While the Micah Parsons-led defense is understandably stealing the headlines, the Green Bay Packers' offense is quietly breaking out.
Jordan Love is ascending to the elite tier of quarterback play and extended his interception-free streak to 226 passes on Thursday Night Football. Tucker Kraft enjoyed a career day under the primetime lights.
We also need to talk about Dontayvion Wicks. The box score might not light up after two weeks, but the breakout that fans have hoped for is becoming a real possibility. Wicks appears to have pushed past the issues with drops that destroyed his sophomore season, and now he is showing early signs of reaching his potential.
Dontayvion Wicks' breakout is finally arriving after earning key role in Packers' offense
Wicks missed the entire preseason due to a calf injury, but before then, he had shown promising signs at training camp. Through two weeks, Wicks has caught six passes for 74 yards, but dig a little deeper, and the breakout signs are obvious. Let's break it down.
Dontayvion Wicks has fixed his issue with drops
Per Pro Football Focus, Wicks had nine drops last season (including the playoffs). That included two dropped touchdowns in the Week 4 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. This offseason, Wicks gave an honest assessment of how it impacted his confidence and spiraled into a season-long problem.
"First game, it didn't go too well. And I was thinking a lot on that," Wicks said, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "The field was crazy. I had a few drops in the first game, and it just led onto that. But I'm back. I'm stronger mentally. I'm good. I feel like I'm in a good place right now."
The early signs are encouraging. Highly encouraging. It's only two games, but Love has completed 75 percent of the passes thrown in Wicks' direction — Malik Heath is the only Packers receiver with a higher percentage, but that's on just one target. Crucially, Wicks has zero drops.
According to Lindsay Rhodes of Sumer Sports, Wicks has a Catch Rate Over Expected of +25.6 percent through two weeks.
"And, he has been the highest scoring Packers WR in Receiving SumerScore (not just route running, but total receiving) both weeks so far," writes Rhodes.
Not only is he not dropping the ball, but Wicks is making tough catches look easy. It's the one major concern that held him back last season. If Wicks has truly pushed past the drops, look out.
Packers are heavily featuring Dontayvion Wicks through two weeks
Per Adam Levitan of Establish The Run, Wicks ran 22 routes on Love's 34 dropbacks in Week 2. It's only one fewer than first-round pick Matthew Golden. Wicks has also played only four fewer snaps than Golden this season. The Packers are ensuring he is heavily involved.
Wicks has split time between outside receiver and the slot, and those inside snaps will only increase with Jayden Reed expected to miss six to eight weeks.
And it makes sense. Despite all of Wicks' struggles hanging onto the ball last year, he still led the Packers in targets. It's clear Love trusts him.
Why? Because he is always open and generates big plays. Wicks has converted a first down with all six of his receptions this season.
Per PFF, in 2024, he ranked second among all wide receivers in separation percentage. The only issue was that he dropped too many passes. If he can put those problems behind him, which he has in the opening two games, the sky is the limit.
Wicks is an elite separator and has Love's trust. They are the ingredients of a breakout season. The only thing holding him back is whether he can fix his issues with drops. Through two weeks, he's turned that weakness into a strength.
The third-year receiver's PFF receiving grade of 82.2 ranks seventh in the NFL after Thursday Night Football. His role will continue to increase with Reed set to miss extended time, and he has almost unlimited potential.
Wicks has fans dreaming that the breakout season is finally here.