Packers remain in top five of preseason power rankings

Forget the preseason. The Green Bay Packers are Super Bowl contenders in 2021.

The Green Bay Packers are still waiting for their first victory of the year after suffering two home defeats in the preseason. It’s hardly surprising, though, as the Packers have been without almost all of their starters so far in the two exhibition games.

Can real football just start now, please?

There is still one final preseason game to be played before the Packers begin the regular season in New Orleans. Based on the first two games, we can likely expect most of the team’s starters to sit this one out and look ahead to the Saints in Week 1.

Once the games start to count, the Packers will be favorites to win the majority of their games and again contend for a championship.

Randy Gurzi’s preseason power rankings for NFL Spin Zone reflect that. He has the Packers locked in at the number five spot, which is where they were previously.

As Gurzi notes, the loss to the New York Jets should be no cause for concern. The Packers didn’t play their starters, for the most part, while the Jets did. Green Bay didn’t even have backup quarterback Jordan Love out there due to a shoulder injury.

While the Packers are fifth in the rankings, only one NFC team is ahead of them. That would be the defending-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who top the power rankings.

It’s fair to say that Green Bay and Tampa Bay will be the two teams to beat in the NFC, although there could be some competition from the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Maybe the San Francisco 49ers can get back into contention with some better injury luck.

Soon, real football will be back and the games will start to count in the standings. Once they do, Matt LaFleur’s team will be expected to be near the top of the NFC yet again.