Just as we anticipated before the start of the 2024 season, the Green Bay Packers have been one of the best teams in the NFL this year. Even with Jordan Love missing some time, the Packers have pretty much picked up where they left off last season as one of the hottest teams in the league with a roster that is absolutely loaded with talent.
Not only is this team talented, but the Packers play extremely well together. They are playing complementary football, and one of the biggest additions this team made in the 2024 offseason was defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley taking over for Joe Barry.
After starting 5-2 and currently sitting in the playoff positions, expectations are going to continue to be that this Packers team proves itself as a contender over the course of the season. And they've got some huge matchups coming up on the schedule.
We're going to take a look at this team's next five games and make our game-by-game predictions of what could go down.
Packers' game-by-game predictions during toughest stretch of the season
Week 8: at Jacksonville Jaguars
This is an interesting matchup with the Packers coming off of a really gutsy win against an AFC South team and having to go face off against a Jaguars team that just caught a win over in London. The Jaguars are coming back stateside after a two-week road trip overseas, and it's reasonable to assume they might be in for a little bit of a letdown coming back home.
The Packers are just flat-out a better team than the Jaguars at this point, and it won't be shocking to see the Jaguars start selling off parts by the NFL trade deadline on November 5. This is a game the Packers should easily win, even though it's on the road.
Prediction: Packers win 31-20 (6-2)
Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions just played a tight game on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, and there's going to be a really big temptation for both the Packers and Lions to overlook their Week 8 opponents (Packers play the Jaguars, Lions play the Titans) and look ahead to Week 9, which is shaping up to be one of the most exciting games on the midseason NFL schedule.
The Packers are one of a handful of teams that is equipped to beat the Lions right now with the way they play both offensively and defensively. Heck, the Packers might even be able to find a way to force more than three incompletions on Jared Goff.
All kidding aside, I think we'll see the Packers win a bit of a shootout here. The Lions not having Aidan Hutchinson could be a tough blow that they feel more and more weekly.
Prediction: Packers win 27-25 (7-2)
Week 11: at Chicago Bears
The Packers have a bye week to prepare for the Chicago Bears, and that gives them a massive advantage, even playing on the road in this one.
The Bears have been pretty darn good this season, and they've been even better offensively lately than anyone probably thought based on some of the struggles early in the season. With that in mind, it can't really be overstated that this Packers team coming off of a bye week going up against a rookie quarterback is a huge advantage.
It's going to be very, very tough for the Bears to win this game, even playing at home. We're talking about a top-10 scoring offense in Green Bay and a defense that has made life on opposing quarterbacks very difficult. I think the Packers improve to 8-2 here.
Prediction: Packers win 24-18 (8-2)
Week 12: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Packers are going to be desperately trying to exact a measure of revenge against the San Francisco 49ers and their new kicker Anders Carlson after the way things went in the playoffs last year. The Packers have all of the key components to get a win at home against the Niners, but there is a better than good chance that at this point, Christian McCaffrey is going to be back in the mix for the 49ers.
One of the NFL's best offensive weapons should end up making a huge difference for the 49ers -- to state the painfully obvious -- and I don't think the Packers are necessarily going to run the table the rest of this season.
Let's say they drop one here at home and get back at the Niners in the playoffs, but this will be a tight one either way.
Prediction: 49ers win 28-27 (8-3)
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins (Thanksgiving)
Here's another matchup for the Packers that you're glad they have at home. And this game will be on a short week for Thanksgiving, and the vibes are always good for the Packers on Thanksgiving, right?
The big question and unknown for the Dolphins in this game here is going to be the state of Tua Tagovailoa. He's supposed to be back playing again in Week 8 for them, but how long is it going to last? If Tagovailoa's on the field, this game could be a shootout.
The Dolphins have the types of weapons offensively to give Green Bay's secondary fits. If Tagovailoa's playing, I could see this being an annoying upset on Thanksgiving for the Dolphins. Again, the Packers are probably not going to run the table the rest of this season and this will be a tough matchup -- even at home -- on a short week.
Prediction: Dolphins win 34-31 (8-4)