It was a down year for the NFC North, specifically the Green Bay Packers, in 2018. That is why the Packers vowed to make their defense better no matter the cost. Well, despite adding some new players, the defense struggled once again.

Green Bay signed Preston Smith, Za'Darius Smith, and Adrian Amos in the offseason. The Packers knew that they needed to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and they addressed that need with the signing of the Smith's. Za'Darius led the team with 13.5 sacks and Preston was right behind him with 12. Outside of that production, the defense was mediocre once again.

The Packers finished 18th in total defense in 2019. Where they struggled was in the run game. Green Bay allowed 120.1 yards per game on the ground this season which was 23rd in the NFL. This showed big time in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo threw the ball just eight times against the Packers because he didn't need to. The Niners, led by Raheem Mostert, ran all over Green Bay to the tune of 285 yards.

This was a strange staff put together in Green Bay. This is hard to say when a team wins 13 games, but you just never got the feeling that the Packers were true contenders. Many people talked themselves into believing because of Aaron Rodgers but his window is coming to a close. First-year head coach Matt LaFleur took his lumps, which is expected of a young, first-time coach. His game plans were questionable and his ability to make in-game adjustments was non-existent.

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Changes Coming in GB?

Where Green Bay will make some changes is on the defensive side. It has already begun. They hired Jerry Gray as their new defensive backs coach. The big problem is Mike Pettine. Green Bay has already said that they will retain Pettine for 2020, but this will be short-lived if the defense struggles to start the season.

The Packers can improve their defense in both free agency and the draft. They will have the 30th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and many believe that they will take a wide receiver from this extremely deep class. They could also choose to go with defense.

This was a strange year for the Packers. They won 13 games with a rookie head coach and minimal playmakers on offense. Does this mean that they have to get better next season right? Well, it is hard to improve on 13 wins and they certainly will not get better as a whole if their defense does not improve.