2009 Opponents Determined

With the release of the 2009 schedules, the Packers appear to be looking at another difficult schedule.  The schedule for the 2008 season was deceptive, as many prognosticators had the Packers going anywhere from 8-8 to 12-4, but were basically flat-out wrong as the Packers stumbled to a 6-10 record.  So without further rumination on 2008, here is what the Packers are looking at for 2009.

The following teams will be coming to Lambeau Field at some point during the 2009 season: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Packers will be visiting the following teams in 2009: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the NFL scheduling formula, the Packers are playing the NFC West and AFC North divisions, along with their usual home-and-home matchups with their division rivals.  The Packers also play the third-place team from the other NFC divisions, which pits the Packers against the Cowboys for the third straight year and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This schedule holds some tough spots for the Packers.  There are four playoff teams (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Arizona, Minnesota) on the schedule, including three that are left in the playoffs this year.  The schedule also includes three teams (Chicago, Dallas, Tampa Bay) that were in the playoff hunt right down to the wire.

From a distant perspective, a projected Packers record would look about 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7, barring significant offseason changes.  There’ll be a more in-depth look at this schedule once it is put out in order.