Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Season Analysis

By Cesar Castillo@cesar_jul1o)

Following offseason drama starring Aaron Rodgers, it was extremely difficult to get an idea of ​​what the 2021 Green Bay Packers Season would look like. The doubt about how this whole novel would impact so that this team could not be as dominant in the regular season as in past campaigns in the Matt LaFleur era was latent.

As has been the narrative in Green Bay since HC LaFleur took over the franchise, cheeseheads they were the best team in the NFC to make the playoffs and disappoint again. Without a doubt one of the most disappointing teams this season in every sense of the word. Rodgers himself put extra pressure on him and his crew by kicking off the “last dance” narrative. It was Super Bowl or flop, and we know how it ended.

The 2021 Green Bay Packers season

The season of these Packers started in a way that few of us expected. In their first game they fell to some Saints who overcame them in all facets of the game. Lack of preparation and rhythm? Perhaps we were beginning to witness the ravages of his QB’s childish attitude. Was this the product we would see in the field week after week from the Wisconsinites? The Packers just couldn’t shake for a moment the chaotic attention that had followed them since the offseason.

As the campaign progressed, and with the rise in the level of the Packers’ game, they began to regain the credibility of the press and, as in previous seasons, were placed among the favorites to play the Super Bowl. The offense was what was expected with Rodgers and Davante Adams and the defensive weak spot in GB in recent years – it looked different under Joe Barry, to the point of considering it the best defense the tundra had seen since 2010 when they won the SB.

Around week 9, his QB would return to the spotlight due to a new controversy: his vaccination status. And it is that he was not vaccinated, but he was “immunized” by an alternative treatment that his private doctor had endorsed. He tried to hide that he hadn’t received the vaccination dose from him with a tricky play on words. The problem with this was that he had violated the COVID protocols established by the league, putting the health and integrity of those around him at risk. Something simply absurd and disconcerting that you do not expect from your leader, and especially from a 38-year-old player in this league.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback said he believes “a ton of people” were “rooting against” his team Saturday because of his “vaccination status.” https://t.co/qIE5PEYbvA

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) January 27, 2022

Given this situation, we saw Jordan Love’s first game as a starter. A complicated situation and game that left something very clear: the Packers are some with Rodgers on the field and others when he is not available – regardless of his controversies -.

Those of the NFC North continued to win despite the injuries of important players (Jaire Alexander, Elgton Jenkins, ZaDarius Smith) against powerful rivals that made us think that this was the good year for those of the NFC North. This team reached week 18 without leaving any loose ends: they got the long-awaited bye week and home playoffs to reach the postseason and once again disappoint.

The MVP of the season for the Packers

Aaron Rodgers, QB

Although his last game was a disappointment, the truth is that this team would not have had the same success in the regular season without the veteran at the controls. He got the 2021 league MVP (second in a row and fourth of his career) thanks to his 4,115 yards, 37 TDs in exchange for only 4 INT and 68.9% of his completions. This does not justify his mediocre level in the elimination of the Divisional Round, but the production in general was there.

His best moment of the 2021 Season

With the victory over the Vikings at Lambeau Field they ensured rest during the Wild Card round and receive the postseason games at home. His QB had talked about the importance of home court and the hostility that c’s could exert.heeseheads against the opposing team. Finally, the four-time Super Bowl champions claimed to be the top seed in the NFC and what better than against hated division rivals.

The worst moment of his 2021 season

Unfortunately for their fans, this came in the playoffs – not to lose the custom of recent years – when they faced the 49ers, whom they had defeated in their week 3 match by a score of 30-28 in a highly dramatic finale. However, for this game everything was different, witnessing a highly defensive and rough clash.

Between the offensive ineffectiveness presented by Rodgers and company, the special teams with a historically poor performance and non-existent adjustments by their HC, the Packers ended their season in another painful and disconcerting postseason loss.

This is even worse considering that they came from a bye week and received the game at home with a hostile environment and climate for the visitor. In the end, the only facet that worked was his criticized defensive front, which undoubtedly stood up for the team.

And so, as in past years, the Tundra said goodbye earlier than expected, and this team can never have a round game on all three sides of the ball.

What is expected of the Packers next season?

The parameters and expectations for the next season of the Packers will be conditioned by what happens with Aaron Rodgers and the salary cap situation in the face of free agency. It is practically impossible for the Wisconsin guys to retain the more than twenty free agents they have, so we should expect a roster with less talent; not to be a mediocre team, but losing presence in certain positions.

The expectations of LaFleur’s team will be some with Rodgers at the helm and others with Jordan Love as the starter. If the veteran decides to return, the story will be the same as this and past seasons: A team with a solid roster (reduced by free agency) and an elite QB (although he doesn’t show it in the playoffs) that would seek his last chance to get the longed for Lombardi. It seems to me that this panorama is more a wish than a potential reality. For me, the Super Bowl window has closed.

If we talk about a context in which Rodgers has left and is now Love’s team, the reality changes. We don’t know what the Utah State alum has to offer. Even with this possibility, I would see the Packers as a playoff team for the simple fact that they are in a less-fighted division in which their rivals are in the process of rebuilding. More than a season to think about Love’s fifth division title, it should be a time of evaluation and analysis of the projection and future game that he could give as a franchise QB.

The role played by the front office headed by Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst will be vital and will decide much of the future of the franchise. It is interesting to see how this pair will trade considering the tepid nature of its management. It seems to me that the time has come to pay off the first-round pick invested in the Utah State product, after all, that’s what they brought him for: for a planned succession plan.

Winds of change could be present at Lambeau Field and that will remain to be seen in the coming days.

Read the rest of our 2021 Season NFL team reviews here: