It's been a while. But with the 2021 Packers season upon us ...

Hello, Packers fans ... and all who wish they were.

We've had a looooong hiatus...since just before the Packers vs. Bucs NFC Championship Game (the horror ... the horror ...). And there's a lot to catch up on. So we'll ignore such things as the Aaron Rodgers drama, the draft, comings and goings, cut-downs, final roster, etc. You have better things to do with your time now anyway.

Let's just get to the important matters of the moment: the season prediction. We'll do the prediction for Sunday's opener against the Saints (in Jacksonville) in a separate post.

The Season Prediction

Since the start of this blog in 2005 (16 years ago ... crikey!), we have looked at the season preview not game by game but more quarter by season quarter, so to speak. Of course, now with a 17th regular season game, we'll come off with quarters plus one extra. You're smart. You'll figure it out. Home games are in green. Be aware, of course, that the NFL may flex various game times, especially later in the season, so the days/times shown here are as they are now indicated.

QB Aaron Rodgers: the "last dance"???

(Photo by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

1st Quarter of the Season

Week 1: @ Saints (in Jacksonsville) - Sun 09/12 · 3:25 PM CDT

Week 2: Lions - Monday Night Game - Mon 09/20 · 7:15 PM CDT

Week 3: @ 49ers - Sunday Night Game - Sun 09/26 · 7:20 PM CDT

Week 4: Steelers - Sun 10/03 · 3:25 PM CDT

We think it's likely the Packers lose one of these first four games. Despite the Pack being one of the odds-on favorites to make the NFC Championship Game, and, Packer nation hopes, the Super Bowl, and having a loaded roster, we really don't know how it's all going to come together, or how soon. With Rodgers back at QB and the weapons on offense, even if they happen to be a bit out sync, they will still put up points. But in the first year of new defensive coordinator Joe Barry's defense, despite good to great personnel in some spots, we'll have to see how that new scheme gels. Of these first four games, the one that worries us most is the 49ers game. Still, it wouldn't surprise us to see the Pack come out of this sequence 4-0. But 3-1 feels like a safer bet.

2nd Quarter of the Season

Week 5: @ Bengals - Sun 10/10 · 12:00 PM CDT

Week 6: @ Bears - Sun 10/17 · 12:00 PM CDT

Week 7: Washington - Sun 10/24 · 12:00 PM CDT

Week 8: @ Cardinals - Thursday Night Game - Thu 10/28 · 7:20 PM CDT

With three away games in this four-game sequence, including two back to back and the last on a short week after the only home game, we again think the Packers will drop one of these. Expect the Pack to come out of these four games with three wins.

3rd Quarter of the Season

Week 9: @ Chiefs - Sun 11/07 · 3:25 PM CST

Week 10: Seahawks - Sun 11/14 · 3:25 PM CST

Week 11: @ Vikings - Sun 11/21 · 12:00 PM CST

Week 12: Rams - Sun 11/28 · 3:25 PM CST

If you get the sense that the away schedule for the Packers seems to dominate the early part of the schedule, yes, yes it does...including two back-to-back series of games. Take a look at Weeks 5 through 9. There's one home game in there. One. Playing back to back against the Cardinals and then the Chiefs...not going to be an easy stretch of games, to say the least. We could see the Packers going 2-2 in this part of the season.

Week 13: BYE

4th Quarter of the Season (+ 1)

Week 14: Bears - Sunday Night Game - Sun 12/12 · 7:20 PM CST

Week 15: @ Ravens - Sun 12/19 · 12:00 PM CST

Week 16: Browns - Christmas Afternoon Game - Sat 12/25 · 3:30 PM CST

Week 17: Vikings - Sunday Night Game - Sun 11/28 · 3:25 PM CST

Week 18: @ Lions - Sun 01/09 · 12:00 PM CST

Depending upon the health of the team going into these last five games, three of which are at home, the Packers could again drop two, to come out 3-2 here.

Summary

Looking back at our predictions, we have the Packers going no worse than 11-6. (Many projections have the Pack going 13-4. We hope they are right and we are wrong.) They should handle their NFC North competitors and win the division. We'll worry about the playoff scenarios much, much later on. Lot of ball game left, as the saying goes.

As always, GO PACK GO!!!

2016 Packers Season Preview

Hello again, Packers fans!

It's been a while since we last chatted (in a blogger-bloggee sense, that is). Somehow, four months have elapsed. Holy inactive list, Batman! What's been going on? Well, we've just been doing a lot of watching rather than writing. An extended hiatus...which some might argue we took just to be able to use the word "hiatus" in a sports blog. Be that as it may, let's get on with things, shall we? We're long overdue.

Roster set, expectations high
At least for the first game of the regular season, the Packers 53-man roster is in place. The big surprises -- not only in terms of the who but the when -- came in the form of the release of long-time veterans, punter Tim Masthay and offensive guard Josh Sitton. Sitton, especially, was a surprise. No need to go into the reasons why; any Packer fan worth his or her brat-and-a-beer will know the reasons. But all in all, we have to look optimistically at this deep, albeit young Packers roster. Barring injuries to QB Aaron Rodgers and other key personnel, or a re-injury to Jordy Nelson (yes, he's key too, isn't he?), the Packers are among the favorites to go to the Super Bowl and win. Depending upon whom are reading or what oddsmakers you are following, the Packers are the favorites.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Jordy Nelson hope to be celebrating throughout the entire 2016 season, all the way through the Super Bowl.
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Season Prediction
We'll make our Packers vs. Jaguars prediction a bit closer to game time. What we wish to do here is take a gander at the entire 2016 schedule and make our call about the Pack's record at the end of the season and heading into the playoffs. Yes, spoiler alert: playoffs here we come!

We make our season wins-losses call not based upon individual games per se (although that obviously does factor in), but rather we've had a tradition here of breaking down the season into quarters, much as a game itself is played. Having said that, let's look at each quarter and make our calls.

Weeks 1-4: September 11-October 9
In order, the Packers play the Jaguars and Vikings on the road in the first two weeks, followed by the Lions at Lambeau Field. Then...a bye in week 4. Yeah, not ideal to say the least but it is the hand the Pack has been dealt. The tradeoff, overall, is that the Packers actually will play the easiest schedule in the NFL based on 2015 records. So, that's a good thing...considering. While the Pack could have a stumble in the heat in the season opener in Jacksonville against a much-improved Jags team, the Packers should prevail. Minnesota will be playing its first home game in its new stadium and the border rivalry will be on full display. Given that the ViQueens unseated the Packers atop the NFC North last season, this, again, could be a game in which the Packers stumble. Although there's that rather unsettled quarterback situation there these days after the injury to Teddy Bridgewater, so...? As for the Lions at Lambeau, c'mon.

Our call: 2-1.

Weeks 5-8: October 9-30
Three home games following the bye week and then one on the road: Giants, Cowboys and Da Bearz and then off to Atlanta to play the Dirty Birds. The Packers need to do a better job holding serve at home than they did last year, so we'll say this quarter's worth of season games is a sweep.

Our call: 4-0.

Weeks 9-12: November 6-28
The Pack's goofy home-away schedule continues in this quartet of games: Colts at Lambeau, followed by three straight road games at the Titans, Redskins and Eagles. As things get into and beyond the middle of the season, we can see one of these games registering as a loss, particularly given the steady diet of road games.

Our call: 3-1.

Weeks 13-17: December 4-January 1, 2017
OK, technically this isn't a quarter of games because of the 17 weeks (including the bye) needed to actually get 16 games played. I know, it's confusing. Just go with it. This five-game stretch run actually is the most sensible part of the season schedule, at least from a travel standpoint. Three out of the five games are at home. While the final three games are against NFC North opponents, two out of the three -- including the final game on New Year's Day -- are on the road. In this stretch, the Packers play the Texans and Seahawks at Lambeau, then Da Bearz in Chicago, return home to play the ViQueens, and then conclude the season in Detroit against the Lions. Not having a break since week 4, the length of the season -- despite the supposed easiest schedule based upon last year's standings -- will take its toll.

Our call: 3-2.

2016 Season Predication: 12-4. The Packers will once again be atop the NFC North and get a much-needed bye going into the playoffs. They'll need it.

Check back in again for our preview and prediction for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Thanks for reading. Go Pack Go!!!

Final 2015 Preseason Game Preview: Packers vs. Saints

In about 20 minutes from now, the Green Bay Packers will play their final game of the 2015 NFL preseason at Lambeau Field. The New Orleans Saints will be the opponent, which seems fitting given the heat and humidity currently present in the area.

What can we expect this evening? Little if any play from many of the regular starters, of course. Lots of young men battling for a spot on the final 53-man Packers roster or, barring that, to make enough of an impact in the game to get a call from another team after the Saturday cut-down. We also hope that whoever is on the field emerges without any injuries, something that hasn't been the case the last few weeks, sad to say.

Beyond that, it's anyone's guess. The coaches and most starters, one assumes, are focused not on tonight but rather on the first game of the regular season on Sept. 13 against Da Bearz in Chicago.

Speaking of Da Bearz: We're Having a Contest!

We're running a special -- and first ever! -- PackerFansUnited.com contest in conjunction with the upcoming season opener. We'll be giving away a flag similar to the one shown here courtesy of CollinsFlags.com.

Be sure to keep checking back here at PackerFansUnited.com for the rules and deadlines, or follow us on Twitter @packfansunited. We'll tell you more in the days ahead.

For now...Go Pack Go!!!

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!!!

Week 4 Preview & Prediction: Packers vs. Bears...Time to Get the Pack Back on Track

Less than two hours from now, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears meet south of the border (that would be the Wisconsin-Illinois border, for those who don't know the geography) to renew the most-storied rivalry in the NFL. Da Bearz come in at 2-1 with two road victories under their belt, while the Pack has stumbled to a 1-2 start and leaving many questions in the minds of fans.

Allow me to quote Packers beat writer extraordinaire, Bob McGinn from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "The defense has been taken to task by coaches for showing no pride late against Detroit. The O-line has been browbeaten by coaches for not finishing in the run game. Offensive kingpins Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy have taken their shots, too. If ever a Green Bay team should be motivated, this should be the Sunday." (See here for more.)

Rodgers typically does not have two off games back-to-back. He was not sharp in the loss at Detroit. Heck, the entire team was not sharp. Does that automatically mean a rebound today? Nope. Would we think there is, as McGinn points out in the statement above, plenty of incentive today to redeem themselves and get their season back on track? You bet.

Havings said that, of course, as with any Packers-Bears game, this will be a battle. Whether more of the offensive or defensive kind remains to be seen. Bears QB Jay Cutler has been rather un-Cutleresque so far this season; in other words, not bad. He's had eight passing TDs in the first three games. He's got three tall and dangerous receivers. He's got one of the best running backs in the league in Matt Forte. The Packers defense will have their hands full. If they are able to get to Cutler early and often, they will give him happy feet and he will make bad throws leading to interceptions. Let's hope that's the way that side of things plays out for the Pack.

Cutler is just 1-8 against the Packers and that's usually because they've been able to force him into making mistakes. Most of the losses came under the coaching regime of Lovie Smith. Cutler's new head coach supposedly has provided more discipline for him. To an extent, that may be true. But what's also true is that, under pressure, we all revert to our instincts. Cutler's instinct under pressure is to force things. If the Packers' defense doesn't get a pass rush on him today, Cutler could have another good performance. He's certainly got the weapons. But get him under pressure, bad things can happen for Da Bearz and good things can happen for the Packers.

If the Packers offense can somehow get out of its own way and find itself, they can certainly exploit Da Bearz' defense. After all, it's not as if the Pack doesn't have plenty of offensive weapons themselves, right? The offensive line, it goes without saying (although I'm saying it), needs to protect Rodgers and create some holes for Eddie Lacy to run through. Rodgers also needs to spread the ball around a bit. If Chicago's secondary loads up to try to shut down Jordy Nelson, the rest of the receivers need to get separation and eliminate the dropped balls that have plagued them so far this season. It's time for some of these players to step up and play like the pros they are being paid to be.

Oh...and not having a turnover right off the bat to put the team down before the game even gets started. That would be good, too.

Prediction
This game means more to the Packers than to Da Bearz at this stage of things. We have to believe that this is a game where things finally start to come together. If not this game, when? That's not to say it will be a perfect or maybe even a good game throughout. But it should be enough.

In our preseason prediction, we said the Packers would be 2-2 at the first quarter stretch of the season. If the Packers do in fact win today, that's right where we thought they'd be. Not great, not horrible. But getting things together. This is the game to do that. The current line has the Packers favored from anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 points.

We're calling it 27-24 Packers.

Go Pack Go!!!

NFL costs Packers a game: Refageddon!

The outrage over the debacle at the end of the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks game continued through the night and is still going strong today. Not just among Packer fans, but nationwide. Just check out some of these choice Tweets and comments.

Bottom line is that the replacement referees hired by the NFL in its dispute with the regular refs blew the final and biggest call of the game, costing the Packers the game. There were certainly bad calls against both teams, although some of the biggest -- and the biggest of all -- went against the Packers.

What is being referred to as the worst call in NFL history -- Refageddon! -- should lead to an end to the lockout. But it won't. Despite calls from former players and coaches, sportswriters and fans to preserve the integrity of the game, integrity apparently stops at the bank. And the fact is that no matter how bad the referees are, and how their calls are already affecting standings, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and team owners know that like lemmings football fans will still show up to games and still turn on their TV sets. Heck, that's exactly what happened in the early 1980s when replacement players were on the field. Like drug addicts who will still use a product cut with garbage, we'll still watch games refereed by garbage. Now, this is not a slam of the refs as individuals. They just are not qualified to referee at this level and are being asked to do something they are not capable of doing. That's on the league and on the owners and the commissioner.

So, it's time to send your Tweets to @nflcommish and say enough is enough. It's time, football fans -- not just Packer fans -- to pick up the phone and call the NFL Commissioner's office. The number is 1-212-450-2027. Call. Now.

We have to be realistic though: the bad call will not be overturned. Instead, the league will issue a written statement later today with an explanation. It should be a good work of fiction, hanging onto the "simultaneous possession" line even though every angle of replay clearly shows there was no such thing at any point in the play. Ask a 4-year-old child to watch the replay and say who has the ball; he or she would know who had it and who didn't. Unfortunately, the game was not called by 4-year-olds. They would have gotten it right.

It's sickening as a Packer fan to have a game stolen like it was last night. Regardless of whether you are a Packer fan, a fan of another team, or just someone who enjoys sports in general, you know the Packers won the game...and it was taken away by incompetent officials. And the NFL itself through its greed.