The Green Bay Packers are in scintillating form and have won their opening three matches of the new NFL season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been simply outstanding so far this campaign, despite losing number one wide receiver Jordy Nelson prior to the season after the wideout suffered a major ACL injury. The Packers are sitting pretty at the top of the NFC North and have already beaten the Seattle Seahawks, arguably their main rivals to finish first in the NFC Conference, this season. In fact, the Packers have a comfortable lead at the top of their division and look well on the way to securing a place in the postseason for the eighth time in nine seasons.
Without a doubt, Rodgers is the best quarterback in the National Football League and Green Bay will stand an excellent chance of going all the way to the Super Bowl if the Packers number 12 avoids a serious injury. After three matches, Rodgers has a completion percentage of 73.6% – an incredible statistic in its own right. However, he’s also passed for 771 yards, completing ten touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Packers selected Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft and Green Bay are certainly grateful for the 23 other picks that chose to pass on the California Golden Bears.
After sitting under future Hall of Famer Brett Favre for the first few seasons, Rodgers got his opportunity to shine as Green Bay’s main man at the start of the 2008 season. Since then, neither he nor head coach Mike McCarthy have looked back and Rodgers has gone on to achieve plenty of success during his time at Lambeau Field. On four separate occasions, Rodgers has been selected for the Pro Bowl and has been crowned as the NFL’s regular season MVP on two occasions; once in 2011 and last year in 2014. Furthermore, he inspired his side to victory in Super Bowl XLV against Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers, whilst also claiming the Super Bowl MVP award after throwing three touchdowns.
by Mike Morbeck
At running back, the Packers are well equipped and boast one of the best units in the entire NFL. Eddie Lacy, who joined the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, is arguably one of the top three running backs in the division and is a potent threat in both the rushing and passing game. He is more than capable of setting up and assisting screen plays and his sheer power causes numerous problems for opposing defences. If Lacy is firing and the opposition attempts to close the box, this frees open space for Rodgers to utilise him out of the backfield or target one of his wide receivers in man-to-man coverage.
It’s absolutely crucial to have a solid, reliable running game if the Packers are to stand any chance of Super Bowl glory this season. James Starks is their number two running back although he is an incredibly competent runner and would hold his own as Green Bay’s primary back if required. Starks has scored seven touchdowns during his time with the team but has always played backup at Lambeau Field. While he is clearly a talented back, the Packers would much rather use him from time-to-time rather than as an every down running weapon. John Kuhn is probably the top full-back in the National Football League and his ability to get over the advantage line and move the chains in short-yardage work is incredibly useful for Green Bay’s offense.
To win a Super Bowl, an offense must be versatile. Green Bay’s offensive stars are perhaps the most versatile unit in the game and this will stand them in good stead for success this term. When this article was written, the Packers were priced at 7/2 with betfair to win this year’s Super Bowl, which will be held at Levi’s Stadium on February 7th 2016. Lacy, Starks and Kuhn will all produce immense performances throughout the season and these three players will allow Rodgers that extra bit of time that is needed to exploit the defences in the passing game. If you look at the Dallas Cowboys last season, DeMarco Murray’s running game and their excellent offensive line continued to set Tony Romo up in great field position – which helped the Cowboys reach the playoffs.
At wide receivers, Green Bay are blessed with some top talents and they haven’t missed Nelson too much just yet. While it’s almost certain that they will miss his presence and aerial threat from time-to-time, Randall Cobb and James Jones have really stepped up to the plate. Cobb is a number one receiver in his own right but has always been in Nelson’s shadow since joining the Packers in 2011. Having said that, Cobb racked up a very impressive 1,287 receiving yards last season and scored 12 touchdowns. These numbers confirmed that Cobb is more than capable of holding his own as a top receiver in the National Football League and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the wideout have a big impact on Green Bay’s chances this season.
by Kyle Engman
In the opening three matches, Cobb has enjoyed plenty of success against some of the NFL’s top defences. In fact, his worst performance came against the Chicago Bears, who are the weakest of the three teams that the Packers have played so far. While he only recorded 38 yards in the opening match of the season, he did score a crucial touchdown in the 31-23 victory at Chicago. Green Bay have an exceptional record at Chicago but it was always going to be a tricky trip for the first game of the new campaign. In the second match, he racked up 116 yards against a mean Seattle defence as Rodgers and the Packers destroyed the Seahawks secondary. His most impressive effort, however, came in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs as Cobb caught three touchdown passes on the way to a comfortable 38-28 victory.
However, there have also been a number of other wideouts that have played a part in their early season success. As previously mentioned, James Jones has also been an inspiration at Lambeau Field. Jones, who returned to Green Bay prior to the start of the season after Nelson’s injury ruled him out for the entire campaign, has scored four touchdowns this season, with at least one in every game so far. He has racked up over 200 receiving yards this campaign and is becoming a real threat in the Packers offense. While many expected him to play a reasonable role for Green Bay, there weren’t many who thought he would be such an integral part of the offense and Jones has certainly helped the Packers to get over Nelson’s injury in the short term. He and Cobb were both absolutely outstanding against Kansas City and will continue to cause problems for opposing defences throughout the year.
Dynamic duo Randall Cobb & James Jones combined for 14 catches, 230 yards & 4 TDs last night: http://t.co/CngdSvf5vl pic.twitter.com/phCDtsk5Rt
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 29, 2015
There are a number of other playmakers on offense but the Packers lost two of their top targets to injury in Monday’s victory over Kansas City. Davante Adams, who was widely tipped to take the bulk of targets after Nelson’s injury, has aggravated an ankle injury and is expected to miss a few weeks of action. Green Bay’s bye week is in Week 7 this season so the Packers may focus on getting Adams ready for the Denver Broncos in the first match after the bye week. Meanwhile, tight-end Andrew Quarless was placed on the IR/designated-to-return list. Quarless hadn’t played a major role in the offense but his blocking ability will be missed and youngster Ty Montgomery may be expected to play a much bigger role in the offense now. On defense, the Packers have improved significantly but are still a long way off possessing the defensive talent of Seattle or Arizona. However, Green Bay are certainly capable of forcing turnovers and bringing pressure to opposing quarterbacks. Clay Matthews is the star name on the defense and the linebacker’s versatility will be useful throughout the campaign, Although he has traditionally played at outside linebacker, he has been deployed on the inside in recent months and can even line up as a defensive end when required. Matthews is a true stud on defense and his organisational skills will be beneficial for the Packers defense during both the regular season and postseason should Green Bay reach the playoffs. via GIPHY In the 2014 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers selected University of Alabama free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round and that was an absolutely inspired decision. He was one of the top rookie playmakers in the National Football League last season and although he has started the new season quietly, he is maturing into a top quality star in the sport. Clinton-Dix made three interceptions in 16 matches in the 2014 season and Mike McCarthy will be expecting his young star to produce similar numbers this campaign. Opposing quarterbacks have stopped targeting the safety as much in the early stages of the season and that is a testament as to just how well Clinton-Dix performed in his first season at Lambeau Field.
Safety Ha’Sean “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix was clutch in Green Bay’s 38-28 win over Kansas City. Our own Stephen M. Smith… http://t.co/gryZAk6Zh0 — Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabama) September 29, 2015
Damarious Randall, Green Bay’s first round pick in the 2015 draft, has been solid at cornerback and continues to impress both the coaching staff and supporters. While he is yet to record an interception, he placed a huge hit on Kansas City running back Charcandrick West on an excellent read play. The former Arizona State star played safety in college but his versatility was perhaps the most attractive trait to Green Bay’s selectors. West has lined up opposite Sam Shields on the majority of plays and the two have formed a lethal combination in Green Bay’s secondary.
by Kyle Engman
Ultimately, Green Bay’s Super Bowl hopes will rest on Rodgers’ shoulders but they will need each part of their franchise to click in order to reach the showpiece event. Lacy and Starks complement each other perfectly in the rushing game and both are competent runners out of the backfield or whilst lined up as receivers. Rodgers has an incredible, unique ability to read the defence early and exploit gaps. If the offensive line can protect the Green Bay signal caller throughout the entire season, there is no reason why he cannot go the entire campaign with less than ten interceptions in 16 matches.
Meanwhile, the defense will have to maintain their solid form if they are to win matches in the postseason. While their offense is capable of lighting up opposing secondaries, we all know that defense wins championships and the likes of Matthews and Clinton-Dix, two of Green Bay’s top playmakers, will be crucial to their success this campaign. The Packers will be there or thereabouts and stand a great chance of securing the number one seed in the NFC after earning victory over the Seahawks earlier in the campaign. With a bit of luck, Green Bay will maintain their phenomenal form at Lambeau Field and secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If they can achieve this, it would take a brave man to back against them reaching the Super Bowl once again and, with Rodgers in control, they could be lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy on February 7th.