Saturday, September 10, 2022

Green Bay Packers Week 1 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2022 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Below you will find a Week 1 roundup for the Green Bay Packers in our consensus 2022 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 6

Who's on the hot seat: LT David Bakhtiari

You could put the left tackle into any one of several categories -- bounce-back candidate, hot seat, etc. Whatever you call it, the Packers need Bakhtiari to return to his All-Pro form. But first, they just need him to return. Since he signed his four-year, $92 million contract extension on Nov. 14, 2020, he has played a grand total of only 474 snaps. That includes the 27 snaps he played all of last season. He's due a $9.5 million bonus if he is on the roster next March as part of a $17.5 million payout in salary and bonuses for 2023. If Bakhtiari can't come back and perform at a high level, the days of him being their franchise left tackle could be numbered.

NFL.com -- Rank: 6

Can Aaron Rodgers make it all work? When the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Raiders, then opted not to use either of their two first-round picks on a wide receiver, it served as a reminder of the team's unwavering trust in its MVP quarterback. We buy into this logic to a certain extent -- Rodgers has mastered the game's most vital position, after all -- but it still feels like a massive gamble for a Super Bowl-or-bust team like Green Bay to enter a season with Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb ticketed for prominent roles. Keep an eye on the kids: Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs should get ample opportunity to make a Year 1 impact. Who knows? Maybe the next Davante Adams is already inside the building.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 2

For once, the talk entering the season is all about their defense. If that unit stays healthy, it can be dominant, which has been rare in the Aaron Rodgers era.

The Athletic -- Rank: 8

The good news: Even if Aaron Rodgers isn't able to overcome Davante Adams' departure to turn a wide receiver group of castoffs and unproven youngsters into something special, he's probably experienced an alternate reality in which he did.

The bad news: A lot rides on the health of David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, who are both set to return from knee injuries of varying severity. And even though there are stars on defense such as Jaire Alexander and Rashan Gary, the Packers have been below league average on that side of the ball each of the past two seasons.

Nugget to remember: In Rodgers' 12 healthy seasons as a starter, the Packers have only finished outside the top quarter of the league in offensive DVOA twice, which were both 11th-place finishes. Even with no Adams, a healthy Rodgers should still guarantee offensive success.

The Ringer -- Rank: 4

You know what Aaron Rodgers would say: R-E-L-A-X. Let's not overreact to Rodgers's offseason, which may have included a breakup but definitely included a 12-day panchakarma cleanse, his first tattoo, and aggressively long Instagram captions. The problem is that no detox process or astrological ink is going to help him replace Davante Adams, who accounted for 34 percent of the team's receiving yards last season and now plays for the Raiders. Still, I trust that Rodgers, who has won back-to-back league MVP awards, will make the best of an Adams-less receiving corps led by Sammy Watkins and Allen Lazard. The Packers are a lock for a top-five spot on any 2022 preseason power ranking as long as Rodgers is in a Packers uniform.

Yahoo! -- Rank: 5

Rookie receiver Romeo Doubs is one of the more interesting players to watch this September. He had a good camp and flashed in the preseason. Will a fourth-round rookie really be one of Aaron Rodgers' most important targets this season? That's a lot of pressure, but if Doubs hits big it could transform the Packers.

PFT -- Rank: 5

With a depleted receiver room, the Cheeseheads soon may pivot to ayahuasca.

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