Have the Green Bay Packers Assembled a Super Bowl Defense?

It’s been far too long since the Green Bay Packers have fielded a complete defense… has that time finally come?

It’s not only been more than a decade since the Green Bay Packers won a Super Bowl. The team’s 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Arlington (XLV) marks the last time the franchise made a trip to the “Big Game.” Since then, the team has come up short numerous times, most notably the past three years under current head coach Matt LaFleur.

There were NFC Championship Game setbacks in both 2019 and 2020. The first was at San Francisco and the latter at home to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But this past season’s postseason failure may have been one of the bitterest pills to swallow. The 49ers came away with a stunning 13-10 victory at Lambeau Field in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The Packers kept Kyle Shanahan’s offensive unit out of the end zone. However, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense never got untracked after a great start. And LaFleur’s special teams had a forgettable evening.

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Defense Has Taken A Holiday

More times than not over the last 10-plus years, the defense has hampered the club’s efforts in getting back to the Super Bowl. During the Rodgers Era, the team has played in 21 postseason games. The Packers have allowed an average of 26.0 points per contest in those outings. The club owns an 11-10 record in those tilts and in those setbacks have given up 33.5 points per game. And that’s what makes this past season’s playoff loss so surprising as well as disappointing considering Joe Barry’s unit did not allow the Niners’ offense to reach the end zone.

Still, this is a defense that may have allowed the ninth-fewest total yards in the NFL each of the past two seasons. But a closer look shows the Packers’ flaws when it came to stopping the run. Green Bay was tied for 13th in the league in rushing defense in 2020. The club was 11th this past year in the same department. Those are so-so numbers that must improve sooner than later.

Does the signing of free-agent interior presence Jarran Reed (Chiefs) – who joins a defensive front that includes two-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry – as well as the additions of former Georgia Bulldogs Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt in April’s draft make a difference when it comes to the front seven? Can the Packers successfully stop the run and make life easier for a solid group of pass rushers such as Rashan Gary and Preston Smith?

When it comes to winning a Super Bowl, you had better had the ability to stop other teams consistently from controlling the line of scrimmage. Now would be a good time for the Packers to make that happen.