GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are coming off an unprecedented third consecutive season of at least 13 regular-season wins. In his three seasons on the job, coach Matt LaFleur is 39-10, his .796 winning percentage. That’s the highest winning percentage in NFL history among all coaches with 49 games on their resume.
Hurt by the offseason trade of Davante Adams but bolstered by what could be a powerhouse defense and what should be an improved special teams, can the Packers do it again? The journey will start on Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a home game against the Chicago Bears, at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and back home to face the New England Patriots.
“I think our defense is playing well,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said last week. “They’re going to be an important part of our success, especially if you look at the beginning of the season and playing a tough team on the road in the division to open the season, our rivals at home ‘Sunday Night Football’ in a big game, going to Tampa Bay against that great squad, and then back at home against a really good New England squad. I think our first four weeks will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. Obviously, we’ve got a couple really important players who we’d love to have back who are off the PUP now. Getting them back makes us an even better football team. We’ve got to get through this first stretch healthy and winning the games that we need to win.”
In Gary Gramling’s NFC North Preview for Sports Illustrated, he had the Packers winning the division with an 11-6 record. Under “best case” scenario, Gramling wrote, “Rodgers shows no signs of slowing down at age 38, winning a third straight MVP award. Complemented by a dominant defense, the Packers get it done in the postseason, too, with Rodgers lifting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in 11 years.”
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At FanDuel Sportsbook, Green Bay’s over/under is merely 10.5 wins.
In his game-by-game prediction for Sports Illustrated, Conor Orr had the Packers going 13-4. That’s five games distant of the Minnesota Vikings, his projected runner-up.
Here are our game-by-game picks.
