For Aaron Jones, the Green Bay Packers have now demonstrated that when they play their best football, they are a playoff club.
Jones made the announcement on Sunday, following their Week 16 victory over the Carolina Panthers, which kept them in the playoff race and increased their prospects of capturing a Wild Card position.
It wasn’t an easy win over the Panthers, and their performance raised some questions about their defense. But what matters is that the Packers got the job done, winning 33-30 to improve to 7-8 on the season, tied with the Minnesota Vikings.
Jones told reporters after the game that the Packers “definitely feel like a playoff team.”
“We show when we’re playing our best ball that we can compete with anybody,” the Packers running back stated, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.
On offense, Aaron Jones and the Packers looked like a playoff club on Sunday. Jordan Love came through big time, completing 17 of his 28 throws for 219 yards and two touchdowns while not throwing an interception. Love and AJ Dillon each recorded a rushing touchdown.
Jones led the team in rushing with 21 attempts for 127 yards. In comparison, the rest of the team has only 35 rushing yards.
It’s no surprise that the Packers won with such a well-balanced offense.
Are the Green Bay Packers, led by Aaron Jones, a playoff team?
For what it’s worth, Aaron Jones’ assertion isn’t as outlandish as some believe. While the Green Bay Packers do not have a winning record, it is worth noting that they had a three-game winning streak from Weeks 11 to 13 when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions in consecutive games.
The Lions will make the playoffs in 2023, and the Chiefs are almost certain to make it as well.
Unfortunately for the Packers, a sluggish start to the season in which they went 3-5 in their first eight games harmed their playoff chances down the line.
It’s not too late for the Packers yet. They are now ranked ninth in the NFL Playoff Picture, so there is still hope. To qualify, they will need to hope that the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams fumble in their final few games, while they win out.
It won’t be easy, but the Packers, as Jones stated, have all the makings of a playoff-caliber squad. They only need to demonstrate it when it counts.
