second consecutive season, finishing with an 11-7 record. However, they were unable to overcome the Eagles, Lions, and Vikings, losing two occasions to each rival and often falling into early deficits.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur emphasized the importance of addressing their slow starts against superior teams. “That’s going to be a great reflection point this offseason,” he stated. “If we had the answers, it wouldn’t have been an issue. It’s disappointing that this occurred multiple times.”
In terms of performance, Jordan Love showcased remarkable talent late last season with 21 touchdown passes and only one interception across a nine-game span that included a wild-card victory over Dallas. This success warranted a lucrative four-year, $220 million contract extension.
Though Love didn’t regress significantly this season, he also didn’t progress as many had hoped. He endured a knee injury that sidelined him for two games, completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,389 yards, and recording 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions overall. In his final game of the season, he failed to deliver on the field with three interceptions and no touchdowns, notably due to a depleted receiving lineup missing key players like Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Romeo Doubs.
With roster dynamics in flux, there was much anticipation pre-season regarding who among the Packers’ emerging young receivers would rise to become Love’s primary target. As they head into the offseason, that role remains uncertain. Reed led the team with 55 receptions and 857 yards; however, he struggled to surpass 50 yards in a game after November 3. Meanwhile, the timeline for Watson’s return remains unclear due to a torn ACL sustained in the regular season’s final game.
Defensively, cornerback Keisean Nixon, who earned All-Pro honors as a kick returner in both 2022 and 2023, expressed a desire to shift his focus more towards defense next year. When discussing the impact of the new kickoff rules, he indicated he was “kind of through with that” and that he intends to prioritize his defensive role after having played a career-high 94% of defensive snaps this season. “I want to be CB1; CB1 is not doing kick returns,” he asserted.
On the defensive front, the Packers ranked fifth in total defense and eighth in scoring defense under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley, a notable improvement from the previous year when they ranked 10th and 17th respectively. With players like Edgerrin Cooper, Evan Williams, and Bullard showing promise in their rookie seasons, the team is optimistic about future enhancements in defense. “We’re going to be dangerous,” Bullard confidently remarked. “And I’m not just saying that. We’re going to be a special group.”
As the Packers prepare to host the 2025 draft, they are focused on making impactful moves in the free-agent market, similar to last year when they successfully added All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney and Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs.
With pending free agents including center Josh Myers and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, the team faces critical decisions ahead. The future of two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander remains uncertain, particularly as injuries have limited his participation to 34 regular-season games over the past four seasons. Additionally, Ed Policy will succeed the retiring Mark Murphy as Green Bay’s president/CEO in the summer.
