After quarterback Jordan Love got hot to end the 2023-24 season, many within the NFL sphere predicted Green Bay to be one of the highest-powered offenses this past year.
With Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed at his disposal, Love finished the 2023 season with 32 touchdown passes in his first season as a starter; it seemed like he and the Packers’ passing offense as whole were just scratching the surface of what fans could see in 2024. Add into the equation that head coach Matt LaFleur continues to be thought of as one of the best offensive play-callers in the NFL and that Green Bay replaced Aaron Jones with Josh Jacobs. It looked like the Packers were the team to beat in the NFC this season.
In Green Bay’s first game in 2024, it looked like the offense had not skipped a beat. Against one of the best defenses in the NFL in Philadelphia, Love completed 17-of-34 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. That was before Love went down with a leg injury. After Love went down, it became obvious that the Packers’ philosophy changed, as it became more run-heavy than many would have thought.
With Malik Willis under center, Green Bay immediately found a two-headed rushing attack, partnered with Jacobs. Together, the duo led a two-game stretch of 449 combined rushing yards against the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans in back-to-back games.
While Love did eventually come back, these two games foreshadowed what the offense came to be this season. On the season, Green Bay ranked fifth in the league with 2,496 rushing yards. On top of that, the team finished with 23 rushing touchdowns, which again ranked fifth in the entire league.
So while the rushing game was certainly the strength of the offense, one has to wonder why the passing game was not able to make that next step. While injuries to Love probably delayed the continued progression of the offense, it seemed that injuries to Doubs and Watson through the season did not help the cause. With the injury concerns after the last two seasons and the overall lack of star play, could adding a playmaker be in the cards for the offseason? Maybe, but as it stands, LaFleur still likes the group of pass catchers around Love.
“I think that our collection of receivers is pretty darn good,” said LaFleur. “I think that we have six guys that we can definitely lean on. I love the group; I think that they work their tails off. I do think that there is a lot more out there for them. We have to be a lot more consistent. We have to make sure that when given those opportunities, we come down with that football.”
Whether it is bringing in a veteran or supplementing the receiver room in the upcoming draft, one thing is certain – the passing game as a whole needs to be better for Green Bay’s offense to really be thought of as one of the better units in the league.
While the stats may be a little misguided due to the injuries surrounding the team, Green Bay finished 16th in the NFL in passing yards with 3,939. When looking at 2023, the team finished with 4,210 passing yards, good for 14th in the NFL.
While those numbers do look good, one thing stands out: As a whole, the passing offense did not get better this past season. Did a strong rushing attack have an impact on that? Of course. But again, with such high expectations on where Love and the group of pass catchers should have been this season, the passing attack and probably the offense as a whole can be seen as tad disappointing.
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