You won’t find the Green Bay Packers in the top five, the top ten or even the top half of USA TODAY’s final NFL power rankings following Super Bowl LVII.
Nate Davis ranked the Packers way down the list at No. 23.
Davis admitted the Packers were among the hardest teams to rank, largely due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the way Matt LaFleur’s team struggled through long stretches of 2022.
From Davis: “Good luck finding a more difficult team to slot. But truth is, even with Rodgers in the fold, they weren’t very good in 2022 – reason enough to think hard about initiating the Jordan Love era.”
The Packers finished only two slots above the Chicago Bears, who finished with the worst record in football in 2022 but will now have the No. 1 overall pick and millions in salary cap space to spend this offseason. The Packers have the 15th overall pick and another salary cap hole to dig out of before the start of the new league year in March, plus the potential transition at the game’s most important position.
Not everyone is so down on the Packers. Dan Hanzus of NFL.com ranked the Packers at No. 12. ESPN put the Packers at No. 16. Mark Lane of Touchdown Wire had the Packers at No. 14.
Let’s be honest: One person’s opinion of a league-wide ranking doesn’t mean much for the Packers in 2023. But it does highlight the hurdles ahead. Can the Packers overcome a disappointing season, make the right decision at quarterback, revamp the roster and compete again next season?
