Now that Green Bay has hired its new defensive coordinator, it’s time to reflect on Adam Stenavich’s 2023 season as offensive coordinator.
The Turnaround of Adam Stenavich
Rough Start
Frankly, things started out rocky for Stenavich. The Packers were in a tailspin at 2-5 after looking feisty out of the gates in Week 1. Stenavich took over as the Packers offensive coordinator before the 2022 season, but there have been reports that Aaron Rodgers ran his own plays last season. This made it hard to gauge just how well Stenavich was faring as coordinator.
With Jordan Love under center, Stenavich was tasked with building an offense around a young quarterback and young skill players. Not exactly an easy task for a first-time coordinator.
Rising the Ranks
Stenavich cut his teeth in the NFL by spending years as an offensive line coach. After one season in San Francisco, Stenavich came with LaFleur in 2019 when he took the Packers head coaching job. Under Stenavich, the Packers offensive line was one of the league’s best units. The pairing of Stenavich and Luke Getsy helped Green Bay cruise to consecutive NFC North titles. The offense also established itself as one of the league’s best. Once Getsy bolted for another gig, Stenavich was tabbed as his successor.
But a seven-week stretch of inconsistent offensive performances left many to wonder if Stenavich was cut out for the job. Further adding to the skepticism around Stenavich was the fact that Green Bay’s offense was stalling out against mediocre defenses. Love was the leading rusher in two of those contests. The offense was also having a difficult time getting things going in the first half of their games.
The Jones Effect
Something changed, though, once November rolled around. Aaron Jones got healthier, which unlocked the offense in many ways. The mere presence of Jones allowed Green Bay to keep opposing defenses honest. Jones is one of the rare running backs who can bounce a run to the outside for a big score, and also gash teams on inside runs. Having him back was one of the big turning points for the team. This is also what began the turnaround of Adam Stenavich.
Around Jones, the Packers were able to establish a more consistent rushing attack. From Weeks 1-8, the Packers rushing attack generated more than 100 yards twice. Going forward, the team failed to top 100 yards on the ground only once (per pro-football-reference). To say that the running game was a key to the offense would be an understatement. While Love began playing some of his best football after November began, the effectiveness of the offense was largely predicated on the run game.
Stenavich and LaFleur, then, were able to build a more dynamic offense around their run game. This was reflected by Love’s hot streak to finish the season. It was also displayed in how the offense was able to keep rolling without relying on one receiver to carry the load. It took until the Packers Week 17 clash with the Vikings for a player to top 100 receiving yards. Considering Love threw for more than 3,500 yards going into that game (per ESPN stats), this is an impressive feat. Add in the fact that the Packers receivers are all young, and it is a true testament to Love, LaFleur, and the turnaround of Adam Stenavich.
Stenavich and the offense have found their groove. In a wide-open NFC, there’s reason to think the Packers are heading in a positive direction.
Main Image: MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK
