Green Bay Packers are best team in football
The Green Bay Packers are ridiculously loaded. They should have been in the Super Bowl last year, except for one of the worst five-minute collapses in pro football history against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game. It’s the kind of loss that makes you sick, keeps you awake at night. It is also the type of defeat which brings a team together and makes them hungrier than ever.
Coming into 2015, the Packers have a massive advantage off the bat with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback. Last year, Rodgers won the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player award by throwing for 4,381 yards and 38 touchdowns, helping Green Bay win another NFC North crown.
Rodgers is one of those generational players, something Green Bay has somehow struck twice after having Brett Favre and his greatness for the better part of two decades. Rodgers has not thrown an interception at Lambeau Field in over two years, an unfathomable statistic even for a player of his caliber.
Of course, Rodgers isn’t the only one producing at a high level on the offense. The former University of California star has plenty of help on the outside with veterans Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson shouldering much of the load. Nelson was a Pro Bowler for the first time last year, notching 98 catches for 1,513 yards and 13 touchdowns – all career highs. Cobb also played himself into a nice new contract, totaling 91 receptions for 1,287 yards and a dozen touchdowns.
Behind Rodgers stands running back Eddie Lacy, who is built more like an offensive lineman than a man toting the rock. Last year, Lacy bulled his way for 1,139 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, helping to keep defenses honest with his bruising style of play. With Lacy forcing teams to commit linebackers and safeties to the box, Rodgers can pick and choose how he wants to dissect an opponent.
Defensively, the Packers boast a bevy of playmakers, led by the incomparable Clay Matthews Jr. Last year, defensive coordinator Dom Capers moved Matthews to inside linebacker in many situations, and the All-Pro didn’t disappoint. Despite all the movement, Matthews registered a team-high 11 sacks, becoming more useful than ever. Meanwhile, counterpart Julius Peppers came in from the Chicago Bears via free agency and contributed with seven sacks, showing the wily veteran still has something in the tank.
Green Bay is not going to be challenged in the NFC North unless Rodgers gets hurt. The Bears aren’t good, the Detroit Lions are decent and the Minnesota Vikings are talented but unproven. Rodgers and the Packers remain king, and will likely end up with another top-two seed in the NFC. If Green Bay can secure home-field advantage, look for the Packers to be in Super Bowl 50.
