Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #4
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #4
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Giants, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, Panthers, Raiders, Browns, Texans, Jets, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Washington Football Team, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Broncos, 49ers, Eagles
We have arrived at the final four, these four teams will be playing in the conference championships per my predictions.
We have been playing Madden 21 for a little over 3 days now, and I've got to say I'm excited. This is the most excited I've been for a cycle in awhile, and mostly because the gameplay is great. Parity seems to be at an all time high, but that will change once the real games start getting played.
With that being said, let's take a look at the first of four teams I believe are going to compete for the right to win the 62nd RZ Bowl.
#4 - Green Bay Packers (Lefty)
(13-3 Projected Record)
2nd Seed, Loss in NFC Championship Game
Is there any coach that you trust more in this situation?
The Packers were one game away from the Super Bowl in 2019, and entered an offseason with a clear vision - upgrade the weapons around Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and make another run at a title.
What did the Packers do? They traded up in the 1st round to draft quarterback Jordan Love, and took power back A.J. Dillon in the 2nd round. In a draft that was known to be an embarassment of riches at the wideout position, the Packers did not take one.
They hired former head coach Lefty Greenhalgh to return to Green Bay to lead them back to stability after the tenure of Patrick Allen. This is the kind of guy you want when drama and turmoil fill your locker room, but just how good can this Packers team be? Let's find out.
One Big Question
Coach Lefty returns home to Green Bay, with a major question already - when will the Aaron Rodgers era end? With a surefire path to a division title, can Rodgers bring one more title to Green Bay?
There is no doubt when you take a look at the current layout of the NFC North, that Lefty is the favorite to run away with this division. Talking heads around the Red Zone have even gone as far to say that it is his division for the cycle, the rare user to sweep a division for 10 seasons.
With newcomer RFox in Detroit, the disappointing Beat in Chicago, and a total wild card of Eikim in Minnesota, it's just easy to annoint Lefty right now, then it is to make a case for one of the longshots.
So, we are in a bit of interesting pickle for the Pack, as they have to make a decision on the young Jordan Love sooner rather than later. Aaron Rodgers is still elite, and is still very capable of leading this Packers team to a title, despite the recent addition of talent to the NFC (Kad, Ernest). Everyone knows how important the first year is to the development of a rookie, especially at the quarterback position, is Lefty willing to forego that to make a run?
I think he is in a unique spot, due to his division. I would say that the pressure of a competitive division would have Lefty stay with Rodgers just to stay in the hunt, but with the lack of talent at head coach, he could go either way. Honestly, he could use the regular season to develop Jordan Love, and get him ready for the postseason.
What do I think he will do? He is going to start Aaron Rodgers. Too much respect for the veteran, and really too much of a financial commitment to not start him. Rodgers gives him the best chance to win now, and come playoff time, his experience will be key.
I think Aaron Rodgers has at maximum, two years remaining in Green Bay. Jordan Love will ride the bench his rookie year, developing in practice and from watching #12, and then he will push Rodgers in his second training camp and preseason. When Rodgers is on the field, the title window for Green Bay is open, and they are no doubt a favorite in the NFC.
One Big Schedule Issue
Well let's get the obvious out the way first, if you read anything above this you know I have Green Bay going 6-0 in the NFC North. The NFC North will face the AFC and NFC South this season, giving Green Bay easy wins against Jacksonville, New Orleans, Carolina, and Atlanta.
The most difficult games on this schedule actually are all pretty close together.
Week 9 - @ 49ers (Ernest)
Week 11 - @ Colts (Jake)
Week 13 vs Eagles (Adel)
Week 16 vs Titans (Roc)
The beginning of the Packers schedule is very easy, with my lone loss being given to them in Week 6 when they travel to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady and Tauph. I have them going 3-3 against teams with winning records, with losses against the aforementioned Bucs, the 49ers, and sneaky Houston in Week 7.
The nice thing about this schedule, is that the 6 difficult games are spread out between games against Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, etc. Green Bay will coast to a double digit winning season.
Reasons for Optimism
Well let's start with the obvious, that despite all the drama, Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback of the Packers. Despite what some call a downswing of his career, the guy is still consistently a top 5-6 quarterback in the league, and will be an efficient leader of this offense.
Aaron Jones has been terrific since he started receiving meaningful snaps for the Packers, and as the lead horse last year, he accounted for 20 touchdowns. He will likely be the engine that runs this offense, along with the very deep group of backs including rookie A.J. Dillon and Jamal Williams.
The weapons around Rodgers at receiving options are thin, but Davante Adams is a legit top 5 wideout in football, and should lead the team in all receiving numbers. Finding the number 2 behind him will be key for the future, as that guy is not currently on this roster.
The protection around Rodgers is fantastic, starting with left tackle David Bakhtiari, who is one of the best in the league at his position. Second year left guard Elgton Jenkins figures to continue to develop, while center Corey Linsley has consistently been a top 10 center since he took over.
Defensively, the Packers essentially did a makeover last year through free agency that worked brilliantly, and it started with pass rusher Za'Darius Smith, who was an absolute monster for Green Bay off the edge. He plays on a line with the monster in the middle, Kenny Clark who is one of the best defensive tackles in football.
The secondary is much improved, with budding star Jaire Alexander at corner, along with Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan, this is a young improving group. The safeties are solid too, with Adrian Amos the veteran presence, and the young Darnell Savage ready to continue to grow after a strong rookie campaign.
Reasons for Negativity
The pickle that the Jordan Love draft pick has put the Packers in has been discussed at great length, but without playing him right away, I don't see how Love will be the quarterback he could potentially be.
Lefty will have to look for ways to upgrade the right side of his offensive line early, as Billy Turner and Ricky Wagner are not the answer. The departure of Bryan Bulaga for Wagner is a loss that will be felt immediately.
Defensively I'm not excited about anyone in the front seven besides Smith and Clark. Preston Smith was solid for Green Bay last year, but is making $16 million for the next 3 seasons. Oren Burks and Christian Kirksey are not very good at inside linebacker, and are both slated to start for the Packers. Kirksey is also making $12 million over the next two seasons, a headscratching contract.
Green Bay has a lot of decisions to make in terms of extensions, they'll be freeing up $20 million in cap, but have a few big players to sign. Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams, David Bahktiari, Corey Linsley, and Kevin King. Williams seems like an obvious cut candidate, but Jones, Bahktiari, and Linsley will command big money.
Last Word
It seems Green Bay's season will really begin in the playoffs, unless monumental injuries or collapse takes place. Lefty is a tried and true coach, and has proven regardless of the situation, he can get his team into the playoffs. Now once he is there, can he put his team in the best situations to emerge victorious?
He is a power runner, ball control kind of coach. This team is currently built for that, with the 3 deep running back room, great o-line, and one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He is a patient GM, and will add around this core, not break it up for quick fixes.
I expect a title to come to Green Bay, but I expect it with #12 under center, not #10. Honestly, I don't even know if Love is the future...