The Green Bay Packers are officially in the NFL playoffs, which means that a Super Bowl win could potentially be in play for the league's smallest market team.
It's been a banner year for the Pack. After two straight playoff misses, Green Bay decided to move on from long-time head coach Mike McCarthy — who brought them a Super Bowl in 2010 — and they instead hired unproven coach Matt LaFleur.
There were certainly questions regarding LaFleur's lack of experience and many wondered how he would get along with Aaron Rodgers, who has been known to be a bit particular regarding his offensive style. Those questions were all answered in resounding fashion by Green Bay, though — much of the credit to LaFleur.
With two games still left in the regular season, LaFleur has become the first rookie head coach in Green Bay's rich history to secure a playoff berth.
Now that they're in the dance, anything can happen for the Packers. No, they're not perfect and yes, they still have some questions to answer regarding their Super Bowl potential, but every team in the playoffs does have a shot.
With that said, here are four reasons the Packers will win the Super Bowl.
4. Aaron Jones is the real deal
We saw flashes of Aaron Jones' brilliance under McCarthy, but the former Green Bay head coach refused to consistently use Jones in the backfield. That plus a history of injuries made Jones a big question mark heading into this season, but LaFleur has found a way to utilize both him and Jamaal Williams optimally and as a result, Jones has become one of the top weapons in the league.
The Packers are best when he's getting the football, but even when he's not breaking off huge runs, Jones can be an impact player. Specifically, he's deadly in the red zone — an area he's become a touchdown machine. Jones is behind only Christian McCaffrey with 17 touchdowns this season. Red zone touchdowns equal playoff wins, so that has to make the Packers feel optimistic.
3. Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers
No, he hasn't been elite this season and he's arguably lost a step or two as he gets older, but No. 12 is still one of the top quarterbacks in the league and if you're looking for someone to make a clutch play in the playoffs, there aren't many better options out there than the future Hall of Famer.
2. Turnovers win playoff games
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has made it clear that he's fine when his unit bends, but he doesn't want it to break. For the most part, the Packers have lived up to that this season, and much of that is because they're a unit full of ball hawks. With Preston Smith and Za'Darious Smith getting consistent pressure up front, turnovers will be in play for the Packers. In fact, the Packers are fifth in the league with 15 interceptions this season, and we know that the front line can get pressure on a mostly consistent basis.
The Packers don't have to be elite defensively to win a Super Bowl. Much like in 2010, they just need to be opportunistic, and this is that type of unit.
1. Anything can and does happen
The most exciting part about any one-and-done playoff format is that anything can happen. “Any given Sunday” is a legitimate concept in the NFL and it's not always the best team that wins the Super Bowl — but the hottest team. The Packers are in the dance, so they have just as good of a chance to win it all as the rest of the teams in the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out, but the Packers are in, and they're in it to win it.
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