Packers season was a success despite falling short in the playoffs

As 10-point underdogs, playing with house money, the Green Bay Packers headed into San Francisco and outplayed the Niners for 58 minutes.

Whether it was a missed field goal, dropped interception, or poor decision-making, the Packers missed many opportunities to do the unthinkable in San Francisco. Every inch matters in a game of inches, and the Packers fell short. However, the season was a success.

Entering the 2023 season, the Packers had one glaring question they needed to answer: Is Jordan Love a franchise quarterback? We know the answer by now.

In his first year starting, Love finished with 4,159 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. He led the youngest team in the NFL to a 9-8 record, securing the final seed in the NFC playoffs. Love then dominated the No. 2-seed Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round. Doing all of this with first- and second-year players is remarkable.

There was a point in the season, following the Week 8 loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings, where the Packers, sitting at 2-5, had fans and media questioning if Matt LaFleur was the right coach. Many questioned Brian Gutekunst's decision to move on from Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and ultimately wrote off the 2023 Packers.

Second half of the season shows Packers are here to stay in the NFC

After that loss, the Packers won seven of their last 10 games. Jordan Love ascended to an unprecedented level and proved to millions of Packers fans worldwide that he is indeed the franchise's future.

Young playmakers like Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, Luke Musgrave, and Tucker Kraft stepped up.

Reed put together one of the best rookie seasons by a Packers receiver ever, setting a new franchise record for receptions. Luke Musgrave was just a couple of yards shy of breaking the Packers' rookie receiving yards record for a tight end.

Losing to the 49ers again in the playoffs stings, and as a fan of the team, it should, but in no way was this season a failure. The Packers did it again. They found their franchise quarterback. They also found a loaded room of pass catchers, including Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Musgrave, and Kraft.

So, even though the Packers fell short in the playoffs, Green Bay will be fine for years to come. The 2023 season was such a special ride for Packers fans everywhere.

Exciting times are ahead in 2024.

More Packers news and analysis