The Athletic’s Overrated/Underrated Includes Packers, 49ers

The Green Bay Packers are “flying under the radar” and appear ready to emerge this season as legitimate Super Bowl challengers.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) looks to pass against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (2) during their NFC divisional playoff football game. / Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin /

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Who are the most underrated and overrated teams entering the 2024 NFL season? The Athletic’s Mike Jones picked four of each. If true, his selections would have major implications for the Green Bay Packers’ place in the Super Bowl chase.

The Packers are one of the underrated teams.

“The Detroit Lions have garnered a lot of attention this offseason, and rightfully so after their march to the NFC Championship Game,” Jones wrote. “But the Packers are flying under the radar and appear poised to make a surge in 2024 thanks to the growth of Jordan Love, addition of running back Josh Jacobs and veteran safety Xavier McKinney, and impact rookies like offensive tackle Jordan Morgan and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.”

Green Bay started 3-6 last year, with Jordan Love throwing a league-high interceptions. However, with Love a league-best plus-17 touchdowns vs. interceptions, the Packers went 6-2 down the stretch to finish 9-8. Next, they blew out the Dallas Cowboys and almost upset the San Francisco 49ers, who almost beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Speaking of the 49ers, they are one of the four overrated teams.

The last five seasons, San Francisco 49ers have advanced to four NFC Championship Games but have nothing to show for it. They lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowls following the 2019 and 2023 seasons and lost in the conference championship games in 2021 and 2022.

“Kyle Shanahan always gives them a chance, and Brock Purdy again has a talented supporting cast, although Brandon Aiyuk faces an uncertain future,” Jones said.

Questions, however, “loom over the defense,” Jones continued. Shanahan replaced defensive coordinator Steve Wilks with Nick Sorensen, who has never been an NFL coordinator. There were major personnel losses on defense, too, with Arik Armstead, Chase Young and Javon Kinlaw leaving in free agency and standout linebacker Dre Greenlaw out with the torn Achilles sustained in a freak incident at the Super Bowl.

Moreover, if the 49ers couldn’t win a Super Bowl with Brock Purdy leading the NFL in passer rating and posting the best yards per attempt since 2000 and Christian McCaffrey staying healthy and leading the NFL in rushing yards, total yards, total touchdowns and total touches, how will they be as dominant this year?

“The 49ers hope to put another heartbreaking Super Bowl defeat in the past and make another run at a ring,” Jones concluded, “but doing so could prove more challenging than many expect.”

Fox Sports analyst Greg Olsen, however, still thinks the Niners are the team to beat.

“Until proven otherwise you have to imagine the conference goes through them,” Olsen said. “Obviously being in the Super bowl six months ago, five months ago, you can argue that they are just going to continually get better, keeping a lot of those pieces together, especially the stars.”

He added: “It’s as talented of a roster as there is in the NFL. They are paying their quarterback relatively nothing compared to the market and they have arguably the best coach and the best scheme. So, they have all the boxes checked, and until someone prove otherwise, the NFC still feels like a San Francisco race.”

This offseason, the Packers released linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. With Greenlaw out, the 49ers signed Campbell to help fill the void.

“They don't care about anything other than winning,” Campbell told Justin Melo for 49ers Web Zone. “That was my first impression. That's what I saw during the six-to-eight weeks I was here. The owners, the GM in John Lynch, being around Kyle Shanahan, our entire staff, all they ever talk about is getting back to the big dance.

“That's what it's all about. That's what we're in the business of, this is a performance, results-based business. They don't care about anything other than winning.”

The Packers have a Super Bowl vibe, too. With some key additions on defense and a new defensive coordinator to pair with an ascending offense, the Packers believe they’re a contender, as well.

“You can tell the energy around the building from top to bottom is great, especially on defense having a whole new staff, a whole new life,” star defensive end Rashan Gary said. “We’re loving it on defense. With the offense, man, I love their swagger.

“It’s not like last year at all. We come back, everybody works day in and day out. Like I told everybody, come back 1 percent better than what we were today when we left. We’re going to be fine and where we want to be.”

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