Three big reasons why the Packers have a real shot to win the Super Bowl—and it starts with their rising young quarterback

Jordan Love healthy and developed

Last year, Love suffered an MCL injury in Week 1, in Brazil, and things didn't get better from that. Hamstring, elbow. When he was relatively healthy in the middle of the season, Love played at an elite level. If he can stay away from injuries in 2025, that alone is a big driver for team improvement.

Another factor is how developed and experienced Jordan Love is becoming. He's entering his sixth NFL season, his third as a full-time starter, and you can see how much more comfortable he is.

"Obviously, he's played a lot of ball and along with that, has gained a lot of confidence," head coach Matt LaFleur said about Love. "He's certainly comfortable in helping lead others and telling them what to do. He's a coach on the field. He knows this offense as well as anybody in regards to the details and what we're trying to get accomplished, and I think that he articulates that well to the other players."

If the Packers can get a consistent version of his late 2023 performance or what he did between Weeks 11 and 17 of last year, when healthy, Green Bay automatically becomes a top contender in the NFC.

Offensive ceiling

The Packers had obvious problems with wide receivers last year, including an insane amount of drops. There are two positive pieces of news in this regard, though. The first one is that most of the bad things, like drops, are not sustainable stats. It's difficult to imagine Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks repeating the level of mistakes for another year.

But just in case, the Packers reinforced the wide receiver position with Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third—the team also signed Mecole Hardman in free agency. That elevates the ceiling of an offense that was already fourth in DVOA last season, despite everything that happened.

Matt LaFleur is one of the top playcallers and playdesigners in football. Since he took over in 2019, the Packers have been a top 10 offense in weighted DVOA each and every season. LaFleur offers a high floor by himself, and the added talent could elevate the ceiling to make this a special team.

Jeff Hafley maximizing the defensive talent

For years, it felt like the Packers had much more talent than the defensive performance would indicate. That happened under Dom Capers and Mike Pettine, but especially with Joe Barry as the defensive coordinator. Under Jeff Hafley, things have gone in another direction.

Last year, even with injuries and questionable individual play by important pieces, Hafley was able to design a defense to generate pressure with blitzes without compromising the secondary. The Packers were seventh in defensive DVOA.

There haven't been many additions to the defensive side of the ball this year. Cornerback Nate Hobbs replaces Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, and draft picks didn't come until Day 3 for the defense.

Despite all these issues, Hafley has shown he is able to maximize the defensive talent, and in the NFL this is as impactful as the talent itself.