Where Do the Packers Stand in the NFC North at the Halfway Point?

            We’ve officially hit the halfway mark this NFL season and the Packers sit at 3-5. Where do they stand in the north?

            First off, you have to start with the Detroit Lions who currently hold the best record in the division at 6-2. The Lions are coming off a much-needed bye week considering how many injuries their team has dealt with this season. The remainder of their schedule looks friendly and the only tough games it appears they have left are against the Chargers, Cowboys, and Saints.

            The Packers struggled against Detroit in their first contest on Thursday Night Football a few weeks ago. The team was dealing with multiple injuries and came out extremely flat. A big piece they were missing was Aaron Jones who as we saw after Sunday is the most important part of offense. The Packers match up with the Lions again on Thanksgiving in the hostile environment of Ford Field. If the Packers can win that game, it would be a nice little spoiler to the Lion's season.

            Next up, the Minnesota Vikings who have gotten back on track after a very slow start to begin their season. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they lost Kirk Cousins in week 8 during their win against the Packers. They did however have a crazy win in their last game against the Falcons that was led by their most recently acquired quarterback, Josh Dobbs. Dobbs has had his moments this year, no doubt, but is he going to be the answer they need for the rest of the year? I’m not so sure, Dobbs has better weapons in Minnesota than he did in Arizona, but he’s still Josh Dobbs.

            As for the Packers, they played an abysmal game against the Vikings when they played them for the first time this year. They match up one more time on December 31^st which should be a game the Packers can capitalize on. Kirk Cousins is ruled out for the rest of the season and won’t be able to dice Joe Barry’s defense up and hopefully Aaron Jones is available in that game too. The Vikings as of right now have the edge over Green Bay in the north, rightfully so after beating them head-to-head.

            Of course, we cannot forget about the Chicago Bears who…still suck. Yes, the Bears still suck, big surprise. They did make a nice move at the trade deadline bringing in Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders and have already given him a contract extension. The Bears have been without Justin Fields and most likely will miss him again for Thursday football in a barn-burner of a game between the Bears and the Carolina Panthers. The Bears are tanking obviously, they have a really good chance of holding two of the top three picks in next year’s draft.

            There isn’t much else to say about the Chicago Bears, the Packers took care of them easily in week one and get to play them again in week 18 at Lambeau Field. The Packers are surely the better team than the Bears but that isn’t saying much. By the end of the season, I would expect the Bears to be checked out if they aren’t already and just in cruise control until the upcoming draft.

            With all that being said, the Packers are underwhelmingly the number three team in the NFC North at the halfway point of this NFL season. The Packers’ remaining schedule is tough, with games against the Chiefs, Lions, Chargers, and the Steelers this Sunday. The other games look to be winnable but as we have seen so far this season, being optimistic about winning winnable games has not turned out so well.

Looking into the playoff picture, the NFC from a record standpoint is the weaker conference than the AFC. The 7^th playoff spot in the NFC will be up for grabs to multiple teams who are no doubt, below-average teams. Whoever gets that spot will be given the privilege of playing against the Eagles, 49ers, or the Lions if they keep it up. The Vikings currently hold that spot at 5-4 but will have to battle to keep it, especially without Kirk Cousins for the remainder of the season.

I’m not saying the Packers should make the playoffs, but it isn’t as outlandish of a thought if you truly think about it. We do want to see this young team grow and if they make a push for a playoff berth in the second half of the season, how can you not look forward to the future in Green Bay? There are a lot of games left yet and we still want to see more from Jordan Love and company, but if the Pack can turn a few things around, don’t be surprised to see them hanging around possibly come January.

Real Packer Fans Know🧀