The Green Bay Packers made plenty of mistakes down the stretch that cost them the game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. Jordan Love threw two interceptions, Darnell Savage and Keisean Nixon dropped interceptions, and Anders Carlson missed another kick.
Additionally, head coach Matt LaFleur continued to struggle with how to manage his timeouts late in the game.
All of these mistakes proved costly, but at the end of the day, the 2023 Packers have a great deal of which they can be proud. Despite the late turnovers, Love proved that he is the Packers’ next franchise quarterback. When it all comes down to it, that was the most important question Green Bay needed answered this season.
Additionally, their young core of wide receivers and tight ends played extremely well overall this season, improving dramatically as the season went on. Indeed, it appears like the Packers have both positions set for the future with young stars like Jayden Reed, Luke Musgrave, Romeo Doubs, and Tucker Kraft.
Despite missing six games with injuries and being extremely limited in multiple others, running back Aaron Jones also turned out to be a huge positive for the Packers this season. His leadership both on and off the field helped build vital team chemistry and his production late in the season helped lead the team into the playoffs in the first place.
Aaron Jones Became the First Green Bay Packers Player with 5 Consecutive 100+ Rushing Yard Games
In their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Jones rushed 18 times for 108 yards. According to the broadcast, he became the first Packers player ever to run for over 100 yards in five consecutive games:
- Week 16 at Carolina: 21 carries for 127 yards
- Week 17 at Minnesota: 20 carries for 120 yards
- Week 18 vs Chicago: 22 carries for 111 yards
- Wild Card at Dallas: 21 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns
- Divisional Round at San Francisco: 18 carries for 108 yards
Ahman Green never ran for over 100 yards in five straight games, even in his incredible 2003 season that saw him rush for 1,883 yards. That year, he did have a stretch of four consecutive games with 100+ yards rushing, including a 29-carry, 192-yard performance in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Incredibly, that was not even his highest single-game rushing total of the year. In Green Bay’s Week 17 win over the Denver Broncos that year, Green had 20 carries for 218 yards.
Aaron Jones Should Be Back with the Green Bay Packers in 2024
For the past few years, one of the questions going into each season has been “Will this be Aaron Jones’ final season in Green Bay?” Every year, people assume that it will be. Jones, however, always finds a way to prove his doubters wrong.
As mentioned earlier, the Packers answered plenty of questions in 2023, and the annual Jones question should be one of them. He absolutely should be given the opportunity to play out the final year of his contract. While he did miss games with injury, a healthy Jones proved that the Packers’ offense is oh so much better with him on the field.
He may not have many seasons left in his legs, but it is clear that he has at least one more, and the Packers would be wise to capitalize on it.
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