5 reasons why Packers are serious Super Bowl contenders

5. Packers are winning close games

Winning in blowouts is always fun and shows the sign of a good team, but it doesn’t always best prepare a team for the playoffs. Not often will one team cruise to three or four one-sided victories in the postseason. To go all the way, you need to be able to win the close games when the pressure is on. So far, the Packers have been able to do that this season.

Of the Packers’ eight wins this year, five have been by a touchdown or less. Sunday’s win against the Carolina Panthers was a fine example. The Panthers are playoff contenders. And with the game on the line late on, the defense came up with a stop on the goal-line to end the game. Green Bay’s defense didn’t give up big plays on the final drive, forcing Carolina to take 18 plays to move from its own 11-yard line down to Green Bay’s two-yard line. But by doing so, the clock drained down to zero leaving the Panthers out of the end zone.

The Packers did lose one close game in similar fashion back in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. But for the most part, they’ve won the tight games. Even when they’ve been far from their best.

That’s a good sign and will prepare them well for the tough challenges that await in January.