The Packers have a couple of big storylines swirling right now, and both point to help arriving from different directions. One is external: whether Brian Gutekunst can swing a trade before the deadline. The other is internal: Micah Parsons is moving closer to a return, and that alone could feel like a major addition for Green Bay.
On the trade front, the buzz around Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is not just smoke. Bill Huber of Packers On SI said the Packers’ interest is “real.”
That matters because Green Bay is trying to solve a rushing attack that is averaging 60.6 yards per game, and Taylor would be the kind of difference-maker that changes the conversation. He wouldn’t magically clean up the run-blocking issues, but he would give the offense a true All-Pro weapon.
The hard part is figuring out how the Packers actually make that deal happen. They don’t have a first-round pick to put on the table next year, and giving up a second-rounder would be a tough pill to swallow.
Maybe Gutekunst gets creative and goes big with their 2028 first-round pick. Even then, the contract would likely need some restructuring to make the numbers work.
It would be a full-throttle win-now move, and it’s not an easy one to pull off.
Parsons, meanwhile, is getting closer to his own return date. Matt LaFleur suggested he could practice this week, and that lines up with the expectation.
Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported that the “most likely return date” for Parsons is Thanksgiving Eve against the Los Angeles Rams. That would come right after the Packers’ bye week, which gives him extra time to build back up.
Week 9 sounds too soon for Parsons, who will need multiple weeks of practice after missing so much time. Green Bay has a 21-day practice window before it has to activate him to the 53-man roster.
Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings is possible, but the Rams game at the end of the month looks like the target. The countdown is on.
There’s also the Week 8 rooting guide, and this one isn’t simple. The Athletic’s playoff simulator gives the Packers a slight bump if the Vikings beat the Lions, moving Green Bay from 49 percent to 51 percent.
A Lions win would drop that number to 48 percent. That tracks, since Detroit would fall to 4-3 with a loss and slip behind the Packers in the standings.
Minnesota, though, is still the 6-0 team in the room. The defense has been elite, but the offense has left questions hanging. According to NFL Media Researcher John Todd, only two teams have yet to score 10-plus offensive touchdowns this season: the 6-0 Vikings and the 0-6 Chargers.
The Chargers are another team Packers fans should be watching, because Green Bay needs them to beat the Rams. Los Angeles sits at 3-4 now, which keeps them in the “in the hunt” range. At 3-5, there would be more separation.
The Seahawks-Bears matchup is trickier. The Athletic’s simulator says a Bears win helps the Packers more, but that’s not the cleanest way to look at it if the goal is winning the division. A Chicago loss to a non-NFC North opponent would be the better outcome.
As for the Week 8 superlatives, Jordan Love gets the nod again. The Packers lost two fumbles, missed another kick, dropped two passes, and managed just 66 rushing yards on 26 carries.
None of it stopped Love from carrying the offense, throwing three touchdown passes and helping Green Bay score 27 points. He did throw one interception in the fourth quarter on a poor pass with Christian Watson wide open on the other side, but the overall performance was another huge one.
Brenton Cox Jr. was the unsung standout. He posted a sack, a tackle for loss, and two quarterback hits, and PFF credited him with a team-best five pressures and a run stop. Still, he’s not getting the same attention as Dani Dennis-Sutton or Lukas Van Ness, even though Cox made his presence felt.
The biggest disappointment was Aaron Banks. Back in the starting lineup, he pushed Laken Tomlinson out of position at right guard. PFF charged Banks with four pressures, tying John Williams for the most on the team, and gave him the Packers’ worst run-blocking grade.
And for a look back, November 1, 1998 brings one of the classic Packers-49ers games. Green Bay beat San Francisco 36-22 at Lambeau in Week 9, with the 6-1 49ers visiting the 5-2 Packers.
Brett Favre threw for three touchdowns and three interceptions, connecting with Antonio Freeman seven times for 193 yards and two scores. Robert Brooks added another touchdown catch, and Travis Jervey scored on the ground.
The defense stole the show with nine sacks of Steve Young. Reggie White had three, LeRoy Butler had two, and Brian Williams, Vonnie Holliday, Vaughn Booker, and Keith McKenzie each added one.
Ryan Longwell tied the game at 22-22 with a 45-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, then Green Bay took control. Favre hit Freeman for a 62-yard touchdown, McKenzie forced a fumble on Young, and Jervey finished it off with an 11-yard rushing touchdown.
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