NFL Analyst Shares Thoughts On Packers Defense

Coming into the season, there were a few areas of concern for the Green Bay Packers. The overall inexperience of their roster was the biggest one, as young players were going to be counted on to fill numerous roles on the team.

That was ever so evident offensively, where Jordan Love was surrounded by first and second-year pass catchers. There isn’t a single wide receiver on the roster with more than one year of NFL experience and at tight end, the entire group is rookies, unless you count Josiah Deguara, who is playing a fullback/H-Back role.

If the Packers were going to find success, especially in the early going, it would come down to their defense. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry was under immense pressure as this year’s unit was loaded with first-round picks and high-upside players.

In 2022, many believed that the Packers would have their best defense of the Aaron Rodgers era. They fell woefully short of that expectations, failing to live up to the hype. This season, expectations are lower, but the talent level remains the same.

That is why Sam Monson of PFF has predicted the defense will break out in 2023. One of his bold predictions for Green Bay is that their defense will finish in the top 10 this season.

“A season ago, expectations were that it would be the best Packers defense that Aaron Rodgers had ever played with. Instead, the team finished 21st in expected points added per play allowed and 26th in yards per play. The underlying reasons for optimism are still there, however, and there’s every chance that the unit dramatically outperforms the results from a season ago. The Packers have multiple capable edge rushers, cornerbacks and linebackers and can make impacts against the run and the pass. This is a unit that has top-10 potential.”

So far so good in that regard. The Packers’ defense played a very good game in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, helping the team en route to a 38-20 victory. Their much-improved pass rush was excellent, as they sacked Justin Fields four times and pressured him on more than half of his dropbacks.

The run defense showed improvement as well. If this unit is going to live up to expectations, figuring things out against the run is imperative. Holding the No. 1 rushing team in the NFL from 2022 to 4.2 yards per carry is certainly a strong start.