No one knew quite what to expect from the Packers heading into the 2023 season because Jordan Love was a new starter at quarterback and the team was inexperienced in several other areas after bringing an end to the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay.
After 14 games, it looked like the season would end in disappointment as the team was 6-8 and out of the playoff mix but they saved their best play for the end run. Three straight wins to close the regular season got them in the playoffs and Love led a rout of the Cowboys in Dallas to open the playoffs. The season ended with a tough 24-21 loss at the 49ers the next week, but the overall picture provided a lot of hope for the future.
During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Love said the team is not looking at 2024 as another stepping stone toward their ultimate goal. Love said that the year of experience he and others have gotten under their belts as well as the addition of players like running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney has the team setting the bar as a high as possible in 2024.
“It’s a great feeling, man,” Love said. “We’re all very hungry for this upcoming year. Like you said, the confidence from top to bottom is there. The organization believes that it’s the perfect time to have a chance to win a Super Bowl this year. Those conversations we had after that 49ers game were ‘Work harder, try and find ways to get better, because next year we’re gonna do it,’ There’s no more ‘we’re a young team,’ there’s no more of those what ifs. People know what we’re about now. Obviously, we’ll have that target on our back now, people are gonna want to beat us. We’re hungry.”
Turning that belief into reality won’t be easy, but the Packers know they have their quarterback and filling in the rest of the puzzle is a lot less daunting once that piece is in place.
