Packers will need ground game humming to close a chilly 2025 schedule

Green Bay plays outside in cold-weather every week in December and while Jordan Love has shown he can pass in those conditions, the running game will have to be ready.

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All four games in December will be played outdoors in cold-weather cities. How much does that affect the Packers offense?

Peter Bukowski: We’ve seen Green Bay handle cold weather effectively under Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love. We’ve also seen Packers receivers drop passes under the most idyllic conditions. Green Bay struggled in the rain against the Detroit Lions last season, including a slew of drops on third down and in the red zone.

Going back to Aaron Rodgers, there’s been a burbling among Packers fans that perhaps the team is better suited to play indoors and therefore going on the road for postseason games, so long as they’re not in, say, Philadelphia, may be the best thing for the offense. A few fans on social media have even suggested a dome over Lambeau, a prospect too sacreligious to even contemplate.

Starting November 10th against the Philadelphia Eagles on a Monday Night, the Packers finish the season with seven of eight games outdoors before ending the year with the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

All four December games will be outside, including one at altitude in Denver that splits a home-and-home with the Chicago Bears.

It’s not a coincidence that the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs have moved away from receiver-heavy spread offensive attacks toward a more balanced approach. Ball control and defense still win in January.

Green Bay finished last season third in DVOA rushing the ball, which accounts for schedule, time, and score.

It will have to be the defense that allows the Packers to stay in favorable run situations, as the group struggled early in games against the Vikings and Lions. Jeff Hafley’s unit performed well against the Eagles in the playoffs, but the offense couldn’t do anything against Philadelphia’s top-ranked defense.

Creating explosives will be key. Last year, Josh Jacobs mashed opponents and created some chunk runs, but he’s not the kind of running back who will be asked do his damage by ripping off 40-yard plays. Marshawn Lloyd’s emergence on this team could provide that. Even if it’s not 40-yard plays, it could be a play that starts off as four yards but turns into 14 because he’s a dynamic athlete with explosiveness and the ability to make defenders miss in space.

At USC, Lloyd averaged almost four yards after contact per attempt, well above the 75th percentile despite his 210-pound frame. He also finished third in the nation in Pro Football Focus’ “Elusive Rating,” which combined missed tackles forced and yards per attempt after contact.

If Lloyd can be the slasher and Jacobs reprises his role as the hammer, this ground game can carry the Packers offense as they did much of last season while Love dealt with injury. But the defense has to make it matter.

As much as it pains Jason, Matthew Golden’s 22 appears to be staying

PB: First, Golden appeared alongside Savion Williams at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event decked out in his now-signature No. 22. Then he posted “Granny, ya babyboy made it. I know you (sic) looking down at me smiling,” with pictures of him in said jersey number.

Remember, Golden said he asked for 22 because of his grandmother. Not 2. 22. Yes, her favorite number of 2, according to Golden, but he asked for 22 as an homage.

There’s still speculation and conspiracy theories around when the Packers website says they’ll ship Golden’s jersey and why there could be a delay, but for the moment, we’re going to have to operate under the assumption this is Golden’s number because that’s the number he wants.

If Jason doesn’t want him to be happy, that’s his choice.