The Green Bay Packers outlook for the 2021 season changed drastically when Aaron Rodgers returned to the team ready to assume his role as the starting quarterback. While his future with the organization is still up in the air, he will be there for at least this season.
Through the first two seasons with Matt LaFleur as head coach, the Packers have gone 26-6, going 13-3 each season. They have earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but have lost in the NFC Championship game in consecutive seasons to the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The team is looking to get over the hump this season and make it to the Super Bowl. What has to be done to accomplish that?
Here are four keys to Super Bowl contention for Green Bay in 2021.
4. Deep Group Of Playmakers
One of the gripes that Aaron Rodgers has had with the Green Bay Packers for a while is that the team needed more help on offense. Davante Adams is as good as they come at wide receiver, but it has sometimes been a one-man show. That will not be the case this season.
Green Bay has done well upgrading the weapons the team has on offense. Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have developed into solid complementary players. Veteran Randall Cobb was re-acquired this offseason in a trade with the Houston Texans. A third round pick was used on Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers. Devin Funchess, who opted out of the 2020 season, is also on the depth chart.
At tight end, Robert Tonyan will be looking to build upon a breakout 2020 season. Opponents will not be able to key in on only Adams anymore as the Packers now have multiple options on offense that can get the job done.
3. Deep Secondary Group
If there was one thing that people believed the Green Bay Packers had to shore up it was their secondary. The lasting image of the 2021 season is Kevin King being burned twice for touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game.
This season, the secondary could be a strength for Green Bay. Jaire Alexander is a star and the team is hoping someone can step up opposite of him in the secondary.
King was brought back, but he will have to earn a job. Josh Jackson is still on the roster and a first round pick was used on Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes. A fifth round pick was used on Shemar Jean-Charles out of Appalachian State.
At safety, the team has potential breakout start Darnell Savage Jr and Adrian Amos anchoring the unit. After some struggles last season, the secondary looks like it can be a strength this season.
2. Establishing The Run
The Green Bay Packers offense has been carried for years by Aaron Rodgers. While he is still more than capable of getting the job done, as he is coming off an MVP season, he won’t be relied upon solely this upcoming season.
The Packers have the potential to have one of the best ground games in the NFL. Aaron Jones has cemented himself as one of the most electric running backs in the NFL as a true dual-threat out of the backfield. He is as dangerous as a pass catcher as he is carrying the ball.
Combining with Jones will be AJ Dillon, the team’s second round pick in 2020. He is a bruiser between the tackles that will help replace Jamaal Williams, who signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency. Dillon’s workload will increase significantly as a sophomore after receiving 46 carries as a rookie.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams Buying In
There has been a lot of focus on what the future could hold for the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers has a rocky relationship with the organization and now it sounds like Davante Adams does as well.
Long-term extension talks between Adams and the organization were cut off at the end of July. That is another thing that will draw attention, but the team has to focus on the here and now with what is in front of them.
If Rodgers and Adams buy into the 2021 season, the rest of their roster will follow suit. The focus has to be on this season as the Packers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with a roster as strong as the one the front office has put together.
As long as the team’s two superstars are laser focused on the job at hand this season, the Packers will be in contention for the Super Bowl this season.
