The Packers looked buried after Week 1. Minnesota had just pushed them around, the Vikings were flying, and the rest of the NFC North seemed to be rising right on cue. But six weeks into the season, the picture has flipped fast.
Green Bay has steadied itself with three straight wins and four victories in its last five games, enough to climb back into second place in the division. What once felt like a bad opening stretch has turned into a legitimate race, with all four NFC North teams sitting above .500.
Minnesota still leads the way at 5-0 after a Week 6 bye, but the Vikings are not cruising. Their offense has been shaky, the quarterback situation remains awkward, and the run game has been underwhelming through six weeks. They also have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL waiting for them.
Green Bay’s path is tougher than it looks, but it is there. The Packers are two games back of Minnesota in the loss column and tied with Chicago, though they currently own the tiebreaker over the Bears. That season series won’t be settled until the teams meet again in Chicago on Christmas Day.
There’s also the matter of the division’s brutal closing stretch. All four NFC North teams rank in the top seven for toughest remaining schedule, with the Packers sitting seventh. That number is a little misleading because of how many wins are already piled up across the division, but it still underlines what’s coming: hard-fought games every week, especially in late-season divisional matchups.
If Green Bay keeps stacking wins and gets key help over the next few weeks from Micah Parsons and Josh Jacobs, the door to the division title stays open. Nothing is guaranteed, and the Packers will need to be close to perfect from here. But after a slow start that had them on the ropes, they’re very much back in the hunt.
In Other News...
Packers Receiver Situation Just Got More Interesting After Savion Williams Debut
The Packers receiver room keeps shifting, and Savion Williams season debut gave the staff another look at how the rookie might fit once he settles in. Activated from injured reserve on Saturday after missing the first five games with an ankle injury, Williams got his first action of the year in the recent game against the Dallas Cowboys, where Green Bays coaches came away encouraged by the impact he made.
There is still a development curve here, especially with Williams continuing to work on his route running, but the conversation around the group has changed a bit with his return. The Packers also placed Skyy Moore on injured reserve, while Jayden Reed remains on injured reserve, leaving Green Bay with more questions than answers as it tries to piece together the position and figure out how much Williams can handle right away. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Trade Deadline Debate They Cant Ignore
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline creeping closer, the Packers are being pushed into a familiar kind of roster conversation: not whether they have needs, but how aggressively they want to address them. The speculative shopping list around Green Bay stretches across linebacker, cornerback, defensive tackle and guard, a reflection of a team that has enough talent to stay in the mix but still has a few obvious spots where upgrades could matter.
Among the names being floated are Cody Barton, Donte Jackson, Daron Payne and Landon Dickerson, each tied to a different area of need and each bringing a different price point and level of availability. Dickerson is the most intriguing of the bunch because of his status, and that is where the Packers' debate gets interesting - whether to chase help now, or wait and see how the board breaks as the deadline gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Still Have A Real Problem At Left Guard vs Lions
The Packers left guard situation remains murky heading into Week 7, and Aaron Banks is still at the center of it. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said the team wants Banks back healthy and able to hold up with consistency, but the linemans recovery from knee and toe injuries has kept him out of action and forced Green Bay to keep waiting for stability on the interior.
Banks has returned to limited practice, which at least suggests progress, but there is still no confirmed timetable for his return. For a Packers offense preparing to face Detroit, that uncertainty matters, because the left guard spot has become one of the few unresolved questions in an otherwise important stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]