Packers projected to have top-10 offense and defense in 2021

The Green Bay Packers‘ offense was dominant in 2020, and with the majority of the same players coming back, the expectation is for more success on this side of the ball.

There are more questions about the defense. However, recent projections by ESPN’s Mike Clay should give Packers fans some encouragement.

Clay has graded each position group for every team around the league and then ranked the offenses and defenses. For the Packers, they rank third in offense and ninth in defense. If that turns out to be true, they’d have to be considered among the top contenders in the NFL.

Clay notes that he’ll be updating his projections in the near future. The upcoming draft this month will also have an impact on each team’s strengths for 2021, but this is an interesting overview of where each team stands on both sides of the ball ahead of the draft.

Green Bay’s poorest grade comes at linebacker, which isn’t all that surprising. While cornerback might be considered a greater need for reasons such as depth, as well as the importance of the position, the Packers do have an All-Pro in Jaire Alexander. The same isn’t the case at inside linebacker, where they lack depth and experience.

Quarterback and safety tied for the Packers’ strongest grade. Again, not surprising. Aaron Rodgers is the defending league MVP and first-round pick Jordan Love is the number two. At safety, there are few tandems as good as Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos.

Clay’s grades highlight what we already know about this team. They have a lot of talent across the board with a well-balanced roster, but there are areas in need of improving, such as linebacker and wide receiver. Outside of Alexander, cornerback is a concern.

If the Packers can put that right between now and Week 1, they’ll be well set for another deep playoff run in 2021.