NFL

2017 NFL Power Rankings: Preseason Edition

Brandon Gdula  —  @gdula13 Jul 20th, 2017
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4. Green Bay Packers, 2.47 nERD

Ah, the Green Bay Packers and Vikings are tied according to the algorithms. That's fun.

The Packers went 10-6 last year (and were 4-6 to start) on a point differential of +44 and ranked fifth in nERD (3.61). The offense bounced back from a 12th-place finish (and 18th in passing without Jordy Nelson) by NEP to finish 5th and 6th, respectively. The rushing attack also improved, bumping up to 7th in the NFL in 2016 after finishing 15th in 2015.

Defensively, the Pack slid from 11th to 22nd, and it was the fault of the pass defense, which finished 23rd by our metrics in 2016. Green Bay's first four picks in the draft were defensive players, and the first two were cornerback Kevin King (32nd) and safety Josh Jones (61st).

The offense is good enough -- and just added Martellus Bennett -- to push for double-digit wins again, and it'll be up to the pass defense not to lead to a let down season.

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