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It seems like everyone got the memo after the Green Bay Packers allowed the Baltimore Ravens to rush for over 300 yards against them in their last home game of the year: Drop Green Bay from the top 10 in your power rankings.
12 is the magic number for the Packers, as 8 of the 10 power rankings we took a look at had Green Bay ranked as the 12th-best team in the league at the moment.
The lone exception is The Ringer, which barely has the Packers inside their top 10. Here’s what they had to say about Green Bay:
Green Bay was the football hipster’s preseason favorite before they traded for edge rusher Micah Parsons in late August. And until Parsons tore his ACL earlier this month, they still seemed like a serious contender.
But in his absence, the defensive holes, particularly on the interior of the line and at cornerback, have been exposed. If quarterback Jordan Love is at his best when he returns from a concussion, maybe the Packers offense can create enough explosive plays to mitigate some of those weaknesses on the other side of the ball. But if things keep up the way we’ve seen the last few weeks, the Packers won’t be anywhere close to a Super Bowl this season.
Honestly, I think the defensive tackle position is in a worse spot than cornerback at this point. On the whole, Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine are about average NFL players (who have their faults in specific situations), while the tackle room is well below average. The best trait of the bunch is probably Karl Brooks’ ability to generate pressure, which is about league-average, but Brooks is a below-average run defender. When that’s the best thing you can say about a unit, you’re really in the dumps.
The Athletic was the one power ranking where Green Bay actually fell short of the 12th spot. Here’s what they had to say about the team:
Matt LaFleur is not the most popular man in Green Bay these days. The Packers have lost three in a row, and a bad loss against the NFC’s No. 2 seed in the playoffs could convince the Packers to make a change. LaFleur can do no wrong in the Willis household, though. Green Bay’s backup quarterback, who not long ago was an NFL afterthought, was 18-of-21 for 288 yards in place of Jordan Love on Saturday. Willis has a 145.5 passer rating, three touchdown passes and no interceptions this season. He has made himself some money somewhere.
If you want to voice your opinion about LaFleur and whether he’s still on the hot seat going into the postseason, we’re having that discussion HERE.
If you look at sportsbooks, the...
