When a team comes close to getting to the Super Bowl, the expectation is that they will come back the following season and be ready to make another deep run. It’s never quite that simple, though, especially when that team is playing on one of the tougher divisions in the NFL. The NFC North sent two teams to the postseason last year, and with the Chicago Bears looking to bounce back and challenge again, we could be looking at a tough battle in the North. The Green Bay Packers made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game last season and have a very good team again this season. Let’s take a closer look at their schedule for the coming season and their NFL odds.
Green Bay Packers Schedule Analysis
Strength of Schedule
One of the things that we commonly look at when trying to figure out how a team will do in any given season is their strength of schedule. While it is certainly a decent indicator of probable success, we also need to remember that good teams lose to bad ones every single season, so you can’t just look at the Packers playing one of the bottom dwellers from last season and automatically pencil it in as a win. As far as strength of schedule goes, the Green Bay Packers find themselves in the middle of the pack. The teams they play this coming season had a combined record of 128-126-2 last year.
Draft Drama for the Packers?
The rumor last season was that the relationship between new Packers coach matt LaFleur and QB Aaron Rodgers was rather icy. Both men played it down, and if there was an issue, they certainly put it aside once the games began. That said, the Packers sent a bit of a shockwave through the league when they traded up to land QB Jordan Love in the first round of the draft. They are still insisting that Rodgers is their man, but will that be the case a year or two from now when Love is ready to start?
Primetime and Featured Games
There are a few teams that are always going to get plenty of time in the primetime spotlight, and the Packers are certainly one of those teams. They will be making their way to national television no less than 5 times this coming season. The first of those dates is in Week 3, when they hit the road to face the New Orleans Saints in what should be a thriller. They are back in primetime in Week 4 with a Monday night game versus the Falcons. The remaining 3 primetime games are Week 9 on the road at the 49ers, Week 12 at home to the Bears, and then Week 16 when they will host the Houston Titans at Lambeau Field.
The toughest run of games for the Packers this coming season looks to be the 4-week stretch between Weeks 6 and 9. They will face the Buccaneers, Texans, and 49ers on the road, with a home game against the Vikings in the middle of that run.
The Green Bay Packers Complete Schedule
- Sept. 13 at Vikings
- Sept. 20 vs. Lions
- Sept. 27 at Saints
- Oct. 5 vs. Falcons
- Oct. 18 at Buccaneers
- Oct. 25 at Texans
- Nov. 1 vs. Vikings
- Nov. 5 at 49ers
- Nov. 15 vs. Jaguars
- Nov. 22 at Colts
- Nov. 29 vs. Bears
- Dec. 6 vs. Eagles
- Dec. 13 at Lions
- Dec. 19 or 20 vs. Panthers
- Dec. 27 vs. Titans
- Jan. 3 at Bears
