Packers season predictions: How far will Green Bay go in Year 2 of Jordan Love?

SÃO PAULO — First, a note of gratitude for the work.

I’m in Sao Paulo crazy Brazil as I write this the night before the first NFL game in the country. Week 1. Packers–Eagles. And I get paid to be here? It doesn’t get much better than this.

That said, let’s rub that crystal ball and predict the Packers’ 2024 regular-season record, how far they go in the playoffs (if I make them), the team’s unsung hero and more.

Did you think I would pick one of the safeties, Javon Bullard or Evan Williams? Think again. While both have given plenty of reasons to be optimistic about what’s to come this season, I’m shooting in the dark and saying that a guy I’ve never seen kick a ball for the packers won’t just keep the job for the. all season but kicking over 85 percent on field goals and establishing himself as the team’s long-term kicker. Will there be waves in his first season? Of course But they won’t be as big as Anders Carlson’s last season, and maybe Narveson’s big leg even wins the Packers a game or two late in the fourth quarter.

New Packers kick Brayden Narveson on this opportunity: “It’s a dream.”

Narveson added: “My wife grew up here in (Prescott) Wisconsin. They’re all Packers fans, so it’s really, really surreal … they were very excited.” pic.twitter.com/gfdLVYmrW6

– Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) 1 September 2024

“Do I trust him? Absolutely, I do,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “I know that Rich (special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia), Byron (assistant special teams coach Byron Storer) and Kyle (special teams quality control coach Kyle Wilber), as well as our scouting department, really liked him coming out of college. He was a guy on a short list of people they would like to work with. When he became available, obviously you saw what we did. We caught him.”

Knock on wood reading this. Stokes, who has barely played the last season and a half while dealing with multiple injuries, hasn’t missed a practice all camp. He was really good for a rookie in 2021 and then not good at all in the first half of 2022 before suffering a season-ending foot injury against the Lions. He received rave reviews this preseason and would give the Packers quite the outside cornerback tandem opposite Jaire Alexander if he can reignite some of the flame that made him such an attractive young player three years ago. If so, he could set himself up for a nice payday after the Packers declined to exercise his five-year option.

“It’s going to be so good,” Stokes said. “Just don’t understand how happy to be back out there, knowing everything that I’ve been through, knowing that there are so many things that I’ve been through these past, almost two years. It will be incredible.”

It’s probably not a great sign if your unsung hero is a pitcher, and the Packers hope he doesn’t see the field much out there holding for Narves, but the reality is that he’ll have his fair share of snaps this season even if the Packers . ‘ offense is dynamic. LaFleur was asked Thursday in Brazil about Whelan and praised the two-year pro.

“Daniel had an outstanding training camp,” LaFleur said. “I think every day I’m amazed in practice seeing him out there kicking. This guy, he’s throwing bombs over there. It is spectacular to see. Even though I tell him all the time, he’s a great kick, I just hope we only use you as a handle. So hopefully we score a lot of points and don’t punt the ball too much, knowing that if we have to punt, he has the opportunity for us to turn the field over and I think that’s all you can ask out of one. pitcher.”

Poor performer: The run defense

Shocking, right? During a year when vibration around every team is mostly high, it’s hard to point to one guy or one phase and say, “this is going to stink.” But as much as we’ve heard about the Packers’ new defensive mindset of getting their hands in the dirt and wreaking havoc in the backfield, that approach can lead to just as many explosive plays for the offense as the defense if the Packers aren’t sound. I’ve only been in Green Bay for the last five seasons, but that’s long enough to know that when in doubt, pick against the Green Bay run defense. I might be wrong, but I have to see the preseason defensive line to believe it.

Gone are the days when the Packers claimed to have 1A and 1B in the backfield like they did with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. It’s the Jacobs show now, and it starts Friday with MarShawn Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson knocked out and listed as questionable. Jacobs is a wild runner with speed to match – he said The Athletics Dan Pompei, who was tracked at 21.7 miles per hour in camp, his fastest ever — and it’s clear from what we’ve seen and heard this summer that the Packers plan to throw him the ball, too. Unless Lloyd or Wilson develop into a formidable No. 2 option, Jacobs could do the job of a grounder in the backfield this season if he can stay on the field (he’s only played one full season in five years in the league).

Jordan Love to Josh Jacobs. Could see a lot of that this season. pic.twitter.com/psuU9J4QJJ

– Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) 1 September 2024

Packers-Eagles score prediction: Eagles 27, Packers 24

Going back to what I wrote above, I will believe the Packers can stop Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley on the ground behind Philadelphia’s offensive line once I see it. Don’t put too much stock in Hurts running roughshod over these guys the last time they played in 2022 because the Packers have a different scheme and some different personnel/improved players that played in that game, but I still think he and Barkley does enough. the ground to control the clock and help outpace the Packers. I know this is an unrealistic question, but don’t draw big conclusions about coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense or the Packers as a whole based on one game. It’s a long season. The 10-hour flight home will add up to a lot more for the Packers, but as we saw last season, this group can run.

Regular season record: 11-6

See! Although I predicted the Packers to lose their first game, I still think they can put together an impressive season and earn the NFC’s top wild card spot with the Lions winning the division at 12-5. They have too much firepower in attack and still have too much talent in defence. I think the addition of Hafley will also be a net positive. The kicker position is a massive question, but I think Narveson ends up being an upgrade over Carlson.

Final fate: Lose in NFC Championship Game in Detroit

I don’t think the Lions’ breakout campaign in 2023 was a fluke. Did they collapse in the NFC title game against the 49ers? Of course But they get their revenge against the Packers, who will beat the Falcons in the wild-card round and 49ers in the divisional round before falling in Detroit. If that happens, you have my word that I will predict the Packers will win the Super Bowl next season, just like Aaron Rodgers did in his third year starting.

(Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)