The Green Bay Packers' season has not unfolded the way many predicted.
At 1-2, the team has not looked anything close to the group many believed them to be. While nothing is easy in the NFL, the team's next two games should at least let them try to get back on course.
Up next: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.
Packers could face backup quarterbacks in back-to-back weeks
This past week, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb in the team's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Mayfield will likely miss three weeks, and rookie Jalon Daniels will replace him.
The Bears are also likely to be without starting quarterback Caleb Williams, who suffered a hamstring strain in Week 2. Current estimates suggest Williams could miss at least 3-4 weeks, and while it's possible he returns sooner, the current thought is that he'll remain out through the team's Week 5 game against the Packers. In his place, it'll likely be Case Keenum starting.
This means that the Packers project to have back-to-back games against either rookie or backup quarterbacks. Of course, that doesn't guarantee anything. Keenum just threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears' 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
We saw just last week how the Packers fared against a quarterback stepping into a game for the first time in Michael Penix. Granted, Penix was a starting-caliber quarterback coming back from an injury, but anything can happen in the NFL.
Despite this, the Packers likely won't have a perceived easier two-game stretch on the schedule for the rest of the year. An 0-3 team starting a rookie quarterback is likely to be extremely desperate, but the Packers should be favored in both of their games given the Bucs and Bears' quarterback situations.
The Packers' 2026 season was supposed to be one where the team finally ascended into the Super Bowl contender many believed them to be. Instead, the team looks to be heading the other way, fast. The offensive line play has been, simply put, untenable, and the team's 1-2 record is almost a direct correlation to that, sloppy defensive play at the worst time, and more.
As questions circle around head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst, the team has no choice but to look forward to the next game. Despite the Packers' poor play, they actually have a chance to bounce back quicker than some expected due to the schedule.
It would be silly to be extremely confident heading into either game, given how the Packers have played through three weeks, but the chance to get their season back on track is right in front of them if they can take it.
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