The 3 huge Packers moves that made the difference against the Texans and Jaguars

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has left his fingerprints all over the team’s last two victories. Gutekunst deserves a ton of credit for rebuilding a Super Bowl-worthy roster on the fly in the post-Aaron Rodger era. It was his decision to select Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Although this selection was criticized at the time, it worked and more for the Pack.

They are currently 6-2 and will compete with the 6-1 Detroit Lions in Week 9 at Lambeau Field for possession of first place in the NFC North. However, Green Bay wouldn’t be in this position without the three huge moves Gutekunst made to ensure his Super Bowl-worthy roster fills some holes.

The Packers are excited to have Malik Willis as their backup QB

Malik Willis was thought to have been cleared when the Tennessee Titans traded him to the Packers for a late round pick. Gutekunst wasn’t happy with his two replacements in camp — Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt — so he cut them both and traded for Willis, whom the Titans had selected with the 86th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but who quickly fell out of favor. by Will Levis.

Willis was thought to be nothing more than a driver, but when Love broke down late in Week 1 and was thrust into action, he proved to be a more starter. that useful. Sure, head coach Matt LaFleur tailored Green Bay’s offense to Willis’ strengths — which is manageable passing and some rushing attack — but it can’t be ignored how important he was for the Packers to go 2-0 while Love healed. up.

Green Bay had hoped that was the end of Willis’ run as starting quarterback, but when Love lost in Week 8 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Willis stepped in again and gave Green Bay a huge victory. He completed four of his only five passes for 56 yards, but one of those passes was for a touchdown and the other was a massive throw that set up the game-winning field goal.

“I mean, we were fortunate to have a backup that can step in and really be the guy in there, really be able to create things like that,” running back Josh Jacobs said. said after the matchaccording to the team’s website. “We all said in the group – Tucker Kraft was like, ‘Man, we’ve been here before,’ and we all know how that felt. We just had confidence in him and he came out there and did what he did. ‘he always does.

Josh Jacobs has been everything he was paid to do for the Packers

Gutekunst made another tough decision earlier in the offseason when he let running back Aaron Jones enter free agency. Jones was the heart of the team with Rodgers on the New York Jets, so seeing a fan favorite leave, then join the Minnesota Vikings, was difficult for the Pack. The thing is, Gutekunst came out and replaced Jones with Josh Jacobs, who was an All-Pro running back for the Las Vegas Raiders.

After eight games played this season, Jacobs appears to be on his way to league honors again. He rushed 145 times for 667 yards and three touchdowns. Those marks include 127 yards and two massive touchdowns against the Jaguars.

Especially with Love injured, Jacobs proved to be an invaluable asset for the Packers and he was undoubtedly one of the reasons they won.

Gutekunst made the right choice by calling on kicker Brandon McManus

Gutekunst knew he had to make a change at kicker. The Packers had been trying for two years now to find a suitable replacement for Mason Crosby, and although Gutekunst made a mistake in drafting Anders Carson last season, he was quick to make the necessary changes – which brought in Brandon McManus in Green Bay.

McManus came with off-field baggage, so there was some risk in signing him. But Brayden Narveson (Carson’s replacement) had proven unreliable, and with the Packers firmly in a Super Bowl window, a change had to be made. With playoff games usually coming down to a few points, the Packers needed all the help they could get at kicker.

So far, McManus has paid for the Packers and then some. In fact, he’s mostly responsible for their last two wins as he scored a game-winner against the Houston Texans and followed that up with the game-winner against the Jaguars.

Willis, Jacobs and McManus. Without any of these three players, the Packers might not even have a winning record right now.

As such, Gutekunst deserves a lot of credit.