What to make of the Packers 2015 schedule?

The Green Bay Packers and their fans learned about the 2015 schedule on Tuesday evening. Actually, bits and pieces started to leak out before the evening NFL announcement, particularly the fact that the game at which the Pack will retire former QB Brett Favre's number will be a Thanksgiving evening game against Da Bears. What could be better? Oh, and that home Thanksgiving game will be the first such game the team has played since 1923. If memory serves, that was just four years after the founding of the Packers and just two years after the team joined the fledgling National Football League (then called the American Professional Football Association). Yowza!

Photo of Brett Favre from officialbrettfavre.com
So...there's that. Actually, Favre's number will be officially "retired" at his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame on July 18. The Thanksgiving ceremony will see that number go up inside Lambeau Field. Favre's name and number will go up alongside such legendary names as Bart Starr, Tony Canadeo, Don Hutson, Ray Nitschke and Reggie White. See Favre announce the number retirement on his SQOR page here.

Back to the schedule...upon full release we found the following schedule (you can also always find the Packers 2015 schedule in our "Links" area in the righthand column):

PRESEASON
(WEEK DATE OPPONENT KICKOFF TV)

• 1 - Thursday, August 13 at New England Patriots 6:30 p.m. state
• 2 - Sunday, August 23 at Pittsburgh Steelers 7 p.m. state
• 3 - Saturday, August 29 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (Midwest Shrine Game - GOLD PKG.) 7 p.m. state
• 4 - Thursday, September 3 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (Bishop's Charities Game) 6 p.m. state

REGULAR SEASON
(WEEK DATE OPPONENT KICKOFF TV)

• 1 - Sunday, September 13 at Chicago Bears 12 p.m. FOX
• 2 - Sunday, September 20 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 7:30 p.m. NBC
• 3 - Monday, September 28 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (GOLD PKG.) 7:30 p.m. ESPN
• 4 - Sunday, October 4 at San Francisco 49ers 3:25 p.m. FOX
• 5 - Sunday, October 11 ST. LOUIS RAMS *12 p.m. CBS
• 6 - Sunday, October 18 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS *3:25 p.m. CBS
• 7 - Sunday, October 25 BYE
  
• 8 - Sunday, November 1 at Denver Broncos *7:30 p.m. NBC
• 9 - Sunday, November 8 at Carolina Panthers *12 p.m. FOX
• 10 - Sunday, November 15 DETROIT LIONS (GOLD PKG.) *12 p.m. FOX
• 11 - Sunday, November 22 at Minnesota Vikings *12 p.m. FOX
• 12 - Thursday, November 26 CHICAGO BEARS (Thanksgiving - BRETT FAVRE NUMBER RETIREMENT CEREMONY) 7:30 p.m. NBC
• 13 - Thursday, December 3 at Detroit Lions 7:25 p.m. CBS/NFL
• 14 - Sunday, December 13 DALLAS COWBOYS *3:25 p.m. FOX
• 15 - Sunday, December 20 at Oakland Raiders *3:05 p.m. FOX
• 16 - Sunday, December 27 at Arizona Cardinals *3:25 p.m. FOX
• 17 - Sunday, January 3 MINNESOTA VIKINGS *12 p.m. FOX

* Start time and broadcast may shift due to NFL flexible scheduling ** All times are Central

What's the early take on the schedule?

The ESPN pundits have the Packers winning the NFC North Division with an 11-5 record. They have the ViQueens coming in second at 9-7, the Lions being their middling selves at 8-8 and Da Bears bringing up the rear at 7-9. To the last we can only say (in best Seinfeld voice), that's a shame. If you want to see what ESPN's Packers reporter, Rob Demovsky, predicts game-by-game, you can do so here.

For yours truly, it's far too soon to make the game-by-game picks. And actually, regular readers of this blog will know we don't make game-by-game picks anyway, at least prior to the start of the season; we do make weekly game picks during the regular season. Instead, just prior to the start of the season -- after we've had a look at the team in preseason, know who is on the roster, what the injury status is, etc. -- we make our season win-loss prediction by breaking the season up into quarters. It's just an easier way for this prognosticator to look at the season as a whole. And we've typically been pretty darn close in our season projections. So come back in early September for that post. OK, if you'd care to, please stop back in more often, before then, because we'll have a lot more coming in the days, weeks and months ahead. In fact, next up will be commentary on the upcoming NFL Draft. Lots of fun in store. Stick with us.

Go Pack Go!!!