The dust has just settled from the NFL Draft, rookie minicamps have begun, and there are still nearly four months to go until the kickoff of the 2024 season. Nearly four months. It’s really right around the corner. When you think about it, it’s almost looming, which makes now a perfectly reasonable time to predict the Green Bay Packers’ record next season.
The Green and Gold will kick off their season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil on September 6 at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo. Although the Eagles will technically be the home team, the strong presence of Packers fans has the potential to turn a long road trip into a home game for Green Bay.
Green Bay will face teams from both the NFC West and the AFC South, in addition to their divisional rivals and other opponents like the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins.
The Eagles will vie for a playoff spot and possibly a top seed in the NFC. I fancy Green Bay’s chances of defeating them while fully healthy and avoiding the hostile environment of Lincoln Financial Field. I’ll be in São Paulo for the game, and a Packers loss would leave me miserable. Bearing that in mind, I predict Green Bay will triumph over Philadelphia in the NFL’s inaugural regular-season game in South America.
The Chicago Bears last defeated the Packers in 2018, when Jordan Love was at Utah State and Mitchell Trubisky was Chicago’s starting quarterback. However, the Detroit Lions hold a 4-2 record against the Packers since 2021. Additionally, the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay have been evenly splitting the season series for the past four years.
I have the Packers going 4-2 against the NFC North, sweeping the Bears while splitting the series with the Lions and the Vikings.
Green Bay will host the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans while traveling to face the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans. C.J. Stroud had a stellar rookie season with the Texans, a team that defied expectations. Vegas set Houston’s over/under at 5.5 wins last year.
Meanwhile, Anthony Richardson showed promising glimpses before suffering a season-ending injury. Conversely, Trevor Lawrence‘s quarterback play declined significantly with the Jaguars. Additionally, the Titans are transitioning with a new head coach and second-year starter Will Levis.
I predict the Packers will go 2-2 against the AFC South. While Jordan Love manages to outplay Stroud, the Packers tend to stumble against favored opponents. That was evident in 2023 against the Denver Broncos and in 2023 and 2022 against the New York Giants. I foresee the Packers suffering losses at home against Indianapolis and on the road against Tennessee.
The Packers will host the San Francisco 49ers in an anticipated 2023 divisional-round rematch. They’ll also welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Lambeau Field while traveling west to face the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.
San Francisco hasn’t beaten Green Bay in the regular season since 2019. Conversely, the Cardinals were never the same team after Rasul Douglas’ interception in the 2021 Thursday night game. However, the Packers last won in Seattle in 2008. Despite Sean McVay‘s previous attempts, he’s yet to defeat Matt LaFleur head-to-head. However, all previous encounters have taken place at Lambeau Field.
Green Bay finishes with a 2-2 record against the NFC West, securing a road victory against the Los Angeles Rams but suffering a loss to the Seahawks in Seattle. Moreover, Jordan Love and company get revenge on San Francisco but stumble against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
The Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints will travel to Lambeau Field. In his first home start, Love erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Saints. He remains undefeated against quarterbacks from his draft class. It’s possible that Green Bay would prefer to face Miami later in the year, leveraging the cold weather as an advantage. Furthermore, I predict the Packers will go 2-0 against the Dolphins and Saints.
My overall prediction is that the Packers will finish the 2024 regular season with an 11-6 record and clinch a playoff spot. They go 8-4 against the NFC and 3-2 versus the AFC. It’s a fair assessment for a Green Bay team that won nine games last year with a first-year starter, receivers running the same route concept within the same space early on, and a struggling defense and special teams.
There’s truly every reason to think Green Bay will make a significant leap forward this season — it’s not just hope springing eternal in the first half of May. After all, pretty soon, it’ll be the second half of May, then June, and then it’s practically time for football.
