Big offseason leads to turnaround on field for Pack

Free agents pickups, rookies make big impact under rookie coach
By: 
Morgan Rode
Sports Editor

GREEN BAY — With their walk-off win over the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers secured the No. 2 seed and a bye in the NFC.

The win over Detroit wasn’t the prettiest of wins — much like the rest of the 2019 regular season — but Green Bay was able to rally to improve to 13-3.

The playoff berth is the Packers first since the 2016-17 season, and the 13 wins is as many as the team accumulated in the past two years combined.

So, what exactly led to the turnaround?

It actually started during the 2018-19 season, when the team fired long-time head coach Mike McCarthy following an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Almost a year ago to the day, Green Bay found McCarthy’s replacement in Matt LaFleur.

It was considered a questionable move at the time because LaFleur didn’t have a ton of experience calling plays and was a product of the Sean McVay (coach of the Los Angeles Rams) coaching tree.

All the rookie coach did in his first season was jumpstart the Packers’ offense with running back Aaron Jones and receiver Davante Adams leading the charge, form a strong bond with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and guide the team to an 8-1 record in one-score games to help the team tie for the second-most wins in the NFL.

A little over two months later (March 14), Brian Gutekunst — the general manager of the Packers — introduced four free-agent signings (Za’Darius Smith, Adrian Amos, Billy Turner and Preston Smith).

Gutekunst was criticized for overpaying, but now, all four of those deals are looking like steals.

Outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith gave the Packers’ pass rush new life, and it’s helped the defense drastically improve from past seasons. The Smiths have combined for 25.5 sacks and 60 quarterback hits.

While not being as flashy, Amos has stabilized the Packers’ secondary. It was Amos’ interception that helped the Pack seal up a week one win over the Chicago Bears, and the safety finished with the second-most tackles on the team. Amos played 1,036 defensive snaps, the most of any player on the roster.

Turner has helped the offensive line be one of the best in the NFL this season. He played in 1,076 of the Packers’ offensive snaps, the most of any player.

At the 2019 NFL Draft, the Packers added several impact players.

The team drafted outside linebacker Rashan Gary and safety Darnell Savage in the first round before grabbing arguably it’s best pick in the second round in offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins.

Savage missed a couple games with an injury but still played in 865 defensive snaps, finishing with 55 total tackles and two interceptions.

While not living up to the first-round status yet, Gary showed flashes throughout the season that he could one day be a strong pass rusher. He played in all 16 games, recording two sacks and three tackles for loss in 244 defensive snaps.

Jenkins has been a rock on the offensive line, starting the final 14 games.

While the team’s other draft picks haven’t made much of an impact, many of them had earned valuable experience that could prove big in the coming seasons.

When the Packers hit the field for OTAs (Organized Team Activities), it was the defense that was stealing the headlines, giving Rodgers and the offense problems.

“They are a lot more comfortable,” said Rodgers during OTAs of the defense in the second year under coordinator Mike Pettine. “Their disguise has gotten better. They have a great quarterback of the defense in Blake Martinez — he really looks comfortable directing the whole thing. And now you are kind of putting it all together with all three levels, really having a lot of depth and talent.”

OTAs and training camp also left many people wondering how long it would take the Packers’ offense to really start clicking under LaFleur. With not a ton of preseason snaps for the known starters, the team expected some growing pains on that side of the ball.

The start to the regular season saw the pre-season stories come to life, as the defense carried the team during its 3-0 start. During that stretch, Green Bay topped Chicago and Minnesota, putting the league on notice that the team would contend for a NFC North title.

In a week four loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Packers’ defense regressed, but the offense played its best game.

It was a sign of things to come in the next four games, which the Packers won despite being without their top receiver, Adams. Receivers like Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow helped fill the void as Rodgers spread the ball around and the Packers’ offense looked to be finding its groove.

When Adams returned in week nine, many thought the Packers’ offense would be unstoppable. Instead, the Packers played their worst offensive game of the season and lost to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Packers lost just one more time in the regular season — in week 12 to the San Francisco 49ers, who are the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Green Bay went 3-0 against the North during that stretch, including a week 16 win over the Minnesota Vikings that clinched the division and last week’s win over the Lions to earn a first-round playoff bye.

During the five-game winning streak, the Packers won a number of close games that featured inconsistent play on both sides of the ball, which started the winning ugly trend.

“We’ll never apologize for winning; we’re always going to feel great about winning,” said LaFleur after a week 14 win over the Washington Redskins.

Another inconsistent showing on offense or defense could mean a loss in the divisional round on Jan. 12, when the Packers will either host the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles or Seattle Seahawks.

Even with some ugly play throughout the year, the Packers have shown they can win in many different ways, which could also mean a deep postseason run.

The Packers will try and put it all together starting a week from this Sunday, but first, the team will enjoy a hard-earned bye.

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