The time has finally come. The Green Bay Packers' season starts on Friday, when the team faces the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, the first NFL game in Brazil's history. After overachieving in a year that was expected to be a reset season in 2023, the Packers enter 2024 with real expectations.

Jordan Love is the franchise player and became the highest-paid player in the league, the offense has ascending pieces everywhere, and the defense has renewed expectations under new coordinator Jeff Hafley.

Before the regular season starts in South America, let's discuss five topics that still bring question marks for Green Bay.

Will Jordan Love play better, the same, or worse?

Love played good, not great football in the first half of last season, and in the second half, he was arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. Overall, it was a really promising and positive season for Love. Now, what he can truly become is a huge factor for the Packers' season.

If he keeps developing in his second season as a starter, Love will have real MVP aspirations. If he plays like the did over the entire season, Green Bay will compete for a playoff spot, but maybe not for the Super Bowl. But if Love regresses (which doesn't seem like a probable scenario, but it's in his range of outcomes), Green Bay might be in big trouble short- and long-term.

After all, it's the biggest and most important factor of the season for the Packers.

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How many weak links does the offensive line have?

The Packers are comfortable with both of their tackle spots, with Zach Tom being an ascending star and Rasheed Walker developing into a solid starter. Elgton Jenkins is a Pro Bowl-level left guard, so there are no worries there either. On the other hand, center is an obvious issue. Josh Myers hasn't played at a consistent level since he was a second-round pick in 2021, therefore it's fair to say he is a weak link until proven otherwise.

The big question mark is the right guard spot. Sean Rhyan is expected to start, but rookie first-round pick Jordan Morgan can take the position over throughout the season. Rhyan hasn't been more than a part-time player, and Morgan didn't take a single preseason snap, so it's impossible to know how well (or bad) they will play in 2024.

If the Packers have only one weak link, it's easier to adjust and protect it. But when 40% of the line isn't solid, it's a much bigger issue.

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How much impact will the rookies have?

Based on the unofficial depth chart, safety Javon Bullard is the only rookie draft pick expected to start for the Packers — the other rookie starter is kicker Brayden Narveson, claimed off waivers from the Tennessee Titans. Morgan would be a starter, but the shoulder injury during training camp affected his growth.

Linebackers Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'Ron Hopper will be backups, and running back MarShawn Lloyd is a rotational piece behind Josh Jacobs. There's also safety Evan Williams, who's behind Bullard but has a real shot to be a defensive contributor early on.

It's usual for rookies to have a relatively slow start, so head coach Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff make the young players earn more playing time. If the rookies develop fast and the Packers can have some immediate production, that's highly beneficial for their short-term plans as well.

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What will the defense look like?

Jeff Hafley was a DBs coach under Robert Saleh with the San Francisco 49ers, so his schematic roots indicate a Seattle Seahawks' classic cover 3, single-high approach. That's what he ran as the head coach at Boston College as well.

But now the NFL has changed, and even coaches from that tree, like Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, have evolved to more diversified schemes, including two-high coverages (hi, Vic Fangio) and post-snap disguises (hi, Mike Macdonald).

The Packers will face Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson over the first two weeks of the season, so even the approach of these games against running quarterbacks might not be a real indication of what this defense wants to be. It might take six, maybe eight weeks for us to have a clear picture of Hafley's ideas and how he wants to implement them on this roster.

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Is the kicking game a problem?

Anders Carlson was certainly a problem last year, even missing a key 41-yard field goal against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. That's why they tried so hard to replace him during training camp. After signing and cutting Jack Podlesny, James Turner, and Greg Joseph, the situation came from waivers.

The Packers claimed Brayden Narveson from the Titans, and the rookie might not have as big of a leash as Carlson had last year being a sixth-round pick. Green Bay needs to solve the kicker issue, and Narveson is the most recent addition. If he plays well, great, as he's cheap and under contract for three seasons.

If he's bad, general manager Brian Gutekunst may be forced to look for another answer.

How to watch and stream the Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles regular season opener

Packers and Eagles face off in São Paulo on Friday