2019 Green Bay Packers Season Thread

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The 49ers schedule is just brutal. They've got the Packers, Seattle twice, Arizona again, the Rams, Saints and Ravens. That is an absolute gauntlet. Atlanta is the only crappy team left in the second half.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I'll say 13-3....but to be honest, this doesn't seem like a real 13-3 team to me.

 

Not to pick on you, as I believe you know why this team is playing well and is among the class of the NFC, but this sort of statement drives me a little nuts. It's a "Packers Twitter" type statement ... a place that is populated with so many "Yeah, but" fans that are just so insufferable at times. the team wins, plays well, and yet all they want to focus on are the perceived negatives like "the tackling was bad" or "they threw all those balls to the RBS, therefore all the WRs are terrible". It's a bunch of broad negative generalizations that, while might have some truth to them, are being blown out of proportion.

 

This team is 7-1 because they are playing well enough to be 7-1. They've beat a bunch of good teams because they are a good team. If they go 13-3, it's because they were good enough to go 13-3. This schedule is no Patriots-like slouch.

 

Idk, sort of agree with it. This team feels a lot like the one in 2007 that was 13-3. That team was good, but it went 6-10 the next year after the QB transition. I had a feeling of "Are we really this good?" the entire season. Of course, a lot of the same guys won the Super Bowl a couple years later.

 

So, I think the Packers are a good team, trending upward as a franchise, but I think this season has been a combination of that and getting lucky in a lot of very key moments, and playing a very favorable schedule that isn't exactly easy, but hasn't been hard, has been timed to their advantage as far as where and when they're playing certain teams.

 

It's hard to pick out games on the schedule I expect them to lose. @Minnesota and @SF are the two, and of course there could be others, but not sure there's one more they really should lose.

 

If they really start pounding teams, even crappy ones, down the stretch, then I'd buy in a bit more. A complete 38-7 drubbing would help with that a bit. But at this point there's no reason to think they can't at least be in the NFCCG this season.

 

Thing is, when you looked at the schedule coming into the season, everyone saw the first half of the Packers season as very difficult. I doubt anyone would have picked them to go 7-1. They have had a bunch of close wins, but the only "fluke" win would arguably be Detroit. Otherwise a win is a win. Personally I'd rather have a team that is battle tested, rather than one like the 2011 team that blew out pretty much everyone, and had a sieve of a defense that was exposed in the playoffs. This defense hasn't been top notch all year, but it's toughened when it's had to close games out. That's the sign of a good team.

 

I'd love to see some blowouts, but with the way talent is diversified throughout the league nowadays, blowouts seem to be more of a fluke than the sign of a great team.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The apprehension with the Packers for me stems from the 49ers and Saints both having clearly better defenses to this point. Neither has Rodgers, even if Brees is healthy he's just not Rodgers, so that's somewhat of an equalizer, but still. I've seen plenty of teams shut down Rodgers in the playoffs, defense is usually what it comes down to in the playoffs and both of those units are better right now.

 

I also think Minnnesota's defense is better, but they have the Kirk Cousins problem. And I'm still not sleeping on teams like the Rams, Seahawks, Cowboys...all of whom I'd feel pretty good about facing at home, but still capable of being formidable opponents. And there's Philly, who did beat us.

 

HFA is key if the Packers end up playing the Saints, IMO. I'd feel better going into SF than having to beat the Saints down there.

[pacopete4]

In a league of mediocrity, the Packers, this season, have figured out how to make just enough plays to be above it.

 

I can’t think of a more boring time for this league. Not many star players. Teams are super inconsistent. You have one that just keeps on doing it better than the rest but most of the league consists of a lot of loser franchises that keep swapping crappy players and attempts at a run.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The league is boring but I don't think the players have anything to do with it. They've flagged and replayed the excitement out of it. I've personally enjoyed all the sports when there is that one dominant team everyone is gunning for. I've always thought baseball is better when the Yankees are good, and I miss the days of everyone assuming the Bulls couldn't be stopped.

 

There's a limit to that obviously, like the Warriors a couple seasons ago that just sucked all the drama out - but the Patriots still lose Super Bowls, and Brady genuinely isn't that great anymore. He's amazing for 42 and is very effective, but he's really not that great.

[homer]

Packers activated Sternberger

[True Blue Brew Crew]

The league is boring but I don't think the players have anything to do with it. They've flagged and replayed the excitement out of it. I've personally enjoyed all the sports when there is that one dominant team everyone is gunning for. I've always thought baseball is better when the Yankees are good, and I miss the days of everyone assuming the Bulls couldn't be stopped.

 

There's a limit to that obviously, like the Warriors a couple seasons ago that just sucked all the drama out - but the Patriots still lose Super Bowls, and Brady genuinely isn't that great anymore. He's amazing for 42 and is very effective, but he's really not that great.

 

It sounds like you simply miss the old days.

[adambr2]

I'll say 13-3....but to be honest, this doesn't seem like a real 13-3 team to me.

 

Not to pick on you, as I believe you know why this team is playing well and is among the class of the NFC, but this sort of statement drives me a little nuts. It's a "Packers Twitter" type statement ... a place that is populated with so many "Yeah, but" fans that are just so insufferable at times. the team wins, plays well, and yet all they want to focus on are the perceived negatives like "the tackling was bad" or "they threw all those balls to the RBS, therefore all the WRs are terrible". It's a bunch of broad negative generalizations that, while might have some truth to them, are being blown out of proportion.

 

This team is 7-1 because they are playing well enough to be 7-1. They've beat a bunch of good teams because they are a good team. If they go 13-3, it's because they were good enough to go 13-3. This schedule is no Patriots-like slouch.

 

Idk, sort of agree with it. This team feels a lot like the one in 2007 that was 13-3. That team was good, but it went 6-10 the next year after the QB transition. I had a feeling of "Are we really this good?" the entire season. Of course, a lot of the same guys won the Super Bowl a couple years later.

 

So, I think the Packers are a good team, trending upward as a franchise, but I think this season has been a combination of that and getting lucky in a lot of very key moments, and playing a very favorable schedule that isn't exactly easy, but hasn't been hard, has been timed to their advantage as far as where and when they're playing certain teams.

 

It's hard to pick out games on the schedule I expect them to lose. @Minnesota and @SF are the two, and of course there could be others, but not sure there's one more they really should lose.

 

If they really start pounding teams, even crappy ones, down the stretch, then I'd buy in a bit more. A complete 38-7 drubbing would help with that a bit. But at this point there's no reason to think they can't at least be in the NFCCG this season.

 

Still, that 2007 team was one play away from the Super Bowl and potentially a championship.

 

I think their 7-1 record is legitimate enough, but they could be done in by a loaded NFC. San Francisco and New Orleans are at least equally as good, and Seattle, the Rams, and the Vikings are all right there. That's before you even get into the good but not great teams that could get hot and cause trouble like the Cowboys, Eagles, and Panthers.

 

There's just a ton of competition in the NFC this year. I think to have a shot at a legitimate run, they need to win the division first and foremost and they need to earn a first round playoff bye.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The league is boring but I don't think the players have anything to do with it. They've flagged and replayed the excitement out of it. I've personally enjoyed all the sports when there is that one dominant team everyone is gunning for. I've always thought baseball is better when the Yankees are good, and I miss the days of everyone assuming the Bulls couldn't be stopped.

 

There's a limit to that obviously, like the Warriors a couple seasons ago that just sucked all the drama out - but the Patriots still lose Super Bowls, and Brady genuinely isn't that great anymore. He's amazing for 42 and is very effective, but he's really not that great.

 

It sounds like you simply miss the old days.

 

Not it doesn't. There's a difference between the Bulls going 6 with the Jazz and Kevin Durant playing with Curry and Thompson and sweeping a team with LeBron.

 

Also, the Yankees are good now, so...?

 

The whole point was that I don't find the Patriots dominating as bad for the league.

[nodakfan17]

I'll say 13-3....but to be honest, this doesn't seem like a real 13-3 team to me.

 

Not to pick on you, as I believe you know why this team is playing well and is among the class of the NFC, but this sort of statement drives me a little nuts. It's a "Packers Twitter" type statement ... a place that is populated with so many "Yeah, but" fans that are just so insufferable at times. the team wins, plays well, and yet all they want to focus on are the perceived negatives like "the tackling was bad" or "they threw all those balls to the RBS, therefore all the WRs are terrible". It's a bunch of broad negative generalizations that, while might have some truth to them, are being blown out of proportion.

 

This team is 7-1 because they are playing well enough to be 7-1. They've beat a bunch of good teams because they are a good team. If they go 13-3, it's because they were good enough to go 13-3. This schedule is no Patriots-like slouch.

JMB - I try to manage my expectations by blending optimism and realism. I was a long-time TT/MM apologist. I preached patience when others were calling for heads to roll. I figured a healthy Rodgers was good for 10 wins and sooner or later, they’d get hot going into December finally win a second championship in this era. It didn’t happen. MM got stale, and TT (the hero who built a Super Bowl winner through the draft) suffered a steep cognitive decline while Mark Murphy was out sledding. Something inside me finally broke last year. I really like this year’s team, but I’m coming off a bad breakup and need to learn how to love again.

[yourout]

The Chiefs really let the Vikings off the hook in the first-half and now they're going to pay for it

[young guns]

On Williams long td run you can see hills easy speed. It's crazy how effortlessly he caught up to Williams to escort him into the endzone.

[homer]

Unless there's a miracle, the Bears just punted their way to a loss. Nagy is literally from the Andy Reid school of coaching...

[young guns]

Bears lose and Vikings lose. Its turning into a good day.

[nodakfan17]

Bears lose and Vikings lose. Its turning into a good day.

Always happy to watch the Vikings lose, but was hoping the Bears would beat the Eagles since they hold a potential tie-breaker over the Packers.

[adambr2]

Bears lose and Vikings lose. Its turning into a good day.

 

The Packers are having something to say about that.

[pacopete4]

Bears lose and Vikings lose. Its turning into a good day.

 

The Packers are having something to say about that.

 

Missed opportunity to say the least. Lafleur has a lot to learn.

[adambr2]

After today's debacle, I still think winning the division is more likely than not, but one and done is quite possible. The NFC field will be loaded with good to great teams, and potentially WC round opponents like the Rams, Vikings, and Seahawks could easily send us home immediately.

 

The only chance of a sustained playoff run that I see is if Rodgers goes into "God mode" for 3 or 4 games in January. I can't totally discount that possibility, but the defense has proven that it isn't nearly good enough to carry the team against any non-Mitchell Trubisky led teams when Rodgers isn't perfect.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

They'll probably be on the road in the second round and that's about as far as I think they'll get. That was my expectation before one bad game at the Chargers.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The Packers need to get Ibraheim Campbell active and insert him into this defense. They are just getting destroyed in the middle of the field. It wasn't a huge sample, but Campbell brought toughness in his time on the defense last year. It may not be much, but we are nearing "grasp at straws" time.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

If that's where we're at, this defense sucks.

 

Looking at the standings today, even at 7-2, the playoffs are not in any way a lock. Seahawks, Vikings, Rams, Panthers all sit as non-division winners at the moment, with 2-3 losses each. Lose to Carolina and it REALLY tightens up. Packers could easily sit 7-4 in a few weeks. McCaffrey is a nightmare. This could be a year where a 10-6 team or two is watching the playoffs.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

If that's where we're at, this defense sucks.

 

Looking at the standings today, even at 7-2, the playoffs are not in any way a lock. Seahawks, Vikings, Rams, Panthers all sit as non-division winners at the moment, with 2-3 losses each. Lose to Carolina and it REALLY tightens up. Packers could easily sit 7-4 in a few weeks. McCaffrey is a nightmare. This could be a year where a 10-6 team or two is watching the playoffs.

 

Most seasons typically look that way at midseason where people start to think that a 10-6 team may be on the outside looking in, but it rarely, if ever, happens.

 

I agree that McCaffery is obviously a major nightmare going into next week. They are going to have to cater their defensive scheme around stopping him, and probably make Allen play QB to beat them. Even if they do game plan for McCaffery, he's still good enough to beat them. The Packers just have no speed in the middle of the field as long as they stick with Martinez as their every-down MLB. That's why in my opinion they need to get Campbell up and ready to go this week. Campbell is not going to save this defense, but he showed last year that he can run, tackle, and bring a little bit of nasty to a defense that sorely needs it.

 

How bad must Burks actually be if he can't see the field in this defense?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Most years there isn't a 7-2 team looking at a Wild Card. I doubt Seattle or San Francisco loses 6 games, so that is one WC that is very likely 11-5 and quite possibly better. Wilson is the MVP right now. Also don't get the "rarely if ever" comment - that is just not accurate. It's happened five times since 2010, sometimes more than one team in a season; it's not that rare. The driver is usually one WC team that's really good and forces 3-4 8-10 win teams to duke it out for one WC spot. That is going to happen this year barring an injury in the West.

 

The defending NFC champ is also 5-3 now. It's still entirely plausible the Packers don't make the playoffs. Especially because they don't even have the benefit of having a cakewalk to a division spot this year.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Most years there isn't a 7-2 team looking at a Wild Card. I doubt Seattle or San Francisco loses 6 games, so that is one WC that is very likely 11-5 and quite possibly better. Wilson is the MVP right now. Also don't get the "rarely if ever" comment - that is just not accurate. It's happened five times since 2010, sometimes more than one team in a season; it's not that rare. The driver is usually one WC team that's really good and forces 3-4 8-10 win teams to duke it out for one WC spot. That is going to happen this year barring an injury in the West.

 

The defending NFC champ is also 5-3 now. It's still entirely plausible the Packers don't make the playoffs. Especially because they don't even have the benefit of having a cakewalk to a division spot this year.

 

My bad, you are correct. There have been many more instances of 10-6 teams not making the playoffs than I thought. It seems that 11-5 is more the sure bet for a playoff spot.

 

Yes, it is entirely possible that the Packers don't make the playoffs, but it would take a pretty big collapse for that to happen. If you figure they have to go 4-3 to assure a playoff spot, that means they have to beat the teams on their schedule they should beat (Giants and Redskins), find a way to slow down McCaffery in Lambeau next weekend, and take 1 of 3 in that NFC North gauntlet to finish the year. That is with chalking up the 49er game as a loss. Of course, if they fall to the Panthers, things start to get much more dicey.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

They should make the playoffs and I would bet on it but I don't think it's as secure as one would think at 7-2. Losses to CAR & SF puts Carolina level with them and SF probably out of reach. Then you still have the Rams, Seahawks, potentially Dallas/Philly. This is all to say the Packers really do need to win their division.

 

I would bet on a 10-6 team missing the NFC playoffs.