The Green Bay Packers, 2-1, have played some good football to start their first year of the Jordan Love era. No one wanted to see Aaron Rodgers' 2023 season start off in such a devastating way, but the truth is that the Packers do look prescient for transitioning from Rodgers to Love when they did.
An optimistic view will tell you that Jordan Love is coming along nicely, and without two of the team's best offensive weapons in Christian Watson (has not played) and Aaron Jones (only played in Week 1) thus far.
A more pessimistic view will tell you the Packers have only outscored their opponents in six of 12 quarters thus far. A late comeback against New Orleans in Week 3 was exciting, but the Saints were without the first two running backs on their depth chart, and Jameis Winston was throwing the ball for the entire second half.
So, the Packers, despite their winning record, can not rest on their laurels, especially after they needed a masterclass in offensive performance from Jordan Love in the fourth quarter to win on Sunday. With an all-important divisional game on Thursday night, these players are possibles to lose starting jobs if they struggle to perform.
Jon Runyan
Here's a stat Packers fans should love: The offensive line is protecting the quarterback, having given up zero sacks so far this year. Love has been sacked three times but those can be attributed to non-OL blockers or Love's own decision-making, at least according to Pro Football Focus.
That's great news, especially considering David Bakhtiari has been out the last two weeks and is expected to miss Week 4 as well. He is the highest-graded PFF OL player in the NFL this season, albeit in just his one game.
That doesn't mean things have been perfect on the line, though, and Bakhtiari's replacement, Rasheed Walker, is sure to lose his starting role if he doesn't perform well or if Bakhtiari gets back to the fold in Week 5.
Walker has given up two hurries, two hits, and two penalties, all worst among lineman for Green Bay. He's got massive shoes to fill, to be sure, but also is struggling compared to his starting counterparts.
Joe Runyan's seat is getting hot, too. He has given up one QB hit and one hurry, but the Packers don't have many replacement options for him since their only other guard is Royce Newman and Sean Rhyan, both more comfortable on the left side. Zach Tom, questionable for Thursday night, has been another sore spot.
Jaire Alexander
The Packers pass defense has been middle of the road so far this year. Not great, but also not bad. Just good. Sometimes, that's all you need, but every team, of course, wants to be as good as possible. This is an area they could look to make some changes.
Alexander has the fourth-worst grade in coverage among cornerbacks on the Packers roster, and has allowed a second-worst 75 percent of targets to go completed, a team-worst 103 yards and second-worst 17.2 yards per reception. A surprising development for the two-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro.
Alexander is questionable for Week 4 against the Lions, so he may earn some grace if he struggles in the matchup, especially considering he is typically matched up with the best receiver on the other side. Keisan Nixon has a better grade in coverage and could earn some extra snaps if Alexander is limited, and a strong performance might bump him up to starter if the Packers have any doubts about Alexander moving forward.
The Lions bring Amon-Ra St. Brown to the matchup, who Alexander could very well be tasked with defending. At limited health, that might not be a fun one to watch...
Ultimately, it would be a bit of a shock to see Alexander lose his starting job altogether, but no doubt it could be in question for a few weeks especially if he is not at full strength.
Jayden Reed
Jayden Reed, all things considered, has performed quite well for a rookie wide receiver. He has an inexperienced -- but clearly, competent -- quarterback throwing him the ball and has racked up nine receptions that have moved the sticks (eight first downs) for 49.3 yards per game and 7.4 yards per target.
Reed was launched up to a starting role after Week 1, and he may not be for long, or even tonight, with Christian Watson expected to make his season debut.
Reed has the lowest catch percentage and is the only player to have dropped a pass (he has dropped two of his 11 catchable targets).
The other reason Reed is possible to get moved back to a bench role is that he's great situationally... The Packers have given him 25 percent of his targets in the red zone, and five of his catches have been for 30 yards or more. When the Packers need a big play or to go up for six (two touchdowns this year), he can easily be placed in. He'll be impactful even without the "starter" designation, and as a rookie, it may also be a better way to ease him into a larger role.
Reed had solid games in Weeks 1 and 2 but struggled slightly against a strong New Orleans Secondary in Week 3, where Dontayvion Wicks actually took a step forward.
Thanks to Watson's return, the Packers may have been likely to bring Reed off the bench even if he performs well in Week 4. The good news is Reed is not a bad player, and Love clearly has plenty of youthful receiver depth to utilize.