Fourth of July: These Four Packers Will Provide Fireworks

The Green Bay Packers have one of the deepest groups of offensive playmakers in the NFL. Which four players will deliver the fireworks?

Fireworks are fired off as the Green Bay Packers run out of the tunnel before their football game against the Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 28. / Tork Mason-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Happy Birthday, America. On this Independence Day, burgers and hotdogs will be burned on the grill during the day and fireworks will illuminate the night. With training camp starting in just 18 days, which Green Bay Packers players will burn defenders and provide the fireworks on offense?

A decade ago, this Fourth of July-based story would have been the easiest breakdown ever. In 2014, Aaron Rodgers won his second MVP, and Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy combined for 4,409 yards and 38 touchdowns. That represented 71.3 percent and 65.5 percent of the team totals as the Packers reached the NFC Championship Game.

In 2024, this story is much more difficult because the offense is so deep and diverse. The Packers have an abundance of playmakers. Jordan Love’s supporting cast might be the best-kept secret in the NFL. By the end of this season, they might be recognized as the best, period.

So, let’s dive into the star-spangled awesome Packers playmakers who are about to shoot into the NFL sky like bottle rockets.

1. Jordan Love

First, the obvious one. Someone’s got to light all those fuses, and that’s the quarterback. Thanks to a sensational second half of the season, Love finished second in the NFL in touchdown passes. To help the Packers go 6-2 down the stretch, he threw 18 touchdowns vs. one interception. That plus-17 was the best in the NFL; Dak Prescott was plus-16 and nobody else was better than plus-12.

On passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield, Love was tied for fourth with 32 completions, third with 1,058 yards and tied for eighth with eight touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus. During the final eight games, 30 quarterbacks threw at least 15 deep passes. Love was second with 16 completions, third with 494 yards and tied for first with six touchdowns.

Most importantly, Love cranked up the accuracy. He was 10th with a 45.7 percent completion rate. During the first nine games, he was 21st at 34.8 percent.

With a year of experience on his own and with his playmakers, the deep passing game should be even more explosive in 2024.

2. Jayden Reed

The second-round rookie didn’t just lead the team in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns (tied with Romeo Doubs) and total touchdowns. Reed did it by emerging as one of the most explosive slot receivers in the NFL.

Reed finished fifth in the NFL with 10 receptions of 30-plus yards. Miami’s big-play machine, Tyreek Hill, not surprisingly was No. 1 but he had only four more than Reed. Dating to 2000, only Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase (13 in 2021) had more 30-yard catches by a rookie.

Of 41 receivers targeted at least 30 times in the slot, Reed was fifth with 14.8 yards per reception. Crank it up to the 20 receivers who were targeted at least 45 times in the slot, he was second.

3. Christian Watson

Rounding out the passing game was tough. Second-year receiver Romeo Doubs’ numbers weren’t anything special, but he demolished the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs and is an excellent red-zone threat. Receiver Dontayvion Wicks ranked second among rookies with 14.9 yards per reception. As a rookie, tight end Luke Musgrave showed some real field-stretching potential.

But you can’t possibly ignore the Roman candle that is Watson.

“That guy running at you, that can be scary,” Reed said.

Watson has been dominant at times. He looked like a potential star during the stretch of his rookie season. Just when he was starting to get rolling last year, he reinjured his hamstring.

However, the Packers are cautiously optimistic that they’ve found answers for the hamstring issues. He practiced every day during OTAs and minicamp. If he can hit the ground running for Week 1 and stay on the field, it’ll be a challenge for any defense to contain a receiver with such an elite combination of size and speed.

Watson and Love improving upon last year’s 5-of-16 success rate on deep passes will be critical.

“The sheer size and physicality and speed that he possesses, you better know where he’s at at all times because all it takes is one play,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “If he gets a sliver of light, he’s able to outrun everybody on the defense. So, yeah, he definitely changes and tilts the field in our favor when he’s out there.”

4. MarShawn Lloyd

Lloyd, of course, won’t be the No. 1 back. That will be Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing in 2022 and engaged in firecracker fights as a kid. The Packers didn’t re-sign AJ Dillon just so he can continue in his role as unofficial president of the Door County tourism board.

Lloyd, however, brings something special to the backfield. It’s the Fourth, and the “dynamite comes in small packages” saying fits perfectly. At 5-foot-8 3/4, the third-round draft pick isn’t big. But he’s a sturdy 220 pounds with 4.46 speed in the 40. The all-around skill-set made him one of the best backs in the draft class – if not the best back.

Among the running backs in this draft class with at least 100 carries, he ranked second with 7.1 yards per rushing attempt. He turned his 13 receptions into 232 yards. He was No. 1 with 56.7 percent of his rushing yards coming on runs of 15-plus yards. He also was No. 1 in PFF’s elusive rating, a metric that measures the impact of a runner independent from his blockers.

Can he catch? Can he pass protect? Can he improve on shaky ball security? Those are all legitimate questions that will determine his playing time. He wasn’t asked to do much in the USC passing game, and he fumbled far too often. However, in a backfield featuring the powerful Jacobs and the bludgeoning Dillon, Lloyd’s got X-factor potential even in what could be a small and well-defined role at the start.

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It's going to be fun watching the NFC North and its stable of talented quarterbacks. @JacobWestendorf has the story.https://t.co/Qbafdau5sp

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 3, 2024

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