The Green Bay Packers began the season the right way, picking up the win against the Detroit Lions. In the process, Green Bay has a leg up in the NFC North and a chance to start the season with one of the best records in the NFC.
Of course, Week 1 is its own beast compared to the rest of the season. The league sees its biggest adjustments from Week 1 to Week 2 as teams learn what their true strengths and weaknesses are. Still, Green Bay's strengths were evident in their win, and there's plenty to build on from there going forward.
But after an impressive Week 1 win ahead of a short week, let's look at the next five games on Green Bay's schedule and apply what we know about the Packers to those matchups and predict how they'll fare in each game.
Projecting the Packers' path through their next five contests
Week 2 vs. Washington Commanders (TNF)
Easily the hardest game on paper from top to bottom for Green Bay during this early stretch, the Commanders picked up right where they left off from their NFC Championship appearance in January. Still, Green Bay's performance in Week 1 suggests we're in for a great contest on Thursday night.
This early in the season, it's best to lean on defensive performances as the offenses continue to come together. The Packers have an edge there after showing their strength in the front seven. Nonetheless, Jayden Daniels won't make it easy, even if Green Bay takes away Washington's running game.
Packers win, 29-27 (2-0)
Week 3 at Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns aren't good, but they won't be dog walked on the scoreboard often. Their defense can't be sold short, especially after holding Joe Burrow and the Bengals to just 17 points and limiting them to just seven yards in the second half.
Their offense, though, remains a key issue for them. Even if Joe Flacco can protect the ball with his savvy veteran instincts, Cleveland will be hard-pressed to gain much ground on Micah Parsons and the Green Bay defense.
Packers win, 27-10 (3-0)
Week 4 at Dallas Cowboys (SNF)
It doesn't get much bigger than the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Packers for Sunday Night Football. Toss in Parsons' chance at revenge, this one could get ugly. Remember when Randy Moss made the Cowboys pay for not drafting him? Parsons could make that look like petty revenge by the time this one is over.
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Dallas can move the football offensively, but clearly, their defense is not the same without Parsons. Green Bay should take full advantage and keep pace if Dallas is able to overcome Parsons to any degree.
Packers win, 26-23 (4-0)
Week 6 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals were able to keep Trey Hendrickson on board for one more season, but his impact doesn't magically make their defense competent. By the time the Bengals and Packers meet in Week 5, the story on Cincy's defense will only get worse.
Defensively, the Packers will need Parsons to throttle Joe Burrow's ability in the passing game. Cleveland gave the blueprint in Week 1. Green Bay just has to replicate it. Coming off the bye week, the Packers will do just that.
Packers win, 30-20 (5-0)
Week 7 at Arizona Cardinals
Arizona is still a bit of a mystery after they picked up their Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints by a touchdown. The offense looked much more in sync, but they didn't exactly pull away from one of the worst rosters in the NFL.
There's still a lot to learn about Arizona in the coming weeks, but on paper, I don't think they match up well with Green Bay. The Packers' offense is much more explosive than New Orleans', and the defense will be the toughest they'll see outside of their division before the bye they get afterward. Their Week 3 game against San Francisco might tell Packers fans all they need to know.
Packers win, 24-10 (6-0)
It's worth noting that after this five-game stretch, the Packers will head to Pittsburgh for their first meeting against Aaron Rodgers since he left Green Bay. That Sunday night matchup was already set to be an electric contest midway through the campaign, but if Green Bay comes in undefeated and Pittsburgh's offense continues to impress, we'll be in for a treat.