The Green Bay Packers’ next three games of the season could be the most important stretch of their season. If you count today’s matchup against the 5-1 Texans, the Packers have three games until their bye in week ten.
Normally, I wouldn’t necessarily say that a three-game stretch this early in the season could be the most important stretch of the season but I actually believe it very well could be.
These are the reasons why I believe that the next three games could determine Green Bay’s playoff hopes before they even get to their bye week.
The NFC North Has Been Dominant
Green Bay is part of the most dominant division in football. To put this in perspective, if the season were to end today, then all four teams in the NFC North would make the playoffs with the Packers being the 7th seed. That’s right at 4-2, the Packers are last in the division. That record would be good enough to be in first place in most other divisions, according to nfl.com.
Currently, just prior to today’s games, the NFC north standings are as follows:
This technically has the Packers as the third but I believe they actually would be fourth because they have the one loss in the division.
If the Packers lose two of the next three games, that could be enough to remove them from contention for first place in the North. Let’s take a look at what this scenario could look like.
Predicting the Packers’ Rivals Record
So, let’s look at each of NFC North’s schedule for the next four weeks:
Chicago Bears– the Bears have a bye week today, then they play the Commanders, Cardinals, and Patriots. I’m going to assume that the Bears will be favored against the Cardinals and Patriots and not against the Commanders. So, at the end of week 10, the Bears could possibly have a record of 6-3. Oh, and in week 11, they host the Packers.
Detroit Lions– the Lions schedule is a bit more difficult than the Bears. They play the Vikings today followed by the Titans, Packers, and Texans. The Lions are good enough to where they can win all of those, but let’s say they win three which seems very likely. That’ll give them a record of 7-2. And, if one of those wins are against the Packers, then that’s an even bigger uh-oh.
Minnesota Vikings– The Vikings schedule is quite a bit easier than the Lions. The Vikings follow up their contest with Lions with games against the Rams (Thursday Night Football), Colts, and Jaguars. Let’s assume (best case scenario for Green Bay) that the Lions beat the Vikings. The Vikings would still be favored against those other teams. They could easily finish 3-1 in this stretch. That’ll give them an 8-1 record.
The Importance of Keeping Up
Green Bay is playing keep up right now. If they lose even one game that they shouldn’t, they could lose any chance of winning the North. That’s why these next three games are important. The Packers far and away have the most difficult next four weeks even though they have a bye week in week 10.
The Packers play the 5-1 Texans, followed by the Jaguars in Jacksonville, and then the Lions. And, I know what you’re thinking, the Jaguars are just 1-5. The Packers don’t have anything to be concerned with against them.
Nah, they shouldn’t be concerned, but the Jaguars game screams “Trap Game!” With the game being crammed in between two very important games, and on the road, the Packers don’t need to take them lightly.
The Packers Schedule Doesn’t Let Up
Finally, Green Bay’s schedule simply doesn’t let up after the Packers bye week. After the bye week, the Packers play the Chicago Bears in Chicago, who will do everything possible to beat Green Bay, then they play the 49ers at home. Following the 49ers, the Packers have two straight Thursday Night Games. They host the Dolphins (possibly with Tua back) on Thanksgiving night, and then they go to Detroit to play the Lions for the second time this season.
Green Bay can easily find themselves in a hole that they can’t get out of in the last quarter of the season.
I believe that they can win these tough games and be all the more ready for the playoffs. Let’s hope so.
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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