Packers: Top 5 players from the 2021 regular season
As the 2021 regular season comes to an end and the Green Bay Packers own the number one seed in the NFC, I think as Packers fans we should look back at how this regular season has shaped up.
From not knowing in the offseason who was going to be the starting quarterback to losing half of the team’s Pro Bowlers due to injury by October. This year has been crazy to say the least.
Let’s look past the crazy rollercoaster ride and turn our attention to the five Green Bay Packers who played the largest role in this team’s third straight 13-win season.
Number 5 – De’Vondre Campbell
Ladies and gentlemen, the Packers have an outstanding middle linebacker, I repeat, the Packers have an outstanding middle linebacker.
Going into this season, I never would have thought that those words would ever be spoken, but thankfully, it’s true.
De’Vondre Campbell is one of many offseason/midseason signings that have made a significant impact on the gridiron. Getting signed to a one-year, $2 million contract, he was brought in to fill a veteran role in the middle of the defense while Oren Burks and Krys Barnes continue to develop as inside linebackers, but Campbell has outshined that by a mile.
He is having the best season of his six-year career. Leading the NFL with 102 solo tackles, he is giving Packers fans a sense of relief because we all know how poorly this team has tackled in years past.
He also has the most total tackles he has ever had in one season at 146 with one game remaining. Finally, he has contributed to the turnover margin by adding three (two interceptions and one fumble recovery).
Campbell may be one of the greatest free agents the Packers have picked up in recent years.
Number 4 – Rashan Gary
Not only do the Green Bay Packers have one inside linebacker who is turning their game around, they also have a young stud who is amid a breakout season and his name is number 52, Rashan Gary.
Gary, in his first two years had a total of seven sacks. Going into the final regular season game of his third season, he has 9.5 and his dominance is felt by opposing offenses. While sack numbers are the thing most fans pay attention to when they look at edge defenders, one of the most important stats is quarterback pressure and Gary is a machine when it comes to pressuring the quarterback.
With one game left, Gary has 46 pressures, which ties him with Nick Bosa for fourth-most in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference. Green Bay has a good problem on their hands when it comes to edge rushers.
Number 3 – Rasul Douglas
As I am writing this, I almost want to put him higher on the list, he deserves to be. Regardless, Rasul Douglas has single-handedly reshaped the Packers’ defense this year and this is not an exaggeration.
Douglas was signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad on October 6 and since then, he has only made a huge name for himself. Playing in only 11 games thus far, he has racked up five interceptions, which is tied for fourth-most in the entire NFL with two of his picks being returned for touchdowns. He is also very sticky in single coverage, allowing a 44.8 passer rating when targeted.
This acquisition has revamped the defense because the Packers have asked him to come in and fill the shoes of arguably the best shutdown corner in all the NFL in Jaire Alexander. His play this season gives the Packers a tough decision to make come this offseason. Let’s hope Douglas gets re-signed.
Number 2 – Davante Adams
These last two on the list are obvious, but they need to be here.
Davante Adams is starting to get ridiculous when he is on the field. He is one of six wide receivers in NFL history to have 600+ catches, 8,000+ receiving yards and 70 + touchdowns in their first eight seasons, joining Hall-of-Famers Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harris… I would say this is something special.
Adams is having his best year of his career and it isn’t really close. He has surpassed 1,498 yards (most in his career) and he has broken his own franchise record for catches in a season with 117 this year (previously was 115 set by Davante in 2020).
To put how dominant Adams has been this year into perspective, he has more receiving yards this season than Marquez Valdes-Scantling (430), Allen Lazard (438) and Randall Cobb (375) have combined.
This means opposing teams know Davante is going to get the ball, they game plan specifically to stop him from ruining their entire day, yet he still dominates week in and week out.
It is not a stretch to say that we are watching a future gold jacket, Hall-of-Fame receiver playing in the prime of his career.
Number 1 – Aaron Rodgers
This comes to the surprise of absolutely nobody.
Of course, the best player on the 2021 Green Bay Packers would be the reigning MVP of the NFL, but the stats he has put up this year defend my decision to put him number one on this list.
Aaron Rodgers has been on a mission this season, and that mission is to continue to prove everyone who doubts him wrong. Since the week one massacre against the New Orleans Saints, Rodgers has thrown 35 touchdowns to only two interceptions with just a little under 4,000 passing yards going into this week’s matchup with Detroit.
That is good enough for a 17.5 TD/INT ratio, which is absolutely insane. Rodgers also leads the league in passer rating at 111.1 (fourth-highest in his career) and QBR at 67.8.
He has helped lead this team to its third straight 13-win season and securing its second straight number one seed in the NFC, making the playoffs run through Lambeau Field, and without him this team is completely different.
Rodgers is likely going to win his fourth NFL MVP award this year, making it number two in as many years. Not to forget he also set the Packers franchise touchdown record (447 and counting) which was previously held by Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre this season.
While these are my five players who have made the biggest impact to the 2021 Green Bay packers, I understand that there are many others that have made this team as good as it has been this season and that shows just how deep this roster is. So as the regular season comes to an end, buckle up, it’s going to get crazy.