Heading into the 2023 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers remain a bit of a mystery. No one knows what to truly expect from them given the monumental change that they underwent this offseason.
Gone from the roster is future Hall of Famer, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He got his wish to exit Green Bay, being traded to the New York Jets. In his place, 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love will be taking over the offense.
Thus far this offseason, the Utah State product has impressed his coaches and teammates. He has taken the onus to work on and improve his craft and the team has confidence that he will get the job done. However, fans of the Packers aren’t nearly as confident as people within the organization are.
According to a poll done by Acme Packing Company of SB Nation, only six percent of voters are most confident in the passing game. The most confident part of the Packers according to the fans? None other than the rushing game led by Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
The rushing offense came in with a whopping 64 percent of the vote. There was a wide margin between that and second place, which was the team’s passing defense with 26 percent of the vote. Shockingly four percent voted for the Packers’ rush defense, which either had to be a miscast vote or someone misreading the question because nothing is encouraging about what this team did in that area in 2022.
It should come as no surprise that the rushing game is thought so highly of. Jones and Dillon were recently selected as the best running back tandem in the NFL and it would be hard to argue against that. Their skill sets mesh well together and both are productive when the ball is put in their hands.
Heading into 2023, they are going to be relied upon heavily with Love under center. For years, Rodgers carried this offseason but it is unrealistic to expect Love to hit the ground running similarly. No matter how many practice reps he takes, it will take some time to adjust.
During that adjustment period, expect the Packers to ride Jones and Dillon early and often. They have proven capable of carrying the offense when given the chance and they will be tasked with doing so again during the 2023 season.