Packer Central

Packers in Top 10 of NFL.com’s Power Rankings

With the official start of the 2024 NFL season four weeks away, the Green Bay Packers are ranked eighth in NFL.com’s preseason power rankings.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes the ball to tight end Luke Musgrave on Tuesday at Packers training camp.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes the ball to tight end Luke Musgrave on Tuesday at Packers training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are No. 8 in preseason NFL power rankings assembled by NFL.com’s Eric Edholm.

From a rankings perspective, what a difference a year – and a quarterback – can make. The Packers were 22nd at this time last year as they entered the great quarterbacking unknown with Jordan Love replacing Aaron Rodgers.

Twelve months ago, the question was whether Love would be good, bad or something in between.

Love wasn’t just good during the second half of the season. He was great. Down the stretch, he was first in the NFL in passing yards and touchdown-to-interception ratio, second in passer rating and touchdowns, and third in completion percentage.

With that, the Packers gave Love a record-setting contract extension.

Now the question is whether that was the right move, considering Love’s resume consists of a turnover-prone stretch of seven games of eight touchdowns vs. 10 interceptions followed by one sensational nine-game stretch of 21 touchdowns vs. one interception.

That’s what Edholm wondered in his lengthy breakdown of the Packers. However, he concluded:

“Love can shift that narrative pretty quickly with a 2024 season that mirrors last year’s second half. I think the Packers remain the biggest threat to the Lions in the NFC North, with the Bears and Vikings still in a transition period of sorts, at least to start the season. Green Bay’s defense could dictate how far the team ultimately goes, but the offensive line isn’t fully salted away, either.”

Edholm’s power rankings practically matched the Super Bowl championship odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. The Chiefs are No. 1 and the betting favorites to three-peat, followed by the 49ers, Ravens, Lions, Eagles, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills. Where it finally breaks is with Green Bay, as the Packers are tied for the ninth-shortest Super Bowl odds while being Edholm’s eighth-best team.

Based on the rankings, Packers vs. Eagles in Brazil in Week 1 will be a heavyweight showdown.

As is the case with the Packers, the Eagles’ fate will hinge on quarterback Jalen Hurts. In this case, will he rebound to his 2022 form, when he led the Eagles to 14 wins in his 15 starts? Or will he be the same turnover-prone quarterback as 2023, when his interception count soared from six to 15?

“The good news is that Hurts has looked good to start camp and should be back in the playmaking saddle again,” Edholm wrote. “The Kellen Moore hire [as offensive coordinator] felt a bit strange at first, and setting protections without Jason Kelce won't be a finger snap, but I can see this offense returning to dominance again in time.”

Green Bay is viewed as a legitimate challenger to the Lions in the NFC North because of the rise of Love and some key additions on defense.

The Packers will kick off their three-game preseason on Saturday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland is a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under of 39.5.

Love will start for the Packers.

“I’m excited just to be able to get the feel of the season getting started, so get out there, see how long we’re out there,” Love said this week. “Any time you get to be on the field, I think it’s a good opportunity to work on things, get better, things like that.”

More Green Bay Packers Training Camp News

Latest news and analysis: New kicker’s crazy story | Zach Tom is back | Tucker Kraft on his comeback | Takeaways from first depth chart | Rookie Ty’Ron Hopper adjusting to NFL | Roster projection 2.0 | Week 2 medal winners | Week 2 stock report | New outlooks for Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks | Javon Bullard looking smooth | Kicking competition enters next phase | Eric Wilson vs. Edgerrin Cooper | Rookie progress report

Training camp highlights: Practice 12 | Practice 11 | Family Night | Practice 9 | Practice 8 | Practice 7 | Practice 6 | Practice 5 | Practice 4 | Practice 3 | Practice 2 | Practice 1 


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Bill Huber

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.