Packers in top 10 of Bleacher Report power rankings

The Green Bay Packers are ninth in the latest Bleacher Report power rankings.

Entering preseason, the team over at Bleacher Report have high expectations for the Green Bay Packers. Despite finishing with losing seasons two years running, the Packers are ninth in B/R’s latest power rankings for 2019.

This shows there’s still plenty of confidence in this team, despite the surprisingly low number in the win column since the start of the 2017 season.

The Packers’ ranking isn’t high enough to be in first place among NFC North teams, but they are one position behind the defending champions and their Week 1 opponents, the Chicago Bears. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions didn’t even make the top 15.

Green Bay’s ranking in the top 10 highlights a couple of things. The first is that Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers. Even after throwing for only 25 touchdowns in 2018 — a low number by his high standards — he’s still one of the league’s very best at quarterback and should find plenty of success in Matt LaFleur’s system.

But it’s not just Rodgers, but also the investments made on the defensive side of the ball. The Packers were among the most active teams in free agency, which isn’t something fans are used to.

The start of free agency used to be just another week for the Packers under Ted Thompson, but Brian Gutekunst has his own style as general manager. He added the defensive trio of Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Adrian Amos on the opening day of the new league year.

Gutekunst continued the overhaul of the defense by drafting Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage Jr. in the first round.

A new scheme on offense and an improved defense could be the key for the Packers to step up and become one of the NFC’s top teams for the first time in three years.

Bleacher Report certainly believes the Packers have improved, placing them inside the top 10 of their preseason power rankings.