The Packers have endured 12 weeks of highs, lows, and injuries, but arrive at their bye with a commanding lead in the NFC North.
At 9-3, the Green Bay Packers head into their bye week 3.5 games ahead of the Vikings in the NFC North and in striking distance of the conference’s top playoff seed. The Packers’ most recent victory came on Sunday by a touchdown over the Rams in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.
But as secure as Green Bay is for a playoff spot, it has had to deal with injuries, distractions, and more over the first 12 weeks. Later-season bye weeks are tough to reach healthy, but once they arrive, it allows for teams to get an extra rest ahead of the stretch run.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (toe) and running back Aaron Jones (knee) in particular could use the extra week of rest as they deal with nagging injuries.
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Green and Gold by the Numbers
Record: 9-3 (No. 1 in NFC North, No. 2 in NFC, No. 2 in NFL)
Rushing offense: 106.7 yards/game (No. 21 in NFL)
Passing offense: 248.3 yards/game (No. 10 in NFL)
Total Offense: 355.0 yards/game (No. 15 in NFL)
Scoring offense: 23.6 points/game (No. 16 in NFL)
Rushing defense: 102.5 yards/game (No. 8 in NFL)
Passing defense: 219.2 yards/game (No. 9 in NFL)
Total defense: 321.7 yards/game (No. 7 in NFL)
Scoring defense: 20.2 points/game (No. 5 in NFL)
Lambeau Field Attendance
- The Packers rank second in the NFL in average attendance this year, bringing in 77,984 fans per home game — approximately 96% of Lambeau Field’s official capacity.
- That number is a slight increase from 2019, the most recent non-pandemic season. That year, the Packers were third in average attendance, with Lambeau averaging 77,845 fans a game.
- The Packers have drawn 389,923 total fans in their five home games so far, which is 14th overall in the NFL but No. 1 among teams with five-or-fewer home games to date.
Packers Payroll ROI
The Packers’ four highest-paid players by total 2021 cash are:
QB Aaron Rodgers: $22,364,706
RB Aaron Jones: $14,214,705
LT David Bakhtiari: $13,270,543
WR Davante Adams: $12,687,500
Rodgers is the third-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL and is ranked fourth in terms of cap percentage (14.54%). He’s put together a strong — if not entirely representative of his salary — season, ranking ninth in the NFL in passing yards, sixth in passing touchdowns, and throwing only four interceptions.
Jones has been the top running back on the team, but splits carries with AJ Dillon, which has knocked down his overall numbers. Still, it was smart to lock up the 26-year-old, who has been in Green Bay long enough to prove his worth but still has a solid chunk of his 20s remaining.
Bakhtiari and the Packers agreed to a record-setting contract last year that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history, only for Bakhtiari to tear his ACL just weeks later. He still has not played this season and recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which has set him back further.
As for Adams, he is the second-highest-paid wide receiver in the league by salary cap dollars — and has been worth the money this year. He’s second in the NFL in receiving yards and fourth in total receptions, and those numbers come despite him missing a game.
Fantasy Perspective
In standard PPR fantasy football formats, Rodgers and Adams are in the top 10 of their respective positions in average fantasy points per game. The duo of Jones and Dillon lead the team on the ground, ranking 13th and 22nd among RBs respectively. They’ve split opportunities almost evenly — Jones has 133 carries to 128 from Dillon — and total yards.
The loss of tight end Robert Tunyan severely hampered fantasy production at that position, and the complementary receivers alongside Adams are more dependent on Rodgers’ brilliance and possible favorable week-to-week matchups than being fantasy studs on their own.
The biggest surprise is that the Packers’ defense and special teams are top 10 in the league, averaging a steady 7.3 points per game. The Packers don’t have any one player having an all-time great individual season. But much like the team’s on-field success, there is a measure of consistency among its main contributing parts.
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