Hello Wisconsin: 5 Big “What Ifs” from the Packers’ 2022 Season

The 2022 season is still technically ongoing for the Green Bay Packers, but most people by now have abandoned any hope of it truly continuing past week 18. 

Coming out of a bye, I’m actually a little more interested in looking back than looking ahead. The game against the Rams this weekend is nearly meaningless; the Packers have only a tiny sliver of hope for a playoff berth that would likely only lead to a first round exit anyway. The Rams are out of this with multiple key players sidelined with injury.

The Packers have looked a bit better lately in some respects, so it’s worth wondering how things might have played out had certain things happened (or not happened) earlier in the season.

Here are a just a few examples.

1. What if Christian Watson had been healthy all year?

Christian Watson barely hit the field in training camp due to injuries, and did not play in the preseason. Most of his first half of the season was lost to a series of frustrating injuries as well, to the point where some morons had started to call him a bust or a bad pick.

What if Watson had been healthy all year leading up to this point? What sort of effect would that have had on the offense earlier in the year? Are there other games that suddenly become more winnable?

I don’t think it’s entirely unrealistic to say a healthy Watson could account for two or three more wins on the season for the Packers. He’s truly made a significant difference for the offense, and in games where the offense was struggling, he may have been able to be a major factor in the team eking out a win.

But also, he’d still have been a rookie. Who knows how he’d have developed so early? Who knows if Rodgers would have even trusted him, especially if he still struggles with drops early on?

2. What if the Packers had a healthy offensive line?

Going along with the injury theme, one also has to wonder how a healthy, cohesive offensive line would have made things different this year.

David Bakhtiari’s injury history is well known. Elgton Jenkins came back relatively early in the year but even then didn’t really come on and start to look like his old self until the last month or so.

Had Bakhtiari never been injured at all, it’s not unreasonable to think the Packers would be back-to-back champions (or at least have won one championship of the last two). But even just this year, his health, along with that of Jenkins, would have made a pretty big difference, especially considering the other deficiencies this team has struggled with on offense this year.

3. What if the Packers had simply won one more game?

A single game could have made a big difference. Had the team beat the Giants, Lions or Commanders, for example, they’d be at 6-7 and at least have one tiebreaker with a team in playoff contention. With the Giants and Commanders tying the other week the tiebreaker there isn’t completely relevant, but still; it’s a very different conversation for the Packers if they were sitting at 6-7 instead of 5-8. 

Just a few plays’ difference and the Packers would have a much greater shot at actually slipping into the playoffs.

4. What if the Packers had made the decision to trade Aaron Rodgers in the offseason?

I certainly do not harbor any delusions that the Packers would be in any better position than they are right now had they decided to go in on Jordan Love and take the king’s ransom for Aaron Rodgers. But it’s hard for me to think they’d actually be significantly worse off in the standings than where they are at the moment.

They’d certainly have a lot more assets, both in cap space and in draft picks, with the potential for another high earned draft pick this spring. 

What would the development of those young receivers look like with a full season of Jordan Love instead of Aaron Rodgers? In fact, what would the development of Love himself look like? It’s fascinating to think about. 

I have been vocally on the “should have traded Rodgers” team since January. And I have a feeling that had people known what would come of this season, many more would have been on that side as well, simply because a lost season with a 39-year-old quarterback isn’t exactly something you want to have to deal with. 

If Rodgers is back next year, the Packers will have another opportunity to run it back with him and try to win one more championship under his leadership. But if this ends up being the only year we have to judge the deal on, then it just further cements the fact that the Packers made the wrong decision.

5. What if the Packers had somehow managed to retain Davante Adams?

Was losing Adams really that big of a factor in the Packers’ descent into mediocrity (and worse) this season?

Certainly, losing Adams had at least SOME role in the Packers’ offensive woes this year. But what would have happened had the Packers actually brought Adams back?

Of course, Adams actually would have had to have been willing to stay in Green Bay, which he wasn’t. But say for the sake of argument he was.

First, the Packers likely wouldn’t have re-signed Rasul Douglas or De’Vondre Campbell. Probably doesn’t make that much of a difference for the defense this year, considering how bad they’ve been. 

Second, it’s hard to say if the Packers draft Watson or Doubs (or at least both) if Adams is around on a new deal. Sure, the Packers still would have needed some wide receiver help with MVS being gone, but they likely wouldn’t have felt as pressured to take a receiver early, and certainly not to trade up for one was they did with Watson. 

Adams might have made the difference of a few games this year. But so too may have a healthy Watson. Ultimately, in the long-term interest of the Packers, having guys like Watson and Doubs to work and grow with is something of a blessing.

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I spent my afternoon on Black Friday heading out to several breweries around Milwaukee to grab their special releases. I already shared one Component Brewing Company beer I purchased on that day: a s’mores stout. Now I’m going to share another: a pretty solid Christmas ale/dark lager called Ho Ho Hold My Beer.

Coming in at a healthy 7.1 percent ABV, this winter ale is malty with just a little bit of spice that is befitting of the holiday season. 

I also purchased a barrel-aged variety of the same beer that I’m saving to crack open on Christmas Eve. Very much looking forward to that one!

Component has grown nicely over its few years in Milwaukee. They recently moved into a new taproom (same building but significantly more space) and have a nice patio area now as well, with regular new releases. Highly recommend paying the Lincoln Warehouse a visit if you’re ever in the Milwaukee area; you can hit three breweries and a distillery all in the same building!

Around the NFC North

Once again we’ll take a quick look around the NFC North at what the Packers’ rivals are doing.

 

• The CHICAGO BEARS are coming out of the bye with nothing but draft position to look forward to (much like our own Packers, really). They have a legitimate chance at having the top overall pick in the draft, and they’re certainly a team that needs it. The Bears could easily spend such a pick on a tackle, edge rusher or playmaker of any type. Or, if they wanted, they could even trade down just a few spots and get an even bigger haul. But as for this season? Just riding it out at this point.

 

• The DETROIT LIONS are suddenly one of the league’s hottest teams and a team that not a whole lot of people probably want to take on at the moment. They’re playing at a level of confidence that far exceeds their team’s actual talent. It helps that Jared Goff is actually playing like a franchise quarterback and not someone the Lions just grabbed out of convenience until they could find a real long-term replacement. Jamaal Williams should be a pro bowler, by the way, and it’s extremely well earned!

 

• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS are sitting at 10-3 and yet not really scaring anyone. The are a contender in the sense that this is a very weak NFC, but is there any team in the conference that would be frightened about having to go into their stadium to take them on? We may very well be looking at a repeat of 2017 with the Eagles laying the smack down.

 

Final Look: Rams at Packers and Week 15 Picks

It’s hard to get very excited about Monday night’s game. The Rams are dead and in contention for the top pick in the draft. Their injury list is obscenely long. The only meaning this game has is to give the Packers false hope and worse draft position.

That being said, I’m still cheering for the Packers to win, because of course I am. And they probably will. But the response will be little more than “meh.”

Packers 23, Rams 17

 

WEEK 15 PICKS

 

49ERS over Seahawks

VIKINGS over Colts

RAVENS over Browns

BILLS over Dolphins

EAGLES over Bears

LIONS over Jets

PANTHERS over Steelers

CHIEFS over Texans

SAINTS over Falcons

COWBOYS over Jaguars

CARDINALS over Broncos

PATRIOTS over Raiders

CHARGERS over Titans

BENGALS over Bucs

GIANTS over Commanders

PACKERS over Rams

 

LAST WEEK:  8-5

SEASON TOTAL: 121-87