NFL Odds and News: Packers in Peril

NEWSNFL
July 1, 2025

NFL Odds and News

Packers in Peril: Five Green Bay Stars Who Must Rebound to Save the 2025 Season

 

Optimism may surround the Packers after a promising offseason, but any serious move toward a Super Bowl run hinges on the resurgence of underperforming veterans. Betting markets are adjusting to free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, and NFL Odds surrounding Green Bay reflect tempered optimism rather than complete confidence in the current roster. 

Still, those futures tickets won’t cash if several key players don’t return to form after disappointing 2024 campaigns.

The Green Bay Packers don’t necessarily need breakout seasons from rookies or miracles from new free agents. What they do need is for established contributors to rediscover their prime production. The road back to playoff contention will be paved by familiar names who failed to deliver last year.

 

Kenny Clark Has to Be Dominant Again

 

Kenny Clark carried the highest salary-cap charge of any interior defensive lineman in the NFL last season, and his production fell off dramatically. 

After racking up 7.5 sacks and 61 pressures in 2023, he slipped to just one sack and 33 pressures in 2024, per PFF. Injuries, including an ankle issue sustained in Week 1, and difficulties adjusting to scheme changes, contributed to the decline, but it was staggering nonetheless.

The defensive lineman enters 2025 with a cap hit of roughly $20.37 million, ranking him eighth among his positional peers. With no significant additions around him and a defense that relies heavily on his interior disruption, Clark must return to his 2023 form. Anything less will leave the Packers vulnerable up front and drag down their pass rush once again.

 

Rashan Gary Must Become More Than Just a Run Defender

 

While Rashan Gary earned his first Pro Bowl selection last year, that honor masked an underwhelming season as a pass-rusher. Green Bay’s run defense improved in part due to his effort on the edge, but he failed to deliver as a consistent pressure source. He produced nine sacks and 22 quarterback hits in 2023, but those totals dropped to 7.5 sacks and 15 hits in 2024.

PFF tracked Gary with 60 pressures two seasons ago, ranking 20th among edge rushers. That number dipped to 47 last season, placing him outside the top 30. For context, Aidan Hutchinson logged 45 pressures in just five games. Despite earning Pro Bowl honors, Rashan Gary has yet to reach a double-digit sack total in a single season. For Green Bay to contend, that narrative must change.

 

Luke Musgrave Cannot Vanish from the Game Plan

 

Luke Musgrave seemed primed to shine in his debut campaign until a kidney ailment brought things to a halt. He had 33 catches for 341 yards in ten games. Over seven games last season, he totaled only seven catches for 45 yards. A lingering ankle injury requiring surgery sidelined him after Week 4, but his role had already been shrinking before then.

During the season’s first four matchups, he managed five receptions for just 22 yards. His snap count dropped significantly from his rookie campaign, averaging 27 snaps per game compared to 40 the year prior. 

According to offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, having Musgrave healthy again is crucial for reigniting Green Bay’s stagnant play-action strategy. If he can regain his early form, Musgrave could become an essential mismatch piece in 12 personnel.

 

Dontayvion Wicks Must Capitalize on Being Open

 

Few players had as dramatic a regression as wideout Dontayvion Wicks. After an eye-opening rookie season in which he averaged 14.9 yards per catch and caught 68 percent of his targets, Wicks collapsed in 2024. His catch rate fell to 52.7 percent, his yardage dropped to 415, and his average per reception dipped by more than four yards.

PFF showed his drops climbed from two in 2023 to eight in 2024, while his contested catch rate plummeted to 21.4 percent. Despite these numbers, Wicks was still heavily targeted, second only to Jayden Reed on the team, because of his ability to get open. 

Wicks is consistently creating separation, and in Green Bay’s system, that earns opportunities. But unless he converts those chances, his spot on the roster could be in jeopardy come camp.

 

Jordan Love Must Deliver Superstar-Level Consistency

 

Quarterback Jordan Love entered 2024 needing to prove he could build on his strong second-half run from the year before. Instead, his season mirrored the inconsistency of his early starts in 2023. While his yards per attempt improved from 7.2 to 8.0, his interception total remained stuck at 12 despite throwing 154 fewer passes.

Love experienced a dip in completion percentage, sliding from 64.2 to 63.1. Drops from wideouts like Wicks hurt, but Love struggled with accuracy and decision-making under pressure. Head coach Matt LaFleur still backed his quarterback, saying the team has complete confidence in Love.

Green Bay fans have seen this script before. Both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers achieved their first Super Bowl victories during their sixth professional seasons. For Love to follow that path, he must recapture the sharpness he showed late in 2023 and elevate his consistency. The Packers now need Love to consistently rise to that level of leadership on a week-in and week-out basis and improve their NFL odds.

 

High Risk, High Reward

 

The Packers’ futures are tempting. With NFL Odds shifting based on the potential for a second-half breakout, Green Bay sits on the cusp of being a sharp NFL Betting value pick. But whether they exceed win totals or contend in the NFC hinges on these five names stepping up. 

Clark must reclaim his status as a game-wrecker. Gary needs to become a double-digit sack threat. Musgrave has to emerge as a weapon. Wicks must hold onto the ball. Love has to play like a franchise quarterback.

It’s all possible. But if even one of these pieces falters again in 2025, the Packers may find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture once more. The names are familiar. Now they need to deliver results.

 

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