At Quarterback, It’s Simple Division for Packers

Regardless of whether it's Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love, the Packers should be helped by playing four games against the NFC South next season.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 3, 2023 1:05 PM EST

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In case you hadn’t heard, the Green Bay Packers are in the middle of a quarterbacking mystery. Will Aaron Rodgers want to play in 2023? If so, will it be for the Packers or will he be traded?

If the Packers do trade Rodgers and hand the keys to the franchise over to Jordan Love, they will be diving into the Great Quarterbacking Unknown for the first time since 2008.

They won’t be alone. In fact, they’ll be facing an entire division of teams who would be in the same boat with the four games against the NFC South. On the other hand, they’ll also face the four teams from the AFC West, which features three high-profile quarterbacks.

The Packers will play only three games against quarterbacks who finished in the top 10 in passer rating (Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Detroit’s Jared Goff), which could help offset any potential growing pains if Love takes over at quarterback.

Here’s a look.

NFC North home and away

Kenny Clark and the Packers crushed the Kirk Cousins-led Vikings in Week 17. (USA Today Sports Images)

Bears: This will be a huge season for Justin Fields to show he’s the future of a franchise which has been overwhelmed by Rodgers’ greatness. In Year 2, Fields finished 25th in passer rating, 31st in completion percentage and 31st in interception percentage. Is Fields the problem or is it a lack of playmakers? On the other hand, he finished seventh in rushing and first in yards per carry.

Lions: Jared Goff seems to have solidified his spot as Detroit’s quarterback. He finished seventh in passer rating, sixth in yards, fifth in touchdowns and second in interception percentage. He’s got a stud receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown; could Jameson Williams make this one of the most dangerous attacks in the league?

Vikings: Kirk Cousins was supposed to be the missing piece. Instead, in four seasons in Minnesota, he’s won one playoff game. The Vikings dominated the NFC North this season but fell on their face with a wild-card loss to the Giants. Cousins will turn 35 during training camp and, despite an elite group of skill-position players, he finished only 13th in passer rating.

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Chiefs: Kansas City traded Tyreek Hill, just like Green Bay traded Davante Adams. While Rodgers struggled, Patrick Mahomes appears poised to win MVP. Aided, obviously, by future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce, Mahomes finished second in passer rating, first in yards and first in touchdowns to propel the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl.

Chargers: Justin Herbert finished third in completion percentage, second in yards and eighth in touchdowns. With receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and running back Austin Ekeler, Herbert is surrounded by three elite skill-position talents. The next step is for Herbert to win some big games to pair with his big numbers.

Rams: Matthew Stafford will be back after missing the stretch run with a spinal-cord contusion – a scary-sounding injury but one that didn’t require surgery. Stafford, who led the Rams to last year’s Super Bowl championship, will turn 35 on Tuesday. In nine games, he set a career high with a 68.0 percent completion rate.

Buccaneers: With Tom Brady’s retirement, the quarterback atop the Bucs’ depth chart is Kyle Trask, a second-round pick in 2021. In fact, Trask is the only quarterback even under contract. He’s 3-for-9 passing in one career game. The Bucs will either draft a quarterback early or acquire a veteran – perhaps a big swing at Derek Carr.

Saints: Jameis Winston, with 14 starts the last three seasons since throwing an NFL-worst 30 interceptions with the Bucs in 2019, is under contract. Andy Dalton, who started 14 games in 2022, is not. Carr could be an option here, too.

Away

Daniel Jones and the Giants beat the Packers in London. (USA Today Sports Images)

Broncos: Is Russell Wilson, at age 34, done? Or was his 84.4 passer rating – about 17 points below his career mark with the Seahawks – a byproduct of a bad connection with then-coach Nathaniel Hackett? Enter new coach Sean Payton, for whom Drew Brees flourished. Wilson, whose reputation has taken a beating, has a lot to prove.

Raiders: The Raiders are moving on from Derek Carr. Will he be replaced by Jarrett Stidham, who took over for Carr at the end of the season and fashioned a so-so 89.2 passer rating? Will they make a big move by reuniting Davante Adams with Aaron Rodgers? A smaller move by signing Jimmy Garoppolo? Or will they go young with a draft pick?

Falcons: After capable veteran Marcus Mariota had season-ending surgery, third-round rookie Desmond Ridder started the final four games of the season, including back-to-back wins vs. the Cardinals and Buccaneers to close the year. He completed 63.5 percent of his passes and had zero interceptions in 115 attempts. Mariota is under contract, too, and the Falcons have the eighth pick.

Panthers: Baker Mayfield, P.J. Walker and Sam Darnold all started at least five games. Darnold was the best of the bunch with a 92.8 rating. Darnold, Walker and third-round rookie Matt Corral are under contract, and the Panthers have the ninth pick for new coach Frank Reich.

Giants: When Daniel Jones beat the Packers in London, it was deemed an embarrassing performance by Green Bay. Jones, though, really changed his career outlook in lifting the Giants to the playoffs and a victory at Minnesota in the wild-card round. He finished sixth in completion percentage and first in interception percentage. Jones is a free agent; it will be fascinating to see the financial commitment.

Steelers: First-round rookie Kenny Pickett finished 31st in passer rating with a woeful seven touchdowns vs. nine interceptions. He topped 200 passing yards in only four of his 12 starts. He did win five of his final six starts, though, with just one interception during the second half of the season.