Packers drop in power rankings with season effectively over
The Green Bay Packers entered the season with high expectations.
And even after a setback in an opening-day defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers bounced back with three straight victories before their trip to London.
Since, their season has completely fallen apart.
In Matt LaFleur’s first two years in Green Bay, the team lost a combined six games. The Packers have lost seven this season and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet.
With their season effectively over, the Packers’ fall in the NFL power rankings continues.
Packers down to No. 23 in Week 12 power rankings
Four weeks into the season, the Packers were 3-1 while the Lions were 1-3, having lost two straight. Detroit wouldn’t snap its losing streak until Week 9 when Green Bay visited Ford Field.
In the two weeks since, Detroit has actually gone ahead of Green Bay in the NFC North standings, and also pulled ahead in the power rankings.
In Sayre Bedinger’s Week 12 power rankings for NFL Spin Zone, Green Bay has fallen to No. 23. That’s six positions lower than last week after the overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
“Unfortunately, the Packers just aren’t the Packers we’ve come to know. This is a shell of the team with Davante Adams on the roster,” wrote Bedinger.
Bedinger isn’t wrong. The offense hasn’t recovered from the loss of Davante Adams. Of that there is no doubt.
Unfortunately, the problems go much deeper than that in Green Bay.
Not only in the loss to the Tennessee Titans, but frequently throughout the season, wide receivers have got open. Not consistently, sure, but there have been plenty of times where receivers are wide open, only for Aaron Rodgers not to see them or not make the throw quick enough.
If Davante Adams returned, many of the offensive issues would go away, but not all of them.
This team simply isn’t good enough. They have fallen well short of expectations and a rebuild could be required in the offseason. Even that won’t be simple, given Rodgers’ huge contract.