The Green Bay Packers haven't offered much optimism in a woeful three-game run to begin the season. They're fortunate to be 1-2 instead of 0-3. The offensive line concerns? It's a problem. The defense? Up-and-down. The injuries? The running back room? It's all valid.
But it's a long season, and it's only just getting started. There's plenty of time to focus on the negatives. Let's shift gears.
It's not all doom and gloom at 1265 Lombardi Ave, and I'm here to prove it.
Why the Packers can still turn their season around despite an ugly start
1. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are everything the Packers hoped they'd become
The Packers don't need a dominant offensive line, just one competent enough to give Jordan Love an opportunity. He has the receivers to make it work.
Green Bay moved on from Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks in the offseason, fully believing Christian Watson and Matthew Golden could lead the way. So far, so good.
Watson is healthy and looks as good as ever. He's caught 17 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns. Since returning from a torn ACL last October, Watson has played in 13 games, with 52 receptions for 895 yards and 10 touchdowns.
His size, athleticism, and speed make him close to unstoppable with the ball in open space, as the Minnesota Vikings found out on Watson's 81-yard catch-and-run touchdown in Week 1.
Golden is already proving that last year's struggles were a result of limited opportunities, not talent. He has Love's full trust, catching 15 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown through three games. His route-running is so violent and sharp, and he rarely drops passes. For perspective, Golden is on pace for 1,433 yards and six touchdowns.
2. Lukas Van Ness is finally reaching his potential
The Packers miss Micah Parsons, but it has been encouraging to see Lukas Van Ness' rise.
Van Ness was one of the standouts all summer, and it's finally translating into the regular season. Green Bay's 2023 first-round pick already has 2.5 sacks, one more than last year, and six quarterback hits.
We saw flashes of this last season, but Van Ness battled injuries and couldn't put together a consistent run of games. He had the pressures without turning them into sacks. That is changing this year. Van Ness would've had another sack in Week 3, but Michael Penix Jr. threw the ball away before he hit the ground, resulting in an intentional grounding penalty. It means Van Ness doesn't get credited with a sack.
Through three weeks, the Iowa product has stepped into the No. 1 edge rusher role, but he won't need to for much longer.
3. Micah Parsons' return is nearing
No, Micah Parsons can't play along the offensive line, before you ask. But we know the kind of impact he can make, especially when the Packers lead in the fourth quarter.
Parsons was Green Bay's closer last year. "Enter Sandman" played at Lambeau when he entered the game with a chance to seal victory. It's no surprise the Packers were 9-3-1 before Parsons' injury last season and hold a disastrous 1-6 record without him.
When will Parsons return?
The talk of Week 6 feels like wishful thinking, but it's not impossible, either. The Packers just need to stay in the hunt, and the schedule may help them out.
4. Packers have two winnable games against backup quarterbacks up next
The loss to Atlanta shows we can't take anything for granted. No opponent is bad enough to guarantee victory for this Packers team. However, Green Bay could get two backup quarterbacks up next.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost Baker Mayfield to a dislocated thumb in their loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It's unclear how much time he'll miss, if any, but it's hard to believe he'll be close to 100 percent next Sunday.
Assuming Mayfield is out, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will get the start in Week 3. Daniels impressed in the preseason, but it's a huge step up.
In Week 5, the Packers host the Bears, who could miss Caleb Williams. According to Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network, Williams has a Grade 2 hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for three to four weeks. He'll only be three weeks removed from the injury in Week 5.
Neither game is a guaranteed win. Anyone who's watched the Packers this season knows better than that. But Green Bay would enter both games as favorites, with a tremendous opportunity to rebuild momentum and improve to 3-2.
5. The NFC North is wide open
Williams' injury is one of several factors that leave the division wide open. The defending NFC North champions could fall to 1-2 without their star quarterback against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football. Next week's game against the New York Jets won't be easy, either.
The Jets almost upset the Detroit Lions on Sunday. While Detroit has a favorable schedule and an elite offense, Dan Campbell's team looks far from unstoppable.
The same goes for the 3-0 Vikings, who have navigated their way to a perfect record despite being outgained by their opponents by 244 yards. Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, it's the second-worst differential for a 3-0 team in NFL history.
In other words, they should consider themselves lucky.
6. Packers have overcome slow starts under Matt LaFleur before
Much is made of the Packers' lack of toughness under LaFleur. Punch them in the face, and watch them crumble. But they have overcome serious adversity in the past and stepped up when their backs were against the wall.
In 2022, Green Bay lost five in a row, falling to 3-6. But the team fought back and fell just one game short of the postseason. A year later, in Jordan Love's first season as the starter, they overcame 2-5 and 3-6 records to reach the divisional round.
At one stage, those seasons looked just as dire as this one.
It doesn't guarantee the 2026 Packers anything, and they have a ton to fix during their mini-bye, but previous LaFleur teams have battled back against early-season adversity. It can happen again.
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