The Youngest Team Made the Biggest Impression

As the 2023 NFL season is coming to a close, the final four teams are getting ready to fight for a chance to play in Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Plenty of fans have gone through heartbreak and would love to go back in time, but instead are focusing on the upcoming draft in Detroit, Michigan.

One of these teams to endure heartbreak this season is the Green Bay Packers. With an average age of 25.7, the cheese heads are the fifth youngest team to make the playoffs since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and youngest team since the merger to win a playoff game.

Jordan Love and the rest of the young team were knocked out of the divisional round after losing to the number one seed in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers. But not before becoming the first number seven seed to win a playoff game since the seven seed was introduced in 2020. Their win came over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Wild Card Weekend.

A Love-ly Future

Even after a disappointing loss, thrill and excitement is ahead for the Packers franchise and fans. Quarterback Jordan Love sat behind future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers, who now plays for the New York Jets. Questions arose if Love was ready to be the guy to take over and propel this team to another Super Bowl victory. A rough start to the season, and a Packers 2-5 record, led to fans wondering if the right decision was made to move on from Rodgers, who took them to five NFC Championship games and won Super Bowl 45.

As the season went on, Love showed major improvement and a great connection with rookie and sophomore receivers. Green Bay turned their season around and snagged a place in the playoff race with a 17-9 win at home over the Chicago Bears week 18.

Jordan Love's final stats for the 2023 season: 4,159 yards, 32 Tds, 11 Ints, 64.2% comp and 96.1 RTG. Only one of those interceptions came after week 10. Love was as hot as any QB from week 11 and beyond, there could be an agreement that he was the hottest quarterback in the league. There are no questions about Jordan Love anymore, he is the franchise QB of the future for the Green Bay Packers.

Multiple NFL stars like Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Steve Young and tv personalities like Dan Orlovsky, Stephen A Smith and Shannon Sharpe had high praise for Love despite the way his season ended.

Keeping up With the Jones'

Jordan Love might be the star because of his surprising yet wonderful first full season as a starter, but every Packer fan knows that the focal point of Green and Gold is Aaron Jones. Number 33 was drafted in the fifth round back in 2017 and has been a star since the beginning. Even though Jones missed six games and was on a snap count for four games in the 2023 season, he emerged as the star with three straight 100+ yard games to end the season and help the Pack get back to the playoffs. Jones continued to show why he should be fed the ball- both wild card and divisional round games he put up over 100 rush yards and multiple receiving yards.

With the youngest NFL team, the Pack won't have too many people to worry about when it comes to contracts. But Jones singed a four-year, $48 million contract in 2021, meaning in 2025 Jones will be an unrestricted free agent, but with the Packers Super Bowl window starting to open up again, re-signing number 33 should be top priority in the offseason.

The 29 year old has always loved "carrying the G", you can tell he loves this team. In an interview after the loss to the 49ers Jones said "We're all like family. We're all related somehow, It's truly fun when you know those guys care about you. You can just look on the field and it's evident we're playing for each other. That's why it hurts a little bit more because we were playing for each other." Seems to me like that's someone that wants to stay with Green Bay.

The Young and the Reckless

With all the talk about the Pack being so young, might as well highlight all the young stars on the team.

Offense:

Christian Watson: 28 rec, 422 yds, 5 TDs (9 games)

Romeo Doubs: 59 rec, 674 yds, 8 TDs

Jayden Reed: 64 rec, 793 yds, 8 TDs; 11 rush, 119 yds, 2 TDs

Dontayvion Wicks: 39 rec, 581 yds, 4 TDs

Bo Melton: 16 rec, 218 yds, 1 TD (4 games)

Luke Musgrave: 34 rec, 352 yds, 1 TD (11 games)

Tucker Kraft: 31 rec, 355 yds, 2 TDs (10 games)

Rasheed Walker: 851 snaps in 15 games, only six sacks allowed and only seven penalties

*regular season stats only

Every single one of these young playmakers made a difference in some way or another to help the Packers have a successful season. As all eyes were on Christian Watson after his outstanding 2022 season, the other young playmakers around Love stood out showing development and production throughout the course of 2023.

These young playmakers have quarterback Jordan Love's full trust. “They’re taking advantage of the opportunity they got and they’re just trying to go out there and make the most of that,” Love said. “And they’re doing a really good job of it.”

As well as the young receiver group having full trust in the new starting QB. “Jordan just has a knack for every receiver,” Bo Melton said. “Our job is to get open as receivers, tight ends, running backs, for all to get open, and Jordan puts the ball right where it’s supposed to be every single time.”

Eye on the Prize

With the organization and fans focused on next season, plenty of eyes will be on this young core and if they'll be able to produce again. With a new defensive coordinator in the works, the Pack will look to amp things up on the defensive side. Keeping back-to-back 1st team All-Pro returner Keisean Nixon should be a top priority as well since he is an UFA this off-season. He hasn't fixed all of the special team issues the cheeseheads have had to endure but he has most definitely made it easier to breathe.

Super Bowl windows can be small and the ultimate goal is to bring another Lombardi trophy back home. The Green Bay Packers Super Bowl window is now officially open. The next few years are critical; the Pack enter the offseason with more draft stock and fewer free agents than any other playoff team, and now they have two crucial games of pivotal playoff experience under their belt. Being a year or maybe two ahead of schedule gives the Pack a good couple of years to become a powerhouse every fan knowns they can become.

2023 was a rebuild year that ending with a 9-8 record and a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs.

2024 can be the year the Green Bay Packers make an unforgettable run to New Orleans.