is projecting the Green Bay Packers to miss the NFL playoffs this season, and the reason comes back to the same question Green Bay has been trying to answer around Jordan Love: can the offense be consistent enough to carry the team?
Last season gave the Packers both reasons for optimism and reasons for concern. Green Bay opened with wins over the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, then lost to the Cleveland Browns and tied the Dallas Cowboys 40-40 before going into the bye week at 2-1-1. The team later finished with four consecutive wins, but then closed with four consecutive losses. That stretch summed up the bigger issue for the Packers: the ceiling is real, but the week-to-week production has not always matched it.
Jordan Love's numbers tell part of the story
Love's passing line helps explain why the Packers remain hard to pin down. He finished last season with 15 of 16 games, 13th in yards, 14th in touchdowns, third in QBR and six interceptions. That is a strong enough statistical profile to show starting-caliber production, but it also reflects the inconsistency appears to be weighing in its playoff projection.
For Green Bay, the question is not whether Love can produce good stretches. It is whether he can avoid the rough ones long enough for the offense to stay on schedule over a full season. If that happens, the Packers have a path to competing in the NFC. If it does not, the margin for error gets much smaller.
Changes around the quarterback
The Packers also enter the season with a changed receiver group. This offseason, Green Bay let Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks find other homes via free agency and trade, while Rasheed Walker signed with the Carolina Panthers. Those moves matter because the Packers are asking Love to lead an offense with less familiar help around him.
The defense should still give Green Bay a chance to stay in games. Last season, the Packers ranked 11th in points allowed and 11th in total yards allowed. That is a solid foundation, but it also means the offense does not need to be perfect so much as dependable.
That is why Love remains the central figure in the Packers' outlook. If his passing game sharpens and the new-look supporting cast settles in, Green Bay can challenge a skeptical preseason forecast. If the inconsistency shows up again, may end up looking prescient about the Packers' playoff chances.
