Five Packers we should be thankful for in the 2020 season

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are five Packers players we should be thankful for.

Despite the frustrating loss last week, we should all still be thankful that we have the Green Bay Packers to watch. It could be worse. We could be Bears, Vikings, or Lions fans. Or even Cowboys fans.

The Packers have a nice season going and are on the verge of the playoffs and a second consecutive NFC North title.

There are many players we have to thank for that. I want to highlight a few of them here. So without further adieu, here are five Packers we should all be thankful for.

1. Za’Darius Smith

Za’Darius Smith was a godsend for the Packers last season. The Packers struggled to get to the quarterback the previous few seasons. Kyler Fackrell was the leader in sacks for Green Bay in 2018 with 10.5. The next closest was Kenny Clark with six sacks. This team was in need of a dominant pass rusher.

Za’Darius Smith was a force immediately. He alone had 13.5 sacks and then pair that with Preston Smith, who had 12.5 last year, this defense was immediately one of the best pass-rushing units in the NFL.

This year, the production from both players has fallen off dramatically. Preston Smith has only 1.5 sacks. Luckily, Za’Darius has still produced on the field. He has eight sacks this season, which is by far the most on the team. As much as the defense has struggled this year, they would be in a lot worse shape if Big Z wasn’t playing for us.