The release of the NFL’s schedule today showed that the Green Bay Packers are still a national TV favorite even without Brett Favre. Maybe its the curiosity factor or maybe the powers that be think the Packers will again be Super Bowl contenders in 2008. Either way, as of right now the Packer will play six nationally televised games including three Monday night games and a Sunday Night game. Not too shabby.
At first glance the schedule does not look all that daunting. No Thursday games, no Saturday games. I don’t like playing four-out-of-six on the road in the middle of the season, however, and not once in the first half of the season can the Packers stay home two weeks in a row. The only good thing is those teams in the first half are teams the Packers should beat home or away. At Detroit, at Tampa Bay, at Seattle with the Falcons Vikings and Cowboys at home. A good team goes 5-1 against those squads.
The last ten features the Colts, Bears, Panthers, Texans and hapless Lions at home and the Titans, Vikings, Saints, Jaguars, and Bears on the road. 7-3 should be a realistic goal for that stretch. So I guess I’m predicting 12-4 right off the bat. If course this year every prediction will be prefaced with the phrase “If Aaron Rodgers stays healthy the Packers…”. So you can consider mine in that same vein.
Good to see the Packers still in the spotlight. It says a lot about the organization and especially its fans. The Packers are still America’s Team.