The Green Bay Packers came up short in every game they played against the three teams with the best records in the NFC. Three teams and Green Bay was 0-6. The only reason the Packers won their lone division game, against the lowly Bears, was a lucky blocked field goal.
Green Bay now faces a division that is better than it has been since before Brett Favre put on a Packer uniform. Both the Lions and Vikings have quality players, great offensive coaching, solid quarterback play and top talent receivers. Both teams also have good defensive coaches.
Green Bay won two Super Bowls in what is often called by pundits the Favre-Rodgers Era (1992-2023). In the two decades of Favre-Rodgers, the Packers won the division 15 times. When the Packers did not win there was usually one other team in the division that fielded a playoff caliber team. As an example in 2003, Green Bay won the division with a 10-6 record. The next division rival was Minnesota at 9-7.
Chicago and Detroit posted losing records. Detroit and Chicago have been doormats for years and Minnesota has battled to find a quarterback and coach that could win consistently.
But 2022 ended that trend. Detroit has a quarterback, and receivers matched to an offensive game plan that wins games in the NFL. The Lions are 6-1 in their last seven games against the Packers, sweeping them in 2024 in games that were statistically dominated by Detroit.
The Vikings are also winners of three of the last four games over Green Bay. The Bears have a rookie quarterback that has the potential to be a game changer, if they can find an offensive scheme, coach, and surround him with talent, is still a question, but one thing is for certain, there are no opponents in the NFC North like the 0-16 Lions of 2008.
The upgrades by division opponents means that the margin of error for the Packers is razor thin. Green Bay did not reach their goal of a Super Bowl in 2024. Internally, reviews and decisions as to how to upgrade the team will be made.
Brian Gutekunst is charged with improving the team. A review of 2024 must include honest assessments of coaches and players.
The following is an attempt to review the team by position to make assessments and evaluate the needs of the team for 2025. First the offense, then in later articles, the defense and finally, the coaches and front office.
My Take on Packers’ Current Offense Personnel

Wide Receiver
The Packers had the youngest team in the NFL and as the season played out, the youth and inexperience at the wide receiver position contributed to the offensive problems. The Packers notoriously do not draft wideouts in the first round, hoping to find gems they can develop in the second round and later.
While they had success with this draft and develop plan in the past with Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Greg Jennings and Davante Adams, the current group is struggling to live up to prior draft classes.
The two top wide receiver targets for Jordan Love in 2024 were Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs with Christian Watson as their speed downfield target. Reed is a small target at 5’10 and weighing under 190 lbs. Reed has a knack for finding spots in zones. He has been an asset on jet sweeps and punt returns.
What Reed lacks is a wide catch radius and break away deep speed. On throws away from his body he will occasionally drop a catchable pass. If the Jet sweep is not blocked well, he does not have a plethora of moves nor is he a consistent tackle breaker.
Against Philadelphia he did have a good catch and run and broke several tackles, but he did not finish the game. Reed separated his shoulder on a hard tackle.
Reed seems like the perfect #3 slot/gadget receiver but does not have the frame, strength, speed or catch radius to be a number one receiver in the NFL. Reed is still young and could improve his route running and catch radius. Hopefully, his injury is not serious.
Romeo Doubs has been the most consistent pass catcher and route runner on the Packers the past two years. He is not a burner, but his route running and good hands make him a quality NFL pass catcher. Doubs limitations have more to do with his head.
A concussion against Philadelphia occurred on a play where he landed on the back of his head. It was his second concussion of the season and he was wearing the protective cap over his helmet.
The play did not look like a hard impact fall but the result was hard to watch as Doubs was carried into the locker room. Doubs also had a concussion last year.
In addition there was the middle of the season walkout Doubs did on his team where he was suspended. For all his promise as a young player there are as many reasons not to extend a contract to him next year.

Christian Watson is the speed weapon on the Packer offense. His speed is legit other world stuff. Quality defensive backs in the NFL cannot run with him. His clear outs often open up underneath routes for others. When he is not on the field the offense struggles.
Watson does not have the softest hands and occasionally his ball tracking can leave fans scratching their heads, but he is young and still developing. The big question is can he recover from the ACL tear he suffered against Chicago? He may not be available next season. Will his speed be affected?
At the very least the injury will stall his development as a receiver.

The Rest: Bo Melton, Malik Heath and Dontavion Wicks
Melton is also a speed guy who so far has not been able to impose his will on NFL defensive backs. Seventeen receptions for 2024 with a long of 28 sum ups his season. His route running is not refined and his hands at this point would be described as average but he is young and learning.
Wicks made the most improvement of any of the wideouts on the team. His multiple drops in the beginning of the season quietly disappeared and he is an impressive blocker. He lacks top end speed but he is tough and has a high ceiling for improvement. His lack of a play on the interception by Slay against the Eagles is an area he needs to improve.
A seasoned NFL wideout would have taken Slay out of the play, becoming a defender to tie him up and make sure the interception did not occur.
Malik Heath is a 2nd year work in progress. He needs work on fundamentals, footwork near the sideline, as shown by his out of bounds catch in Philadelphia, and he will occasionally drop a pass that was catchable, but he has tools and works hard.
The pundits are correct, Green Bay has no legit #1 receiver. Having a Justin Jefferson would be a difference maker for the Packers. Detroit picked Amon St. Brown in the 4th round so there is no need to break the Packer mold.
The Lions also picked Jameson Williams with the 12th pick of the 2022 draft and he finally produced a 1000-yard season after multiple off field issues. St. Brown is also in his 4th year in the league. What is clear is that the development of the Packers top two receivers is in jeopardy due to injury.
What was a position of strength is now one of questions and serious concerns. Yes, the wide receiver position will need to be a priority in next year’s overall development plan. If you want to compete with Detroit and Minnesota, upgrades are necessary.

Tight End
The Packers may have the best tight end in the conference in Tucker Kraft. He blocks, he can make leaping grabs on back shoulder throws, he gets yards after the catch. Just pray he stays healthy and hope Luke Musgrave can finally get past the injury bug.
The Packers really don’t know what they have in Musgrave after multiple injuries. The rest of the tight end group are marginal players so if a veteran tight end that still has tread on the tires (no, I do not mean Mercedes Lewis or Bob Tonyan) they should take a test drive. A mid or later round draft pick might also be in order.

Running Back
Running back is the only position where the Packers are clearly superior to their division opponents. Josh Jacobs is a difference maker. Jacobs is the beast mode runner Aaron Rodgers coveted and the best all around back the Packers have had in a long time. His durability is better than Aaron Jones and he catches passes better than Jones did.
The backups did good jobs too. In limited snaps, Emmanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks ran hard. Brooks occasionally whiffed on blocking assignments but overall, the RB room, including third round pick MarShawn Lloyd is stacked.

Offensive Tackle
Right tackle Zack Tom has been solid all year. There have been rumors that the front office and coaches see him as a center, but Tom will want to be paid the higher going rate as a tackle. Rasheed Walker, the seventh-round draft pick has quietly silenced a lot of critics this year.
Walker is not a perfect left tackle. He still has trouble with penalties. A starting left tackle being paid a seventh-round rookie salary contract is unheard of in the NFL. Not only has Walker earned his starter role, the Packers probably can’t afford to replace him.
His pass blocking grades (79.6 PFF) are better than his run blocking (54.1 PFF). He allowed 3 sacks and committed 10 penalties in 2024. He did not commit a penalty in December or in the playoff game. In his second year as a starter, he is still growing as a player.
The Packers spent their first-round draft pick on Jordan Morgan. It is hard to know what they have in Morgan due to his recurring shoulder injury. The backups at tackle are not sufficient to sub in and win a tough game in the NFL. Another tackle pick should be in the future.

Guard
Left guard Elgton Jenkins has been a leader on the offensive line room and a valuable player since day one for the Packers. His injury in Philadelphia was a devastating hit to the team. Sean Rhyan turned out a decent first starting season as the right guard.
He’s nowhere near being a pro bowler (Pass Blocking 69.4- Run Blocking 58.4 per PFF: the 64th best guard) but he battled and improved as the year progressed. Behind the two starters, Morgan was splitting reps with Rhyan before Morgan’s shoulder injury. The Philadelphia game exposed the rest of the backups.
Rookie Travis Glover was not ready for prime time. Three holding penalties in 15 snaps. Kadeem Telfort replaced him, but the penalties kept coming. There needs to be a guard drafted in 2025.

Center
Josh Myers had carried the center position since he was drafted. He will be a free agent and whether the Packers extend him is a big off-season internal question. His leg injury at the end of the Eagles game should not impact his 2025 season if initial reports are accurate.
The Packer offense requires a center with movement skills. Meyers fits that bill. But the cost may be prohibitive. Rookie Jacob Monk was a 5th round draft pick with center experience and is listed as a center, but the Packers went with Sean Rhyan when Meyers was hurt.
Monk did not play a snap against Philadelphia and saw limited time all season. When Meyers missed a game, the Packers did not start Monk, so he may be a long way from earning a starting role. If the Packers do not resign Meyers, center becomes the second highest offensive priority in 2025.

Quarterback
Jordan Love has a massive contract so he is going nowhere in 2025. Many forget that Brett Farve had two interceptions in a playoff loss to Dallas in his second year as a starter. Love has a long way to go, but he has tools and is still learning.
His 2024 campaign had too many poor outings. Injuries that cost him two two games and limited his effectiveness in others, had an impact. To what extent, only 2025 will determine.
Love’s failures in big games this year leave questions and concerns. Is he Don Majkowski or the next Brett Favre? Will he learn from his mistakes? Last season teams blitzed him repeatedly and he was able to make plays.
This year there were more defensive disguises thrown at him and he sometimes failed to identify the defensive scheme. His second interception against the Eagles occurred when Love did not see a zone defender closing on the ball. Going back to last year the same issue repeated with throws over the middle.
His interception against San Francisco in last year’s playoff was the same type of throw to a similar location on the field. Vision is the hardest aspect to coach in quarterbacks. One thing is certain, Love has one more year to prove to his teammates that he can make all the throws.
With time ticking away in the 4th quarter can he make that pass to Malik Heath without the need for a receiver to jump? Can he hit that out pattern in the end zone that he just missed in the first half? Those minor adjustments can be the difference between winning a playoff game and going home early.
Backup quarterback Malik Willis performed so well in his two starts that some wondered if he should continue as the offensive leader. His stint against the Bears in the final game of the season did not fair as well, but picking up Willis for a seventh round pick was a steal that may have saved the season.
Without his two wins the Packers miss the playoffs. Willis may get considerable interest this off-season. Willis is not a free agent until 2026 so expect to see him back in a Packer uniform next year.
Summary
As hard as that last loss was to watch, I appreciate this 2024 Packer team. They fought through injury and lopsided early point spreads, while learning a new defense. The Packers depend on their draft picks to contribute but in 2024, their offensive selections did not.
In the 2024 draft the Packers drafted 5 offensive players. Jordan Morgan (1st), MarShawn Lloyd (3rd), Jacob Monk (5th), Travis Glover (6th) Michael Pratt (7th). Not one player had a significant contribution to the success of the offense in 2024.
Only Morgan played any significant offensive snaps, but he was splitting time at guard and then was put on injured reserve. That usually spells disaster for a team focused on drafting and developing players. This 2024 team won 11 games in spite of no rookie contributions on offense. In 2025, rookie contributions will be needed for success.
The Packers must prioritize weapons for Jordan Love. A true number one game changer is needed to get the Packers past the stiff competition in the Northern Division. Securing a center/guard who can play at a high level and a tackle would ensure sufficient depth is available in case of injury or free agency losses.
Tight end and running back and quarterback are all sufficient barring injury. Next up, the defense.
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