The Green Bay Packers are coming off a good, but disappointing season. While they made the playoffs, they went 1-5 in their division and lost twice to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. They were competitive but could never win the game when it mattered most.
The play of second-year starter Jordan Love has been a point of discussion throughout the season. His play dipped from last year, which has led to many wondering whether the team made a mistake in giving him a huge extension. One ESPN analyst, Benjamin Solak, has a different take. He made a bold prediction about Love in a recent article.
Green Bay Packers Jordan Love MVP?
ESPN put out an offseason article surveying many of their analysts on various questions. One of the questions was, “Who’s your pick for next season’s MVP?” While many picked Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson or and Josh Allen, Solak was the sole person to pick the Green Bay Packers quarterback and explained why:
“The rule of thumb is to find the starting quarterback of a team that wins its conference. If the Lions take a step back due to their coordinator changes, the Packers should push for a division title on the back of a productive Love campaign — and they get a third-place schedule!”
His reasoning makes sense. Detroit went 15-2 last season, which will be very difficult to replicate. Even if offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn stayed, going 15-2 would be near impossible. Minnesota beat out Green Bay last year, giving an 11-6 team a third-place schedule. The Packers will have an easier road to a division title, and Solak is expecting Jordan Love to bounce back after a subpar year.
Comeback year incoming?
The Green Bay Packers had many things to celebrate about this season. First-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley transformed the defense into a solid unit despite some injuries to key players. In terms of Love, while his production slipped, there were some things that were out of his control. First, the addition of Josh Jacobs made the Packers a more run-heavy team. In many games, the team didn’t need to throw the ball, which is a good thing. Second, Love was injured for much of the season. He missed two games and was unable to finish a few more. A nagging knee injury hampered his ability to make accurate throws.
Finally, his receivers didn’t do him any favors. The Green Bay Packers had three players in the top 20 in drops this season — 25 passes were dropped by Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs combined. If even half of those passes are caught, his numbers would look a lot better. This will undoubtedly be a point of emphasis in the offseason. The Packers beat themselves in many games with bad drops and poor execution. The talent is there, but the execution was lacking.
Final thoughts
Solak isn’t just picking the Green Bay Packers quarterback for MVP. He is picking them to make the Super Bowl next season. While he has them losing to the Baltimore Ravens, he is high on this team going into next season. The team has some cap space and has drafted well in the past few seasons. If they can have another strong offseason, this team should be back in the conversation for one of the best teams in the NFC in 2025.
