Green Bay Packers fans are a unique bunch given that some of them actually have a stake in the team. The Packers are the only publicly owned major professional sports franchise in the United States, so when they provide input, sometimes it is actually as ownership.
Those fans certainly aren’t shy about letting you know how they feel about the team, sharing different opinions about the team. Recently, some fans were posed a question at Acme Packing Company about which part of the team they are most concerned about heading into the 2023 season.
It should come as no surprise that the passing offense received a large chunk of the vote with 23 percent. Any time a team has to replace a legend at the quarterback position, such as the Packers are doing with Aaron Rodgers, people will be nervous about how things will go.
Not only is Jordan Love taking over as the starter for the first time in his career, but his supporting cast is also very inexperienced. His top three wide receivers and two tight ends could be two second-year players and three rookies. Expect the front office to look into bringing a veteran in later this summer.
However, the area of the team fans are most concerned with is the rushing defense. That received an overwhelming 71 percent of the vote and it is hard to argue against the selection given how much the team struggled in 2022.
Green Bay ranked 26th in rushing yards allowed, 23rd in touchdowns surrendered and 28th in rushing yards per attempt. As pointed out by Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Company, it is tough to get excited about the outlook of the team’s rushing defense.
“The interior defensive line is green as both Devonte Wyatt and T.J. Slaton appear to be headed for seasons as first-year starters. The inside linebacker unit was probably the most disappointing group from 2022. At safety, 2022 backup Rudy Ford looks to have the inside lane at starting opposite of Darnell Savage this year. It’s hard to feel really good about any position in the spine of the defense.”
Maybe Wyatt and Slaton will surprise some people in their first opportunity at full-time roles. However, the Packers know what they are getting from Darnell Savage Jr. and the results aren’t overly positive. With four-year starter Adrian Amos moving on in free agency, the safety position remains a major concern.
But, there is hope for a turnaround. Linebacker Quay Walker showed some flashes during his rookie season but his strength was as a pass defender. With a year of experience under his belt, better production could be on the horizon.
The tools are in place for the Packers to turn things around when it comes to their run defense. With an elite passing defense, they will be tested early and often on the ground. If this group can hold up, the defense will move close to the top 10 from the mid-teens that they were ranked last season.
