The Green Bay Packers receiving corps has come a long way this season. The group started the season inexperienced and inconsistent. By the end of the 2023 campaign, they started to take their game to another level and became an effective and dangerous group capable of making a difference in any game. Here is one big reason for the success of the Packers receiving corps:

Reason for the Success of the Packers Receiving Corps: Not Locking onto One Target

The Packers young receiving corps does not have a go-to-guy. Jordan Love has not locked on to one particular receiver who is clearly the best and most dangerous weapon in his arsenal. Both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers had one receiver they locked onto for large portions of their careers.

Favre initially had Sterling Sharpe. In 1992, Favre’s first season as the starter, Sharpe caught 108 passes. The next highest receiver, tight end Jackie Harris, had 55.

For large chunks of Rodgers’ career, he focused on Davante Adams. In 2020, one of Rodgers’ MVP seasons, for example, Adams caught 115 passes. The next highest receiver on the roster was tight end Robert Tonyan with 52.

But this season, Love spread the wealth around. Jayden Reed led the Packers with 64 catches followed by Romeo Doubs with 59. After that, Dontayvion Wicks caught 39 passes, tight end Luke Musgrave made 34 catches and Tucker Kraft 31. Running back Aaron Jones made 30 catches and Christian Watson added 28.

“Jordan just has a knack for every receiver,” wideout Bo Melton said. “Our job is to get open as receivers, tight ends, running backs, for all to get open, and Jordan puts the ball right where it’s supposed to be every single time.”

This keeps defenses guessing as to who will get the ball on any particular play. Love simply looks for the open receiver and throws it to whoever that is.

Reason for the Success of the Packers Receiving Corps: Variety Game to Game

Not only has Love thrown the ball to different receivers over the course of the season, but the leading receiver has changed from game-to-game. This also makes it tougher for defensive coordinators to game plan

The Packers did not have a 100-yard receiver in any of the first 15 games of the regular season. Since then, they’ve had three straight games with a 100-yard receiver. It was done by three different players.

Against Minnesota in Week 17, Melton caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. One week later against the Bears, Reed caught four passes for 112 yards. In the first playoff game in Dallas, Doubs stepped up and caught six passes for 151 yards and a score.

Spreading the Love

In the last nine games of the season (including the playoff win in Dallas) when Love’s game truly picked up, the Packers had six different players lead the team in catches and six different players led the team in receiving yards. In three of those games, there was a tie between two or more players for the lead catches.

In catches, Doubs led or tied for the lead in three games, Wicks, Melton, Kraft, Watson, and Reed each led the team twice.

Meanwhile, Doubs led the team in receiving yards three games, Wicks led the team twice while Watson, Kraft, Melton, and Reed each led the team once.

Obviously, injuries played a role in these numbers. Watson missed games with a hamstring injury and was limited in others. Reed missed one game and Musgrave was out for six games. Melton wasn’t even on the active roster for all of these games, filling in when injuries struck other players.

The Future Looks Bright for the Packers Receiving Corps

With all this talent, the Packers appear to have a bright future at wide receiver and tight end. Kraft and Musgrave can give the Pack their best duo at tight end since Keith Jackson and Mark Chmura in 1996. The Pack has so many talented young receivers that a productive player like Malik Heath wasn’t even active against Dallas.

With the emergence of Jordan Love as an elite quarterback and a young receiving corps that gives him plenty of choices and complimentary skill sets, opposing defenses will have their hands full with the Packers defense in the coming years.

 

 

Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

Click here for more great Packers coverage