Week 9 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Packers’ Plunge Continues
GREEN BAY, Wis. – A month ago, following their stunning come-from-behind victory over the New Orleans Saints, the Green Bay Packers were a borderline top-10 team in the NFL power rankings.
Not anymore.
With a four-game losing streak headed into Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Packers’ average spot in our weekly survey of 10 national power rankings is 26.9. They are a bottom-eight team in all 10 and a bottom-five team in three.
Here’s where you’ll find the Packers and Rams. A longer analysis is available by clicking the links.
Sports Illustrated: 25th
Last week: 23rd
The Packers are a penalty-prone team with an inconsistent offense. Conor Orr saw what you saw at the end of the game on Sunday.
“I was re-watching the fourth-and-5 from Sunday, which was Green Bay’s last real shot at climbing back into this game. Beyond the myriad problems we’ve already seen the Packers contend with, I wonder where they are in developing an offense that vibes with Jordan Love. I don’t know what he saw on a play where he shoved the ball into double coverage, but I also didn’t see a lot of open bodies. On the fade previously to Christian Watson, I didn’t see a ton of battling (or a perfect ball, in fairness).
NFL.com: 25th
Last week: 23rd
In Sunday’s loss against the Vikings, the offensive line and defense – which really hadn’t been enormous problems – became the Packers’ latest issues. Wrote Eric Edholm: “Last week, I preached patience with Jordan Love. This week, I am a little antsier. The turnovers just have to stop. I promise if you go back and watch Love's first three games over again, you'll see a different quarterback than the one we've seen in the four losses since. His accuracy, touch and ball placement have been the biggest culprits.”
Pro Football Network: 26th
Last week: 23rd
Dalton Miller saw a “lifeless” offense against the Vikings on Sunday. At 2-5, Miller wrote, “The Packers must seriously consider what direction to go at the deadline.”
ESPN.com: 27th
Last week: 24th.
The theme for this week’s power rankings is ESPN’s QBR. That allowed Rob Demovsky to say this about Jordan Love as part of a larger analysis: “There was a warning sign early in training camp when Jordan Love couldn't connect on many deep balls, and that's perhaps the biggest thing holding him back through seven games. He ranks 31st among all qualified quarterbacks in deep-ball (10 or more yards downfield) accuracy (36%) and has thrown eight interceptions on such throws -- the most in the league.”
The 33rd Team: 27th
Last week: 26th
The Packers have lost four in a row thanks in large part to one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Wrote Ryan Reynolds: “While the defense is talented, it hasn’t played well enough to carry the team. Therefore, if Green Bay is going to improve, QB Jordan Love’s offense needs to take a few steps forward.”
Matt LaFleur's Packers have lost four consecutive games.
Photo by Wm. Glasheen/USA Today Sports Images
Pro Football Talk: 27th
Last week: 24th
Wrote Mike Florio about the state of the Love-led Packers: “It’s too early to give up on Jordan Love, but it’s not too early to start thinking about whether he’s the answer.”
The Athletic: 27th
Last week: 27th
With the Halloween theme of “something scary,” Josh Kendall pointed to the play of Love. “The man Green Bay hoped would take over (somewhat) seamlessly for Aaron Rodgers is 32nd in the league in completion percentage (57.7). Only Zach Wilson has had a worse rate in any season since 2020.” Making matters worse, he’s second in the NFL with eight interceptions.
Yahoo: 28th
Last week: 28th.
Frank Schwab’s weekly rankings led off with the NFL MVP race. No, Love isn’t on the list. “The Packers have gone five straight games without a first-half touchdown. While it's fair to say Jordan Love deserves more than seven games to prove if he can be a starting NFL quarterback, it's sure looking like the Packers' 2024 starting QB isn't on the roster now.”
USA Today: 28th
Last week: 26th
Why are the Packers losing so many games? Because they’re losing every first half. As Nate Davis wrote: “They've now lost four of five, failing to score a first-half TD in all of those games while being collectively outscored 73-9 before halftime.”
CBS Sports: 29th
Last week: 26th
It seems like eons ago since the Packers were No. 7 in Pete Prisco’s power rankings. Now, they are fourth from the bottom. “They are in a free fall right now, and they can't seem to stop it. This season has spun out of control in the worst way. Are they done? It looks like it.”
Next Opponent: Los Angeles Rams
Entering last week, the Rams were 3-4. Three of their losses were by one score. The exception was a nine-point loss to the Eagles, which was a one-score game until the final moments. On Sunday, the Rams were crushed 43-20 at Dallas. It was 33-3 at halftime.
The Rams’ average ranking is 20.7, which isn’t good but is still well ahead of the Packers.
At Sports Illustrated, Los Angeles is No. 22. That’s three spots better than Green Bay.
“The Rams just looked gassed this weekend,” SI’s Conor Orr wrote. “Matthew Stafford was throwing behind his receivers. The kickoff coverage and punt teams were asleep at inopportune times. Their offensive line was lucky it didn’t get Stafford’s arm snapped off on one particular Micah Parsons strip sack. A thumb injury is bad enough. The Rams have some hard questions to answer about where they go from here.”
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