Much of the Green Bay Packers‘ recent success can be put down to having star players at the most important positions.
This was evident in 2020, and highlighted by the fact that the Packers had a total of six players make Pro Football Focus’ Top 101 players list this season, including two inside the top five.
League MVP Aaron Rodgers is second in the rankings behind Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, although I’m sure Elgton Jenkins has a different opinion after keeping Donald quiet in the divisional round.
In fifth position is All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, who caught a league-best 18 touchdowns this season.
Passer and pass catcher? Check. The Packers had star performances at both quarterback and wide receiver.
You also need to defend the pass. While the defense gave up too many big plays in the NFC Championship Game, one player who put in a strong performance was cornerback Jaire Alexander, a second-team All-Pro and 12th in PFF’s Top 101 rankings. Another key player on defense, safety Adrian Amos, is 27th in the rankings.
Another strength of this Packers team was the play up front along the offensive line. Left tackle David Bakhtiari and center Corey Linsley are ranked 23rd and 39th respectively. Both were first-team All-Pros.
So that’s six players inside the top 39.
The good news for the Packers is that almost all of them are under contract for next season. Rodgers, Adams, Alexander, Bakhtiari, and Amos will all be back in 2021.
The future is less certain for Linsley, who is set to hit free agency next month. It would be great to see him re-sign given how important a role he has played for this offensive line since entering the league, but the Packers’ salary cap situation will make that a challenge.
The Packers fell short of their goal this season, but they had a great year with star performances from multiple players.