In a season where expectations were tempered, the Green Bay Packers impressed even the most optimistic Wisconsin football fans. The team finished the regular season at 9-8, then knocked off the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs before falling just short to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
With expectations raised, the Packers enter the 2024 season as one of the Super Bowl favorites. How will Green Bay navigate this increased pressure? Here are three Packers players who will be under the most pressure in the 2024 NFL season.
Jordan Love
Jordan Love exceeded all expectations in his first season as a starter. The Utah State product finished the regular season with 4,159 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions — all better than Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers’ debut seasons for Green Bay. Love was especially impressive down the stretch. From Week 11 onward, the Green Bay QB had 18 touchdowns to just one pick while averaging more yards per contest versus Weeks 1-10.
The 2024 season will be more challenging for the Packers signal-caller. Teams did not know what to expect from Love in 2023, and Packers fans tempered expectations for their new starter. Even the most optimistic predictions did not foresee Love playing like a Pro Bowl quarterback. Now, Love has a target on his back. Opponents view the Packers as a legitimate contender and will prepare for them as such.
The Green Bay quarterback will also have to deal with the expectations of the hometown fans. After Love played like prime Aaron Rodgers late in the season, Packers supporters will expect that sort of performance over an entire 17-game season and the playoffs.
AJ Dillon
The Packers signed former Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs, pairing him with the bruising AJ Dillon. Those are the running backs of the present. Rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd could be the running back of the future. Lloyd is a dangerous playmaker with good size and speed (5-9, 220 lbs, 4.46 40-yard dash) who has drawn comparisons to Jerick McKinnon.
Lloyd is a solid change-of-pace option for the Packers, who will receive opportunities on third down. He has the upside to become much more, which should worry AJ Dillon. Since a productive rookie season, Dillon’s yards per carry has dropped from 5.1 to 4.3 to 4.1 to just 3.4 yards per carry last season. Dillon managed just 613 yards and two touchdowns despite starting six contests. He also failed to eclipse 80 yards on the ground in any contest and averaged 55.5 yards per game in his six starts.
The team re-signed Dillon on a one-year deal, but the 26-year-old carries a cap hit of just $1.29 million in 2024 — lower than the last two years of his rookie deal. While organizational expectations will be lower, increasing frustration from Packers fans will weigh on the powerful back. For all of his size and strength, Dillon has played more like Eddie Lacey than Derrick Henry, as his lack of explosiveness limits his ability to break through tackles.
Quay Walker
While 239 combined tackles in two NFL seasons is an impressive total, the counting stats do not tell the whole story for Quay Walker. The Georgia linebacker is a freak athlete but does not offer much when diagnosing plays and often lacks the positioning sense to make the most of his athletic gifts. Given his speed and strength, Walker should be making far more plays than he does, leaving you wanting more.
Walker had a Pro Football Focus Player Grade of 52.0 in 2022 (Below Average) and improved slightly to 60.0 in 2023 — barely enough to raise him into the Average category. This improvement is promising, but it is still not where Walker needs to perform. A new defensive coordinator in Green Bay gives the linebacker a chance for a fresh start. Quay Walker will not be in good standing with Packers fans if he does not make a sizeable jump again in season three.
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