Expectations may have been humbled after the Green Bay Packers’ preseason opener, but as everyone knows, after September begins, the preseason no longer matters. Regardless of last Saturday’s performance, Green Bay remains a likely playoff team with a chance to leap into NFC contendership.
Of course, the rest of the NFC North just saw their biggest rival at their worst, and must be licking their chops, hoping that the struggles carry over into the regular season. After all, those other three teams in the division can often have more hope in the Packers’ downfall than in the success of their own teams.
Nonetheless, Green Bay’s expectations remain high. Win the NFC North for the first time in three years high? Bleacher Report seems to think so.
Packers can’t afford to slip against hungry NFC North foes
Bleacher Report recently released a record prediction for all 32 teams, including the final division standings across the NFL. They predicted the Packers would rise to an 11-6 record and win the division crown for the first time since 2021.
“In 2024, Green Bay went 1-5 against NFC North opponents, which accounted for all but one of its losses,” B/R’s Moe Moten wrote. “They won’t finish with a poor division record in the upcoming season.”
That’s a fine point; the Packers should certainly perform better against their rivals. The Lions could feasibly step back after losing both of their star coordinators to head coaching roles. The Vikings looked great with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, but it’s still effectively his rookie season. And the Bears are still the Bears, even if they carried a 10-6 record and second-place finish in the division in B/R’s predictions.
That’s where it starts to feel a bit too good to be true. The Lions could step back, yes, but 9-8 seems too far back. Detroit is still poised to be an NFC contender based on its roster alone, which went largely untouched and is simply hoping for better health.
The Vikings will certainly feel the bumps and bruises of breaking in a young quarterback, but their aggressive defense and potent offensive weapons should keep them afloat in the race to the playoffs.
As for the Bears, everything hinges on the marriage of new head coach Ben Johnson and second-year QB Caleb Williams. A 10-6 record is a fair ceiling, but the floor is just as low as it usually is.
But even that is honing in a bit too much on the competition. After all, it’s hard to ignore what the Packers showed in their first preseason outing. The starters struggled just as much, plus there are several new injury concerns.
There’s plenty to like about the Packers’ chances to take back the division, but there’s just as much concern that could ultimately hold them back and leave the team looking up at Detroit in the standings for the third season in a row.