Forget everything that happened between September and December. The real football season has arrived, and the Green Bay Packers begin their journey against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Green Bay ended the regular season on a disappointing note, but that doesn't matter. Anything can happen in the postseason, as the Packers proved by defying the odds last year.
The Packers are getting healthier in time for the postseason and enter the NFC Wild Card Round as underdogs. That's perfectly fine for Matt LaFleur's club.
As the Packers aim to shock the world again, here are four bold predictions.
Bold predictions for Packers in NFC Wild Card Round against Eagles
Dontayvion Wicks finally gets his breakout performance
Dontayvion Wicks is far too talented not to have made a greater impact this season. He gets open as well as any receiver in the league, but drops have held him back. The Packers need Wicks to step up with Christian Watson out for the season. And he will.
Most of this analysis will focus on numbers and evidence, but bear with me for a moment because this theory is based partially on a gut feeling. It seems as though Wicks needs consistent snaps and touches early in the game. If he gets that, he can build confidence, find some rhythm, and start making the impact we expect to see from him.
Take the Week 4 loss to the Minnesota Vikings as the perfect example. Watson left the game early due to injury, forcing Wicks to take on an increased role. But he struggled to hold onto the football. PFF credits him with two drops in that game, but that might be generous. Wicks had several, including a potential touchdown.
Then it changed. Love kept targeting Wicks, and in the fourth quarter, they connected on three passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
Now, let's go back to the evidence of why Wicks needs more targets. We know he gets open at a high rate. Per PFF, he beat his coverage on 75 percent of snaps this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL. Wicks gets open. It's now on him to find timing with Love and not drop the ball.
Wicks stepped up in the playoffs last year, and he will deliver again when the Packers need him.
Eric Stokes ends his three-year interception drought
By the time the game kicks off on Sunday, it will have been 1,114 days since Eric Stokes' last pass defense and 1,197 days since his last (and only) NFL interception. Considering he hasn't registered even a pass breakup, let alone an interception, in over three years, this is a bold prediction.
Stokes has endured a mostly disappointing season and is likely gone when his contract expires in the spring. However, the playoffs bring the best out of players. Darnell Savage struggled throughout the 2023 season but made a pick-six (and almost had another) in last year's playoffs.
The former first-round pick also deserves credit for his improved play in the second half of the season. Per PFF, since the Packers' Week 10 bye, Stokes has allowed just eight receptions on 17 targets (47 percent) for 33 yards and one touchdown, a passer rating of just 73.4.
His coverage has improved. This week, he gets a chance for a turnover and takes it.
Jordan Love does it again
Jordan Love stole the show at this stage a year ago, completing 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns for a 157.2 rating in the Packers' 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys. It was Love's first playoff start.
The Packers were heavy underdogs against the NFC East champions, who boasted a top-five defense. Dallas had also won its previous 16 games at home. Green Bay and Love shocked the world.
Love can do it again. He might not post a passer rating quite as close to perfect this time, but the Packers need to be aggressive and go all-out for the win, which means letting Love do what he does best.
Admittedly, the passing game lacks the consistency it showed at the backend of last season, and the Packers have also lost Christian Watson. However, last year should prove to never count out Love and this passing offense.
It won't be easy, but Love will play his best game of the season when it matters most.
Packers advance to the NFC Divisional Round
Wicks has a breakout game, Love dominates, and Stokes makes an interception. If the first three bold predictions come true, the Packers will win this game.
They almost beat the Eagles in Week 1 and probably would've if they hadn't gotten in their own way. That was a long time ago and Philadelphia has improved since then, but so has Green Bay in many key areas. Sure, Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean has enjoyed a standout season since the opener, but so has Edgerrin Cooper, and he could play a key role in the Packers' defense getting off the field.
Mike McCarthy put it best: The Packers are nobody's underdog. Unfortunately for him, that quote was proved right at the expense of his Cowboys last year, but it still holds true today.