Any team with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers on the roster always stands a decent chance of making the playoffs. It’s just everything else that is a question for the Green Bay Packers coming into this season. The Packers missed the playoffs for the second straight season after making it to the postseason from 2009 to 2016. That led to Mike McCarthy being let go in the middle of the 2018 campaign, and Matt LaFleur will be responsible for trying to get Green Bay back to the playoffs.
2019 NFL Season Win Totals
Green Bay Packers
Over 9.5 Wins +126
Under 9.5 Wins -152
The Packers, Bears, and Vikings are all projected to finish with records over. 500, but since that’s unlikely, we have seen sharp action on Green Bay’s under. There are more unknowns with Green Bay than there are with Chicago or Minnesota, but there is higher potential too if things go right.
Green Bay Packers 2019 Schedule
|
Week
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
|
1
|
September 5, 2019
|
@ Chicago Bears
|
|
2
|
September 15, 2019
|
Minnesota Vikings
|
|
3
|
September 22, 2019
|
Denver Broncos
|
|
4
|
September 26, 2019
|
Philadelphia Eagles
|
|
5
|
October 6, 2019
|
@ Dallas Cowboys
|
|
6
|
October 14, 2019
|
Detroit Lions
|
|
7
|
October 20, 2019
|
Oakland Raiders
|
|
8
|
October 27, 2019
|
@ Kansas City Chiefs
|
|
9
|
November 3, 2019
|
@ Los Angeles Chargers
|
|
10
|
November 10, 2019
|
Carolina Panthers
|
|
11
|
BYE
|
|
|
12
|
November 24, 2019
|
@ San Francisco 49ers
|
|
13
|
December 1, 2019
|
@ New York Giants
|
|
14
|
December 8, 2019
|
Washington Redskins
|
|
15
|
December 15, 2019
|
Chicago Bears
|
|
16
|
December 23, 2019
|
@ Minnesota Vikings
|
|
17
|
December 29, 2019
|
@ Detroit Lions
|
Playing the two best teams in the AFC West on the road in consecutive weeks will be a significant challenge, but the Packers should be significant favorites in the other two games against Denver and Oakland. Green Bay will also play the top two teams in the NFC East in consecutive weeks, but at least they will get Philadelphia at Lambeau Field and they have an extra few dews to prepare for Dallas.
Green Bay Packers 2019 NFL Draft Picks
|
Round
|
Pick
|
Player
|
Position
|
College
|
|
1
|
12
|
Rashan Gary
|
LB
|
Michigan
|
|
1
|
21
|
Darnell Savage Jr.
|
S
|
Maryland
|
|
2
|
44
|
Elgton Jenkins
|
C
|
Mississippi State
|
|
3
|
75
|
Jace Sternberger
|
TE
|
Texas A&M
|
|
5
|
150
|
Kingsley Keke
|
DE
|
Texas A&M
|
|
6
|
185
|
Ka’dar Hollman
|
CB
|
Toledo
|
|
6
|
194
|
Dexter Williams
|
RB
|
Notre Dame
|
|
7
|
226
|
Ty Summers
|
LB
|
TCU
|
The Green Bay Packers didn’t make a splash by drafting flashy position players with their two first round picks. Instead, they drafted for need and tried to bolster a defense that hasn’t been one of the NFL’s top ten units since 2010.
Rashan Gary is listed as a linebacker, but he is likely to play a lot of 3-4 end in the Packers system. Darnell Savage Jr. is expected to immediately fill in opposite newly acquired Adrian Amos in the secondary. The team hopes this will turn around a defense that has swung and missed with a lot of its draft picks in recent years.
Green Bay Packers 2019 Prediction
Let’s start with that defense. The Packers have focused their efforts on shoring up a secondary that has not been good for a while now. In 2017, the Packers selected CB Kevin King and S Josh Jones in the second round. In 2018, they signed CB Tramon Williams in free agency and selected CB Jaire Alexander in the first round and followed that up by taking CB Josh Jackson in the second round.
They have thrown a lot at the wall over the last three offseasons, and the hope is that some of these players will pan out. King has had an injury-plagued start to his career, while Jones looks to be on his way out of Green Bay, so it’s hard to bank on those two. However, the team is still optimistic about the rest of the secondary, and they should at least be an average unit considering how many resources Green Bay has committed to addressing the problems here.
The linebacking corps is likely to be a below average unit although Blake Martinez is a solid piece in the middle, but the defensive line should be improved. Gary is expected to make an instant impact at one of the end positions, while free agent signing Za’Darius Smith could shine in Mike Pettine’s system.
As long as Rodgers stays healthy, the offense should score plenty of points. Rodgers has been one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL for the last decade, but the Packers don’t have a lot of talent around him. The only proven player in the wide receiving corps is Davante Adams, so a second option will need to step up there. These tight ends could be quite productive though with Sternberger joining Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis.
Keeping Aaron Jones healthy is a priority. He has averaged 5.5 yards per carry in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, and he has emerged as a solid receiving option too. Jones is the most talented back on the roster, and Green Bay can’t afford to lose him.
There are just too many question marks on this team for me to believe the Packers will grab 10 or more wins. Even Matt LaFleur is largely an unknown as a head coach, so I’ll take the under.
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