The Green Bay Packers’ season ended a few weeks back with a nail-biting 24-21 divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. But after the 49ers were defeated by the Chiefs in this past Sunday’s epic Super Bowl, I thought it would be appropriate to look back on the season and comprehend important lessons going forward.
Green Bay Packers: How close are they to Kansas City?
There is little doubt that with attaining back-to-back titles for the first time since the 2003-04 Patriots, the Kansas City Chiefs are the gold standard in the NFL right now. Especially with the TV ratings reaching record highs combined with Taylor Swift-mania, you could argue they are giving the Dallas Cowboys a run for their money as “America’s team”. Although the Packers are far off from being in their league, that doesn’t mean however that the team isn’t close to being a perennial championship contender. But they do have to make some key adjustments.
After their loss to San Francisco, the Green Bay Packers began making some personnel moves rather quickly. They fired embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry, and then shortly thereafter let go Chris Gizzi as the strength & conditioning coach. This at least signals to the Green Bay Packers’ fanbase that head coach Matt LaFleur and the front office are committed to improving in the areas where they can in order to legitimately compete for a title.
Follow the rules
I wrote an article a few months back about how Jaire Alexander’s silly pregame move against Carolina in the regular season could have had dire consequences. Well, this year’s Super Bowl also showed how important it is to have full knowledge of the rules and the relevant rule changes.
For those who may not know, several 49ers players were reportedly unaware of the new postseason overtime rules that were implemented before the 2022 season. There is also intense debate regarding whether the decision by San Francisco to receive the ball first in overtime was an error in judgement. Nevertheless, the Green Bay Packers would be wise to learn from these slip ups and make sure their entire coaching staff and players are aware of the league rules, both during a coin toss and throughout the duration of a game. Failure to do so can be costly, even for elite franchises.
Green Bay Packers: Learning from Kansas City’s strengths
When it comes to the Chiefs’ star players, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce didn’t just become top-tier players overnight. It took years for both of them to work on their craft. That’s what Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers need to do in order to build on the solid rapport they developed this year. Mahomes won his first of three Super Bowls in 2019, his second year as starter. With the right pieces around him along with the proper coaching, there’s no reason why Jordan Love can’t win a title in his second year as starter as well.
There will inevitably be games where Love and the offense struggle. In that case, as we saw with the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, it’s important to have a strong defense to keep you in the game early so that you still have a chance to win at the end. The Green Bay Packers’ fanbase can only hope that their team’s defense improves and shows consistency next season. If the Packers can find someone in the mold of Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, they will be in very good hands.
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