Six weeks of the NFL season are in the books and five of the Packers seventeen games have been decided. Through the first third of the season, the Packers are 3-1-1 and sit top the NFC North. However, after their Week 6 victory over the Bengals, there seems to be a lot of unrest amongst the Packer fandom. With that being said, it is time to take a step back and remind everyone that Super Bowls are not won in October.
Through their first five games, the Packers have shown serious potential but over that stretch, they have shown legitimate signs of concern. Unfortunately, the concerning side has shown its ugly face more recently against the Cowboys and the Browns. Green Bay beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, 27-18, with over 400 yards of total offense while limiting the Bengals offense to just 268 total yards. Since the team did not win by three scores, fans have expressed their frustration which goes to show that people are missing the big picture.
The NFL season is very long despite there only being seventeen games. It takes time for teams to find their identity. The thing fans need to remember is it more important for the Packers to play their best football in December and January. That does not excuse poor play in September and October but what matters during this portion of the season is winning games and surviving the war of attrition. So, let’s level set here. Where do the Packers currently stand? They stand at the top of the North and hold the number 2 seed in the NFC and yet, they are still a ways away from their ceiling.
How Do the Packers Win a Super Bowl in February?
The Packers need to get healthy and stay healthy. The offense will benefit once Christian Watson, who might be back this week, and Jayden Reed return. The offensive line finally played a full game together against Cincinnati but Zach Tom played through “significant” pain and did not practice on Wednesday. The defense needs Devonte Wyatt, who is trending in the right direction, back at full strength as well as Lukas Van Ness who left the Bengals game early with a foot injury.
The Green Bay defense has played well through five games but they are struggling to force turnovers. The defense has two total turnovers through five games and one was basically a Hail Mary. Jeff Hafley knows this is an issue but turnovers do seem to come in waves. If the turnover rate can start to flip in the Packers direction, 9 point wins are going to start turning into 15 point wins and ties are going to become wins.
Finally, Green Bay needs to find their identity. That could be a variety of things. The Packers offense could be led by Jordan Love or Josh Jacobs. The defense might be led by their defensive line or maybe it is the young linebacking duo of Walker and Cooper. Their identity will start to show its face but a few things are for certain – The Packers are a contender. Jordan Love is a really, really good quarterback. Their defense has the game wreckers in place, it is just a matter of time.
