Jordan Love won a playoff game in his first season as a starter in 2023. Since then, the Green Bay Packers have returned to the dance in consecutive seasons but have been unable to advance. The Packers have many lessons to learn from their 2023 victory, some of which still ring in their fans’ ears following the collapse against the Chicago Bears this past season.
It’s Week 11 of the 2023 NFL season, and the Packers are at 3-6, coming off a disappointing loss to the Kenny Pickett-led Pittsburgh Steelers. Jordan Love has thrown 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and doubts are growing. Can this young team turn it around? Or should Brian Gutekunst have drafted a player to help Aaron Rodgers instead of taking Love?
Of course, we know Love eventually turned things around, winning six of his next eight games, which was enough to squeak into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. That’s lesson No. 1: go into the playoffs with momentum. Sure, it may be obvious, but the last two Packers teams (especially this past year) have not done this.
Back to 2023. The Packers went into Jerry World hot and didn’t look back. The Dallas Cowboys had no answer for Green Bay’s offense, which put up six touchdowns in their first seven drives. They capped off a near-perfect first half with a pick-six from Darnell Savage, who walked into the end zone untouched, extending the lead to 27-0.
.@darnellsavage_ TO THE HOUSE! 🏠
Pick-six! 🙌 #GBvsDAL | #GoPackGo
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/w0tPy1a68U
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 14, 2024
Here’s lesson No. 2: Keep the pedal to the metal. Don’t let up on a team you’re walloping. After halftime, the Packers didn’t come out timid like they did against Chicago. After a couple of successful runs, the play-action game allowed Love to throw a strike to Romeo Doubs for a 46-yard gain, setting Green Bay up in prime scoring position.
Even later in the quarter, when the score was 34-16, successful runs set up a wide (and I mean wide) open Luke Musgrave for a 38-yard touchdown.
Matt Lafleur mentioned in his postgame press conference that Chicago was dialing up schemes that made running the ball tough. Still, that doesn’t excuse the lack of play-action and other techniques to get receivers open.
Even though the Packers relied on the run against Dallas, the passing game blew the match wide open. It seems almost foreign that Green Bay was able to put a team away after jumping out to an early lead, but the recipe for success isn’t that hard. The Packers mixed their run plays against Dallas, bouncing many to the outside to complement their strong inside run game.
Green Bay’s improbable 2023 playoff upset was pivotal for Love and the team’s development and confidence. It showed the young squad that they could compete with the big kids in the NFC.
However, the harsh truth is that this team hasn’t made it back to this point. Whether it was facing the eventual Super Bowl champions in the first round or the ever-present special teams collapses, there is still much to learn from their previous success.
If Matt Lafleur wants to avoid the hot seat in the coming seasons, he should look back at what worked for the 2023 team, which is largely the same roster. Takeaways, dynamic backfields, and play action are the keys for Green Bay to make it back to at least the divisional round. Not being the seven seed might also help.