Green Bay Packers: 10 Bold Predictions for 2021 Season

Rashan Gary records 10 sacks for the Green Bay Packers

Rashan Gary finished with two sacks his rookie season, five in 2020, and this year, I’m predicting that he reaches 10. For starters, he was only on the field for 44 percent of the defensive snaps last season, and even with Preston Smith still in the mix, Gary should absolutely see his playing time increase.

We also saw Gary take a step forward in 2020, finishing second on the team in both sacks and pressures, and based on what we’ve seen and heard from training camp; he appears poised for another big step in Year 3.

"“You talk about a guy that puts everything into whatever it is he’s doing … and you see it paying off for him,” LaFleur said via Packers.com. “He’s going to be a big-time player for us, and I think he’s going to be a big-time player in this league for a really long time.”"

Kenny Clark sets a career-high in sacks

Clark’s career-high in sacks is 6.0–a mark that he’s hit twice over his career, once in 2018 and again in 2019. He posted those sack totals while primarily aligned as the 0 or 1-tech (nose tackle) on the defensive front. This is a role where it can be difficult to produce as Clark often faced double-teams.

But this season, with the addition of TJ Slaton as well as Joe Barry’s defense, which, as Dean Lowry noted, allows the defensive front to move around more to find favorable matchups, we are likely going to see less of Clark in the 0 and 1-tech alignments and more snaps lined up closer to the offensive tackle. This should create more one-on-one opportunities and should lead to more sacks.

1,700 combined rushing yards for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon

Over the last two seasons, the Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams one-two punch combined for 1,544 rushing yards in 2019 and 1,609 in 2020. Jones would lead the way, posting 1,084 yards two seasons ago and 1,104 yards in 2020. While I don’t think that Jones will quite reach that level of production again because he will see fewer snaps as a way to help keep him healthy over the course of the season, AJ Dillon will make up the difference and then some.

Green Bay Packers defense forces 18 interceptions

Last season, the 11 interceptions that the Green Bay Packers came away with were tied for 18th among all teams and was a steep dropoff from the 17 that they forced in 2019. But this year, I’m predicting that they bounce back in a big way in the turnover column.

While the defensive stats didn’t always reflect it, there are several playmakers on this defense, and in the secondary this season, we will see more of that big-play ability from Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, and others. Alexander and Savage are still ascending in their young careers and are big plays just waiting to happen, while Amos looked incredibly sharp during training camp this summer.

The secondary will also benefit from a more effective and consistent pass-rush this season, which should create more turnover opportunities, and from a coverage standpoint, I really like the addition of De’Vondre Campbell at linebacker.