Weeks 10-13 Will Make Or Break Packers Season

The schedule is out and the Packers once again open the season against what was once a great rivalry (Sorry Bears fans) but still the oldest rivalry in the NFL. With the owner of the Bears now off to New Jersey (NY Jets) this season hope springs eternal to all NFC North fans but especially Bears fans. Being a packer fan this offseason and living in Illinois has been very different since the season ended. With all the questions surrounding the upcoming season the time seems perfect to get predictions from packer fans living in Illinois for the upcoming 2023-2024 football season.

“Packer fan Omar Bradley, said: ‘Assuming we hit on this draft class and we get some contributions from the likes of Musgrave, Kraft, Reed, and maybe Wicks or Dubose on offense and Johnson, Valentine, LVN, Brooks, and Wooden on defense the Pack will finish with a 9-8 record this season.’ He also felt Jordan Love would finish the season with 25 TD’s to 10 INT’s and rush for 500 yards.

Upon looking at the schedule I see the Packers getting 3-4 wins in the division and beating the Falcons, Broncos, Buccaneers, Raiders, Rams, and Giants. Minnesota will fall back to reality and Detroit, Green Bay, and the Bears will improve this season. The key stretch in the schedule is week 10 to week 13. Playing at Pittsburg then home against the Chargers, then away at Detroit, and back home versus the Super Bowl Champ Chiefs could make or break the season. If the Packers could avoid an 0-4 run or even win two of those games they could make a playoff run. That being said, the opener against Chicago could set a very important tone for both teams. Living in Bears land and hearing the euphoria of this offseason has Chicago fans feeling they made all the right moves and Justin Fields is the reincarnation of Jalen Hurts. Despite all of this and the pundits picking Detroit to win the NFC North, I believe the Packers will be in the hunt for the division despite winning 9 or 10 games in 2023-2024.

Brad Dye, a Packer fanatic and historian predicts the Packers will also be in the hunt for the NFC North title. Prior to the draft he stated : "I will feel a lot better when we get a threat tight end and a slot receiver, even hoping to break the Packer model and get a receiver under 6 foot.” Well mission accomplished with the selections of Musgrave, Kraft and Reed. Brad was also excited about the Wicks pick even comparing him to MVS. For his predictions on our new QB1 Jordan Love Mr. Dye predicts a 26 TD, 3,319 yard season surpassing Justin Fields in all categories except rushing and a 10-7 record for the Green Bay Packers.

Larry VanVooren, an avid Bears fan, is more realistic than most Chicago fans but surprised himself by picking the Detroit Lions as NFC champions this upcoming year. After stating those words aloud Mr. VanVooren said “Did I just pick Detroit as the best team in the division?” Tempering his thoughts he agrees that the NFC North will be a very average division. Three other Packer fans that I work with in Illinois (Max Haveland, Colette Guerdet, and Greg Ventris) have Green Bay finishing anywhere from 6-11 to 10-7 and none of them picked the pack to win the division.

After enduring one of the most optimistic offseasons for the dreaded once rivals in Illinois country and hearing the euphoria of the Rodgers trade and the Bears trades and draft it appears this rivalry is back one. For us packer fans living in enemy territory we have been biting our tongues waiting in cautious optimism for the upcoming season. Whatever any Packer fans' predictions for the upcoming season are, it is safe to say that this week one clash with the Bears may be more important to the future for both teams than we ever would have thought a year ago.