Steven Helmer Publications

My thoughts from last night's 30-13 Green Bay Packers ' win at the Seattle Seahawks : The Packers exorcised some of their Seattle demons. Green Bay has had some infamous defeats against Seattle, whether it was the Fail Mary game or the fake punt disaster that cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. Most of the current roster wasn't around the last time they lost in Seattle and the reboot seems to be working. This game was mostly about Green Bay's defense. Despite injuries in the secondary and losing linebacker Quay Walker, the defense ended the game with seven sacks and two interceptions. Just as important, that unit kept Seattle from ever getting into the game, even when the offense fizzled out a bit in the second half. Once key pieces, like cornerback Jaire Alexander, return, it theoretically could even be better. Jordan Love is growing as a passer. It's sometimes easy to forget he only has 30 career starts and probably hasn't peaked yet. However, the growth is...

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...

 Here are some thoughts from the Green Bay Packers ' 24-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams yesterday. It was good seeing Jordan Love getting his first win this season. If the Packers would have lost this game, leaving him 0-3 on the year after Malik Willis went 2-0 in his absence, I'm not sure there wouldn't have been a quarterback controversy. I doubt the Packers would have benched him since they are paying him a lot of money, but I'm sure there would be plenty of "experts" suggesting it. Love needs to be more careful with the ball though. He has five interceptions in the three games he's played in, including his first ever pick 6 in this one. Not all of them have been his fault but he's not playing at an MVP level, as people thought he would. The drops were a bit frustrating. Not all of the dropped passes were easy catches but players like Dontayvion Wicks , who was targeted seven times but only caught two passes, need to step it up a bit. There...

 My thoughts from last night's Green Bay Packers' 27-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs: Green Bay is giving a new definition to the term "rebuild." The Packers, like most teams, might not have used that word but that's what this season was supposed to be. The willingness to part ways with a veteran player like Rasul Douglas mid-season is evidence of that. However, Green Bay is proving a rebuild year doesn't need to mean you finish near the bottom in the league. If the season ended today, they'd be in the playoffs with two key wins that should make the higher seeded teams a bit nervous. Jordan Love for League MVP? OK, this is admittedly an overreaction from the Packers reaching .500 on the season. Or is it? Statistically, he's right up there with the MVP favorites and he's putting up those numbers with rookie and second year receivers. If the Packers finish the year in the playoffs, I think he needs to at least be in the conversation. I mean, did...

My thoughts from today's 29-22 Green Bay Packers' win at the Detroit Lions. This felt like David defeating Goliath. Or maybe a better description would be it was like watching a sports movie, the kind where a team gets their asses handed to them early on then faces the same team later and wins. At minimum, this was a completely different game than the Packers 34-20 loss earlier in the season and brought and brought an end to a recent losing streak against the Lions. Another great thing about this win was there wasn't a "but." The Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams, "but" Matt Stafford wasn't playing. The Packers beat the New Orleans Saints, "but" they lost David Carr. This time they beat one of the best teams in the league with no excuses. Jordan Love just might be the real deal. Not that I had much doubt about that. Two not perfect but solid games in a row and he seems to be feeling comfortable in the pocket. Just as important, the Packer...

 My thoughts from today's Green Bay Packers' 20-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams. There is still a lot for Green Bay to work on but winning certainly helps. It wasn't always pretty but the victory gives the Packers something to build on. At minimum, it's better than fifth-straight loss. The defense deserves the game ball. Yes, they were up against a backup quarterback. But they controlled the run, kept one of the league's deepest receiving corps in check and made the plays that were gifted to them, making it a lot easier on Jordan Love and the offense. Romeo Doubs has already become Love's favorite receiver, but I feel like rookies Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed have also moved ahead of Christian Watson in the receiving pecking order. Watson has talent but just can't seem to get on the same page as Love consistently, possibly because of the amount of time he has missed in his first two seasons due to injury. Even his lone catch in this contest resulted i...

 My thoughts from the Green Bay Packers' 19-17 loss to the Denver Broncos today. The offense is young, but at some point, that ceases to be an excuse and other explanations for the struggles on that side of the ball need to be considered. Matt LaFleur's offense tops that list. Is the Packers' head coach really an offensive genius? Or were Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams bailing him out in his first seasons? On that note, defensive coordinator Joe Barry gets a lot of grief from Packers' fans but other than the game against the Detroit Lions, the defense has kept the team in games. With the league rules giving advantages to the offense, that's really all you can ask for. Jordan Love needs to play better. It's his first year as a starter and it's not all on him. However, back-to-back late game interceptions aren't exactly something that makes it easy to have faith in him. In this game, Romeo Doubs looked wide open with the first down when Love forced the ...

Now that quarterback Aaron Rodgers has officially been traded to the New York Jets, a new era is starting in Green Bay. For some, the change at quarterback is signaling a rebuild year in 2023. I am not one of the people who believes that. I'm not saying the team won't have its struggles but there are three big reasons why the Packers aren't starting over from scratch even without their former 4-time MVP. First, Jordan Love isn't a rookie. While he may not have played much since the Packers drafted him in 2023, fans shouldn't dismiss the experience he has gained in practices. This includes practicing with the starters throughout much of the regular season last year because of Rodgers' thumb injury. This isn't unlike Rodgers, who sat behind Brett Favre for three years before getting his chance. Rodgers only played in 7 games during his first three seasons, attempting 59 passes. Love has played in 10 games and has attempted 83 passes. And unlike Rodgers when Fa...