The Packers managed to find their footing against the Bengals on Sunday, notching their first win since week 2. That feels like a misleading way to talk about a team that is 3-1-1 and leading their division, but that’s also the kind of response fans seemed to have after putting the Bengals away felt a little harder than it should.

But it’s hard to win in the NFL. Ask the Bills or the Lions if they would’ve been ok with winning by “just 9 points”. Ask the Ravens if they would take a close win anytime soon. The early parts of the season are about banking the hard wins while you figure out who your team is.

Did the Bengals game teach us anything new about the 2025 Packers? And what will it take for Green Bay to notch another win against an injured and desperate Cards team?

Halfey Needs To Adjust

The Packers defense is notable for being the only team in the league to have not given up a single point in the first quarter. A truly impressive stat. Unfortunately the second half of games has looked a little different

The biggest thing that has been obvious over the last three games is that opposing teams have figured out that quick passes to the outside have become this defenses kryptonite. It has allowed team to negate the Packers improved pass rush, and instead go after the corners, the weakest spot on Green Bays roster.

So far Hafley has been slow to adjust to this, but that doesn’t mean he can’t. I would anticipate the team shifting to more man coverage at the line and attempting to disrupt receivers early. Maybe the CB can’t hold up but it’s definitely worth a try.

Of course this isn’t entirely a coaching issue either. One of the biggest things in the first two victories was defensive players swarming the ball and making sure to limit the yards after catch. That has fallen off in the more recent games. If the the defense wants to live up to it’s potential it has to get back to limiting the ball carrier from picking up more than he should.

Pass the Ball!

This is beginning to feel repetitive, but it still needs to be said. Jordan Love is very good at football. The Packers won on Sunday because of him. Now that he’s been healthy, this is the kind of season Love has been putting together:

When passing the ball, the Packers are top three in the league in success on late downs. Imagine if LaFleur let them do it on first down. The running game finally seemed to take off against the Bengals, perhaps in part due to the success Love started having deeper down the field. Another part of that may have been Jordan Morgan wresting the RG job away from Sean Rhyan. If LaFleur is willing to open up with the pass more frequently then Josh Jacobs might start to get back to what he was doing last season.

Packers Still Have Reinforcements Coming

Injuries have unfortunately been the story of the early season as much as anything. This didn’t improve after the game either as Lukas Van Ness was the victim of a foot injury. By all accounts it shouldn’t keep him out long, but it’s the latest in a line of short term injuries that have prevented the Packers from fielding their real starting squad.

That cuts both ways however. First and foremost, many expect Christian Watson to return to the field on Sunday. It can’t be overstated how much his speed brings to this offense. Combine that with a steadily emerging Matthew Golden, and teams will be hard pressed to play anything other than a two deep shell. If that’s the case then the Packers run game has a chance to truly shine.

On the defensive side of the ball, Green Bay can’t wait to get Devonte Wyatt back on the field. While it’s unclear when he will be, its been evident that the run defense and interior pressure has really faded with him out of the lineup. When he an LVN can get back on the field together, I expect the defense to look more similar to their earlier efforts at the start of the season.

Final Prediction

While I’m done predicting blowout wins until I’m shown differently, this Packers team still outclasses the Cardinals in every major way. With no Kyler Murray, I expect the Cards will have a hard time keeping pace with a Packers offense that is only getting better.

Packers 31 – Cardinals 17