Subscribe
Follow Us
The Green Bay Packers are ready to show the NFL that they are a legit contender in 2024.
Green Bay started the 2023 season a little slow, but they heated up at the end of the season and rode that wave into the playoffs. The Packers absolutely destroyed the Cowboys in the Wild Card round and gave it their all against a strong 49ers team one week later.
The Packers have added a ton of talent on both sides of the football. Now, they the youngest team in the NFL looks ready to take the league by storm.
Their first test will come in Brazil on Friday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Below are four bold predictions related to the Green Bay Packers ahead of their season opener in Brazil.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Packer QB Jordan Love keeps pace with Jalen Hurts in a Week 1 shootout
Jordan Love gave Packers fans exactly what they wanted to see towards the end of the 2023 season.
The Packers won seven of their last 10 regular season games in 2023 on the back of Love's strong play. Love rode that momentum into the postseason and had a great game against the Cowboys.
The biggest challenge for Green Bay could be keeping pace with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense.
Philadelphia was the inverse of Green Bay as they started off hot and then crumbled down the stretch. So, the hope for Philadelphia (and the fear for Green Bay) is that Philly will return to their dominant ways in Week 1.
If the Eagles turn back into a high-flying offense, that will put pressure on Jordan Love and the Packers offense to keep pace in a potential shootout.
My prediction: Jordan Love is up to the task and repeatedly answers Philadelphia's scores with scoring drives of his own. In other words, Jordan Love is still exactly who we hoped he would be.
Josh Jacobs gets 20+ carries in his Packers debut
Suddenly the Packers running back room looks completely different.
Green Bay released Jones in March, which led to him joining an NFC North rival in the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers signed Josh Jacobs to a four-year $48 million in free agency, wasting no time in replacing their lead back. Green Bay also drafted MarShawn Lloyd in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, the Packers will be without A.J. Dillon for the entirety of the 2024 season. Dillon suffered a neck injury and was placed on IR.
This leaves Jacobs and Lloyd as the primary runners in Green Bay with Emanuel Wilson as a backup plan.
This could leave Josh Jacobs with some huge workloads early in the season while Lloyd is still getting up to speed.
In 2023, the Packers averaged over 25 rushing attempts per game. If Green Bay keeps a similar pace in 2024, Jacobs will certainly be leaned on heavily in Week 1.
My prediction: Josh Jacobs gets 20+ carries in Week 1 against the Eagles. LaFleur does not like to give up on the running game and I expect him to use Jacobs to slow down the game and control the clock when necessary.
Article Continues Below
Jayden Reed leads the Packers in targets against the Eagles
Jayden Reed made an instant impact during his rookie season.
In Reed's second career game, he logged four receptions for 37 yards and two touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons.
Reed quickly became a favorite target of QB Jordan Love. In fact, by the season's end, Reed led the Packers in receiving yards (793) and receptions (64) and was tied with Romeo Doubs for eight touchdowns.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur has repeatedly said that the team does not need a traditional WR1 to have a thriving offense.
“I want to vomit every time I hear ‘No. 1 receiver,' to be honest with you,” LaFleur said, per The Coachspeak Index on X, formerly Twitter. “It drives me crazy. That's something you guys talk about, I feel like we've got a bunch of them. I think the beauty of them is they're all capable of doing many things, which gives us a lot of versatility from an offensive perspective, in terms of how we use these guys and deploy their talents.”
You can take LaFleur's comments about WR1s any way you want when it comes to predicting who will succeed in any given week for the Packers.
My prediction: Jayden Reed will have a big game and will lead the Packers in targets against the Eagles. This will likely result in him leading the team in receiving yards, but it is always possible that Christian Watson catches a deep ball or two that skew the stats.
Xavier McKinney makes an important play during his first game as a Packer
Green Bay usually doesn't make huge splashes in the free agent market. However, they did so twice this offseason.
In addition to adding Josh Jacobs, the Packers signed safety Xavier McKinney to a huge four-year $68 million contract in free agency.
The Packers shelled out some serious cash for McKinney. While I wouldn't fault you for quibbling about how much to spend on a free safety, it is clear that McKinney is an awesome player.
In 2023, McKinney had a true breakout season. He logged 116 total tackles along with three interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and 11 passes defensed. It was the second season that McKinney played in all 17 games and he rewarded the Giants with an incredible performance in a contract year.
My prediction: McKinney will make one huge play during the Eagles game that will help swing the game in Green Bay's favor.
This doesn't necessarily have to be a game-winning interception of Jalen Hurts. Technically, the Packers don't even need to win the game for this prediction to hit.
My point is that McKinney is expected to take over as a leader on the Packers defense and to contribute big plays right away. I predict that he does not waste any time and immediately proves to Green Bay that they were smart to open the wallet and pay him.
