Steven Helmer Publications

OK. I've had a few days to let Saturday's playoff loss to the Chicago Bears sink in, gotten my anger and frustration out of the way via social media and am ready to move on to the offseason. And yes, I know the NFL will keep playing on even though the Green Bay Packers are now eliminated but I honestly don't really care enough about any of the other teams to stay interested. So, before I move on to other things until August (or at least the NFL draft), here are my final thoughts about the season: This is a new NFC North, and the Packers need to adjust. Head Coach Matt LaFleur was 39-10 his first three seasons with the Packers but the 2019 Minnesota Vikings were the only other team with a winning season during that three-year span (the Bears went 8-8 when they made the playoffs in 2020). The Detroit Lions have had a winning season in each of the years since and each division rival has won the NFC North at least once in the past four years. This year, all four teams had a win...

My thoughts from today's Green Bay Packers ' 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals . Jordan Love seems to be finding his rhythm. He wasn't 100 percent when the Packers played the Minnesota Vikings and there was still some rust last week, I think. Today, a healthy Love did his damage both with his arm and his legs. The only black mark was the interception, which only happened because Bo Melton slipped while the ball was in the air. He also found a total of nine receivers. Xavier McKinney didn't end up with his sixth 2024 interception , but the defense continued to take the ball away. So far, Jeff Hafley seems to be a great addition at defensive coordinator. If the edge rushers can start getting more pressure on the quarterbacks, it could be the best defense the team has had in a long time. It was great seeing Romeo Doubs have an impact. Green Bay handled last week's drama as best as it could and both parties seem willing to move forward. That second touchdown ca...

 My thoughts from last night's 33-10 Green Bay Packers victory over the Minnesota Vikings last night. Happy New Year Wisconsin. The Packers aren't in the playoffs yet and I'd be wary of assuming the Chicago Bears will be an easy victory next week. However, after a late-season slip made the postseason seem like a pipe dream, they once again control their own destiny. Win next week and they are in. Once again, why isn't Jordan Love mentioned in the MVP conversation? To be clear, I don't think any quarterback deserves it this year, even though that likely will wind up being the case anyway. And I'm not going to say Love should win it. However, despite having a young team and throwing passes to practice squad players because of injuries, he has more passing yards than Jalen Hurts, has just two less touchdown passes than Dak Prescott and less interceptions than Patrick Maholmes. Considering this was written off as a rebuild year, he should at least be considered. Spe...

 My thoughts from the Green Bay Packers' 33-30 win over the Carolina Panthers earlier today: This was a little too close for comfort. It was essentially a repeat of last week's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only with a win rather than a loss. The offense played well, the special teams didn't have any game-changing mistakes, but the defense was once again a liability. In fact, if it wasn't for some great clock management by the offense on the final scoring drive, there's no reason to believe the defense could have prevented the Panthers from tying or winning. I know there are benefits to being in the booth but after seeing Matt LaFleur lighting up Devonte Wyatt following his second offsides penalty, I have a hard time believing the defense wouldn't be better with Joe Barry on the sidelines, where he can be part of the action. That said, part of me wonders if maybe things have deteriorated to the point LaFleur wants to keep him as far away as possible. I...