The Green Bay Packers' season hit a new rock bottom on Sunday with a gut-wrenching 23-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. On the surface, it's a bad team (3-6) losing to a good team (6-3). But, we should probably pump the breaks on calling the Steelers good.
Green Bay had every opportunity to win Sunday's game, but poor execution on both sides of the football doomed the Packers down the stretch. Credit to Pittsburgh for a tough, physical, grind-it-out win, but a loss to Matt Canada is sure to leave any franchise wondering "what exactly is the problem here?"
The Packers now have six losses 10 weeks into the season. Any preseason delusions about Jordan Love replicating Aaron Rodgers' immediate success in Green Bay are out the window. This team has a lot of problems.
If the franchise's direction wasn't clear before the season, it is now. The Packers need a proper rebuild, and that starts in full in 2024. We can't possibly know how different next season's roster will look this far in advance, but we can helpfully suggest a few prudent expulsions to get the ball rolling.
Here is who the Packers should bid adieu in the offseason
3. Christian Watson
Okay, he's only 24 years old. But, the Packers need to rebuild around the right pieces. Christian Watson's second NFL season has been a blanket of disappointment. He began the season dealing with a hamstring issue, but he is six weeks into his season. At a certain point, in the ignominious words of Ben Simmons, a player is what he is.
On paper, Watson is the Packers' clear WR1. He is blessed with great physical tools at 6-foot-4, and his rookie production — 611 yards, seven touchdowns in 14 games (11 starts) — was a source of optimism for many as Green Bay's offense transitioned beyond Rodgers. Unfortunately, Watson's follow-up has gone awry. He has caught 14 of 33 targets in six starts, including a difficult 2-of-7 night on Sunday.
Aside from a 91-yard anomaly in Week 5, Watson's season-high for a single game is 37 yards. He has been a complete afterthought in an offense in which he is billed as the top wideout. Watson struggles to gain seperation on routes and he frequently fails to make even routine grabs. He has only posted a reception percentage above 50 percent once this season — a Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos in which he caught 3-of-5 targets for 27 yards.
That won't cut it.
Green Bay's other young wideouts, such as Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs, have been far more encouraging. Perhaps Watson needs a full offseason to get right, or even a change of scenery, but it's hard to have confidence in his Packers future right now.
2. Jordan Love
Jordan Love has been far from terrible this season. It is not difficult to canvass the NFL for first, second, or third-year QBs who have shown far less promise. Love has the arm talent to one day become a legitimate starter, but it's a dicey bet. His output has not been up to par in 2023.
It's only Love's first season as the full-time starter in Green Bay, but it's his third season in the NFL. He had two years as the understudy to the greatest QB talent west of New England, but so far, he looks mostly ineffective week-to-week. For every flash throw down the field, there's a back-breaking mistake under duress.
Love has completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 2,009 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in nine starts on the season. The Packers' offense continues to croak late in games, with Sunday's loss to the Steelers standing as a prime example.
While there's reason for sustained belief in the 25-year-old, it can be difficult to endorse rebuilding around a potentially mediocre QB. With a lot of NFL quarterbacks, it becomes apparent relatively early whether or not they have "it," whatever that "it" factor may be. Love hasn't unearthed "it" yet, and the Packers' offense is worse for it. Matt LaFleur is a widely acclaimed offensive coach, but unless the QB can operate efficiently within the system, it's hard to field a consistent winner.
What makes Love such a prime candidate to go one-and-one as the Packers' starter, however, is the strength of the QB class in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Packers won't land in the Caleb Williams zone, but Bo Nix? Michael Penix? Shedeur Sanders? Those names bear watching, and could convince Green Bay to switch things up under center.
1. Joe Barry
The Packers' offense has been a mess, but the primary culprit for their loss Sunday — and the majority of their losses this season — is the defense. Joe Barry has been the Packers' defensive coordinator since 2021. Matt LaFleur has remained committed to Barry through thick and thin, but with the Rodgers shield no longer in place, it's clear something has to change on the coaching front. It starts with the D.C.
Green Bay gave up 205 rushing yards to the Steelers in Week 10. Kenny Pickett was relatively muted in the pocket — 14-of-23 passes for 126 yards — but that's what Kenny Pickett is, muted. The Steelers' offense, famously mismanaged under Matt Canada, pretty much only gets by on the run. The Packers could do little to stop them, despite the predictable approach.
Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris aren't tier-one great running backs either. The Steelers' offensive line isn't particularly dominant. Pickett doesn't have the arm or the processing speed to beat blitzes on a regular basis. One has to imagine a better defensive coordinator would have put the Packers in better position to exploit the Steelers' flaws.
This has been a common theme all season for Barry and the Green Bay defense. He has a few solid vets at his disposal, but his prized defensive rookie, Lukas Van Ness, has looked completely out of his depth. Is that a Van Ness problem, or a defensive coaching staff problem? Green Bay should want to figure out quickly after investing the No. 13 pick in the Iowa product.
FanSided's Cody Williams summed up the Barry fatigue perfectly when placing blame for Green Bay's loss to Pittsburgh.
"This isn't anything new for Barry, though. Whether it's boneheaded decision-making such as this (or a number of other instances), personnel decisions that make no sense, generally bad play-calling, or just looking the part of a bad defensive coordinator, it's all familiar territory for Packers fans who have been calling for him to be gone for some time."
It's past time for the Packers to make a switch at defensive coordinator. If Matt LaFleur doesn't do it soon, he could end up sacrificing his own job.