Packers will face tough competition in NFC in 2020
Repeating last season’s success won’t be easy for the Packers.
The Green Bay Packers were a surprise team last season with a 13-3 record, good for the NFC’s second seed. They’d then advance to the NFC Championship Game after an impressive victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field.
But repeating that success won’t be easy for Matt LaFleur’s team given the tough competition they will face in the NFC.
Even with an additional team from each conference advancing to the postseason, there will be good teams in the NFC missing out on a playoff berth.
NFC features a number of potential Super Bowl contenders
The AFC features arguably the two best teams in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. But there is a big drop to the rest of the playoff contenders.
That’s not the case in the NFC, a conference loaded with possible Super Bowl challengers.
The Packers are one of them. As long as Aaron Rodgers is still in Green Bay, they will have a chance to win another championship.
But then there are the San Francisco 49ers. Packers fans don’t need reminding how good they are. Then there are the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks, two teams regularly contending in the NFC.
There’s already a lot of competition within the conference.
We can now add the Mike McCarthy-led Dallas Cowboys to the list after a strong offseason. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after signing Tom Brady then trading for Rob Gronkowski. The Minnesota Vikings reached the divisional round last season and have strengthened their roster. Minnesota could even enter 2020 as NFC North favorites.
If Carson Wentz stays healthy, the Philadelphia Eagles will be in the mix. The Los Angeles Rams could also get back into contention. And a team potentially slipping under the radar is the Arizona Cardinals with Kyler Murray entering year two, and he’ll now have DeAndre Hopkins to throw to.
Thankfully, seven NFC teams will now make the playoffs instead of six. Four division winners and three wild-cards. The top seed earns a bye.
The Packers overachieved last year when compared to preseason expectations. After a heavily-criticized offseason and playing in a conference filled with contenders, it’s not going to be easy to repeat last year’s success.