The Green Bay Packers' 2019-20 campaign came to an unceremonious end this past Sunday, as they fell to the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC Championship Game that was never all that close.
Now, the Packers enter the offseason wondering how much time they have left to win a championship, and much of that is predicated on the state of the offense.
Typically, when we think of Green Bay in the Aaron Rodgers era, we think of explosive offenses that routinely drop 400 yards and 35 points on its opponents. But that has not been the Packers for quite some time.
Even though Green Bay won 13 games this season, its offense wasn't great, as it finished 18th in the NFL in yardage and 15th in points.
The offense wasn't so bad to sound the alarm, but it's not what we have come to expect from Rodgers-led teams, and it certainly played a role in the Packers' 37-20 loss to the 49ers this past weekend.
First and foremost, it's clear that Rodgers is not the same player anymore. He's still good, and he takes incredible care of the football (he threw just four picks all season, six if you include the playoffs), but the days of Rodgers taking over games at moment's notice seem to be long gone.
The 36-year-old really hasn't been great since 2016, when he threw 40 touchdown passes. Since then, he really has been nothing more than a glorified game manager. It may be jarring to hear, but it's the truth.
And it's not necessarily all his fault.
Rodgers doesn't exactly have a ton of weapons in the aerial attack, with Davante Adams representing his only truly reliable target. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is really nothing more than a No. 3 receiver, and guys like Geronimo Allison and Jake Kumerow have been disappointing. Allen Lazard had a decent sophomore year and has great size at 6-foot-5, but he is far from a dependable wide receiver at this stage.
Let's not even get started with Jimmy Graham, who is barely even a shell of the player he was with the New Orleans Saints.
The one big bright spot on the Packers' offense in 2019 was running back Aaron Jones, who rushed for 1,084 yards and an NFL-leading 16 scores, averaging an efficient 4.6 yards per carry. He also developed more as a receiver, catching 49 passes for 474 yards and three touchdowns.
Jones carried the offense at points this season, putting together seven multi-touchdown performances, and at just 25 years old, the future is bright for Jones so long as he can stay healthy.
Green Bay's offensive line was also solid, giving Rodgers ample time to throw and opening up holes for Jones and backup halfback Jamaal Williams.
But in spite of Jones' progression and the offensive line holding up, this was unquestionably a down year for the Packers' offense, and when Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback, that will always raise eyebrows.
Green Bay's offense gets a C-plus grade for its performance this year. It just did not have enough elite talent, and that is something the front office will have to work on this offseason.
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