While we may be a little late to the party with our overall season prediction for the Packers, better late than never.
As long-time readers of this blog may recall, we don't really do a game-by-game prediction except for the week of the individual game itself. Instead, we more or less break the season out into "quarters". Which worked perfectly fine before the NFL added a 17th regular season game. So it goes.
Let's take a look at what rolls out...we have no idea how we will wind up until we get through the entire season schedule. Yikes!
First Quarter
In this initial set of games, the Packers play Detroit and Washington at home on a short week, then they travel to play the Browns and Cowboys. The first two games seem to be a hard way to start the season, both with the quality of the opponent and the two games in four-five days routine. Still, we see the Pack starting strong, particularly after the addition of Micah Parsons to the defense; he raises the entire level of play of the entire unit.
Packers go 4-0 through these first games.
Packers QB Jordan Love showing off the "Winter White" uniform.
These will be worn in the Packers home game against the Washington
Commanders.
(Photo by Tork Mason, USA Today NETWORK-Wisconsin)
Second Quarter
The weird early season scheduling shows up again here: the Packers have their Bye Week in Week 5. Not as bad as it could be, but not great either. Looking at the 4 games that actually ensue following the bye, we have the Pack hosting the Bengals, then on the road to Arizona and Pittsburgh (hmmm....who do we know there???), then back home against Carolina. Should we be overly concerned about any of these?
Let's take the Packers again to go 4-0.
Third Quarter
Things could get interesting in this mid-portion of the season. We don't know what role injuries will play at this point, but we have to figure there could be some that impact overall performance. (On the other hand, it's likely that WR Christian Watson returns somewhere along the way here, boosting an already dangerous receiving corps.) In these four games, the Packers host the assumed Super Bowl favorite Eagles at Lambeau Field, then travel to take on the NY Giants, then return home for the first of their games against Minnesota, followed — once again — by a quick turnaround for the early Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions in Detroit.
Let say the Pack will go 2-2 during this tough stretch of the schedule.
Fourth Quarter (the 5-game section)
Heading down the stretch of weeks 14 through 18, the Packers play Da Bearz twice in three weeks...again, odd scheduling by the NFL. The first game is at Lambeau Field, then the Packers will travel to Denver, and then meet Da Bearz again in Chicago. The final two 2025 regular season games will see the Pack hosting the Ravens and then winding up the season in Minnesota. Not an easy series of games by any stretch of the imagination with only two home games.
But if the Packers want to once again be the Leaders of the North and win the division, they need to at least go 3-2 in these final games.
Final Tally
In totaling up the wins and losses across these "quarters" of the season, we see the Packers ending the regular season at 13-4.
Pundits have the Pack going anywhere from 10-7 to 13-4. Yes, we're on the high end of the prognostications. But that's how it all shakes out in this quarter-based look at the schedule.
May it be so.
Go Pack Go!!!
