If the passing game is to take a step forward in the 2025 season, the Green Bay Packers must fix their glaring pass breakup problem.
Both Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst preached more consistency in their end-of-year press conferences, and while consistency is often a multi-faceted issue, catching the ball more consistently would go a long way to helping the Packers get there next season.
Drops are a subjective statistic, but almost every stat tracker ranked the Packers as one of the teams making the most mistakes in 2024.
According to Pro Football Focus, receivers dropped 8.3 percent of Jordan Love’s passes, the third-highest rate among qualifying quarterbacks.
According to ESPN Research via Rob DemovskyThe Packers had the highest drop rate (6.3 percent) and second-highest number of drops (29).
According to Pro Football Reference, the Packers had the third-highest number of drops (33) and the second-highest drop rate (6.9 percent).
The biggest offenders were the wide receivers.
Per PFF, receiver Jayden Reed dropped 10 passes, which ranks third among all players. Receiver Dontayvion Wicks dropped seven passes and finished seventh in the rankings, but his drop rate of 18% was the highest of any player. Receiver Romeo Doubs had five tackles.
Pro Football Reference had Reed and Wicks each with nine drops and Doubs had seven drops each. While PFF had Tucker Kraft with just two drops, Pro Football Reference had five.
Both PFF and Pro Football Reference Christian Watson was credited with only two downs, but one down was a sure-fire touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers.
Watson’s loss to the 49ers did not change the outcome, but other collapses in so many close games had a direct impact on the results, especially in several essential games.
LaFleur told The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman that the Packers are tough when it comes to downs, and the team expects any pass that hits a player’s hands to be caught. It’s possible the team has even more declines internally.
Catching a ball is a detailed process that requires excellent hand-eye coordination. Not every throw is created equal, and Love hasn’t always thrown accurately, but when you play receiver, catching the ball – regardless of the situation – is the most essential job in the job description. Consistent foundations and concentration are required.
Talent is not an issue among the Packers receiving group, but creating more consistency in both catching and finishing is an obvious area of ​​needed growth in the 2025 offseason.
