The NFC North has turned into a two-team fight, and for Green Bay, the path back to the top looks a lot narrower than it did a few weeks ago.
Minnesota has been pushed aside as a real danger after another Monday Night Football showing that exposed how limited that offense can be. No matter how good the Vikings’ defense may be, that kind of imbalance is hard to survive in a division race.
Detroit, meanwhile, already has a win over the Packers this season, but the way that game played out leaves plenty of room for debate. The source of the argument is simple: if you strip away the bad calls and replay that matchup 10 times, Packers fans would expect Green Bay to take nine of them. It was the kind of divisional game that felt tilted from the start.
That leaves Chicago as the one team Green Bay still has to treat like a genuine threat.
It may not be a comfortable sentence for Packers fans to read, but the Bears have earned that status since Ben Johnson arrived. If injuries don’t interfere, this looks like it could come down to Green Bay and Chicago battling for the North.
The schedule only adds to that possibility. The two teams still have plenty of divisional football ahead of them, including a Christmas Day meeting that could be lined up for the division lead with two weeks left in the season. That would put a huge spotlight on what already looks like the league’s most entertaining race.
Chicago backed up its standing this past week with a win over Tampa Bay, even though Caleb Williams threw four interceptions and the Bears kept shooting themselves in the foot with mistakes that usually don’t show up from that side of the rivalry.
Still, the results matter, and Chicago has shown it can win in different ways, just as Green Bay can. That’s what makes this feel like the top tier of the division now.
For a rivalry that spent years with Green Bay in control, the timing is perfect. The Bears are pushing back just as Jordan Love seems to be making his own leap toward stardom, and that gives the matchup a fresh edge. The rest of the league is watching, because the NFL is better when these two are going at each other.
In Other News...
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For Packers fans, the interest matters because Monday night games have a way of shaping the national conversation around Green Bay, and ESPNs next move at the booth could help define how those matchups are presented for years. Brees is clearly positioning himself as a serious candidate if ESPN decides to go in a different direction from Aikman, and the networks eventual choice could have a real impact on how the leagues biggest stages sound when the Packers are on them. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Are Winning With A Risky Identity Fans Need To See
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The shift has also put more pressure on the offensive line, which has held up just enough in pass protection to let the passing game breathe. Green Bay is still sorting out how far it wants to push this approach, especially with the ground attack lagging behind, but the recent run has shown why the coaching staff is willing to live on the edge. The next question is whether this is a temporary adjustment or the shape of the Packers offense for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Shouldn't Panic Over Tucker Kraft's Quiet Role
The Packers win over the Patriots came with plenty to like on the perimeter, where Christian Watson and Matthew Golden helped drive the offense with their deep-ball impact. In that kind of game script, Tucker Kraft was not the featured piece he has been at other points, and his role naturally shrank while Green Bay leaned into the explosive passing game that was working.
Even so, there is no reason to read too much into the quiet afternoon from the tight end spot. Kraft is still doing the dirty work that does not always show up in the box score, especially as a blocker, and he has not shown any physical signs of the injury concern that lingered last season. For a Packers offense that is currently finding its rhythm through speed and vertical shots, that is more a usage note than a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]