DAVIE
Aaron Ripkowski Jersey White , Fla. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Green Bay because of a throwing
shoulder injury, and replacement Brock Osweiler will make his fifth consecutive
start.More Packers coverage from FOX Sports WisconsinPhotos of the Week: 7/21/19
– 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former
Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay
Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building
chemistryThe Dolphins have a bye next week, which means Tannehill won’t be back
until Week 12 at the earliest. Coach Adam Gase said the goal is for Tannehill to
return for the Indianapolis game Nov. 25.Miami is 5-4 overall, and 2-2 with
Osweiler starting.Tannehill is throwing but hasn’t participated fully in
practice in more than a month. The Packers game will be the 25th he has missed
out of the past 30 because of injuries. There are tough stretches in this year’s
schedule, but are the Packers headed back to the playoffs?"The Green Bay
Packers’ schedule is out, and now that fans have had some time to process it,
let’s get to some predictions. The early home stretches seem to set up well for
this team, which also could surprise and get a jump on early-season opponents if
they keep their offense under wraps in the preseason.However, the divisional
schedule is clustered tightly this year, as the Packers open and close the
regular season with big NFC North matchups. Those stretches may and probably
will be the difference between whether the Packers sit at home in January, get
in as a Wild Card, or climb back to the top of the division. Despite those games
being difficult to predict, it’s worth running through the schedule to predict
how it sets up for a possible return to the postseason for the Green and
Gold.SeptemberThe Packers travel down the coast of Lake Michigan for week one,
opening with the Bears in Chicago to kick off the NFL’s 100th season. Then they
come back home for a three-game homestand
Womens Jermaine Whitehead Jersey , featuring three winnable games. The Vikings make it two straight NFC North contests to start the year, then the
Packers host the Vic Fangio-led Broncos before welcoming the Eagles to town on
Thursday night.Divisional games are always difficult to predict, and week one is
particularly tough given the new coaching staff in Green Bay and a new defensive
staff (and personnel) in Chicago. Vic Fangio’s departure for Denver (more on
that in a moment) and the loss of a few key defensive backs suggest a regression
for the Bears’ defense. Meanwhile, the Vikings and Packers have a fascinating
2-2-2 record in their last six games at Lambeau Field. Both of those games look
like toss-ups to me at this point, so a 1-1 record two weeks in seems
reasonable.Fangio and the Broncos come to Green Bay in week three after what
will likely be a tough, emotional game against the Bears in week two. However,
Denver’s offense behind Joe Flacco will hardly strike fear in Mike Pettine and
company. Finally, the fact that the Packers play at home in week three prior to
playing another home game on Thursday night in week four is advantageous. Philly
will have to travel on a short week, while the Packers have been comfortable at
home for two weeks prior. Edge: Green Bay.Prediction: 3-1OctoberA Sunday
afternoon visit to AT&T Stadium, where Aaron Rodgers has never lost a game,
awaits the Packers in week five. They’ll follow that up with two more home
games, against the Lions and Raiders, then head South to play the Chiefs on
Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium.Interestingly, Rodgers-led teams have
not only won every time they have suited up at Jerry World; they have scored at
least 30 points each time, with the low mark coming in the team’s 31-25 Super
Bowl XLV victory. The last two wins have both been nail-biters: a 34-31 playoff
win in January 2017 and a 35-31 victory the following fall. Dallas was a
different team at home last year, however
Womens Brett Favre Jersey , and they look like they should field a strong team once again in 2019.Both home games look winnable; Detroit’s shutout victory
at Lambeau in week 17 last year came with a concussed Rodgers on the sideline
and a checked-out Packers team on the field. The Raiders, meanwhile, should
still be a little ways away from contending, even despite having three
first-round picks.However, week eight will be one of the biggest tests of the
season, particularly for Pettine and the Packers’ defense. Given the Chiefs’
issues on defense last year, this could well be a shootout, with Rodgers and
Patrick Mahomes trading points. A Packers upset is hardly impossible, but
without seeing the team’s new offense yet, it’s tough to project that as a
win.Prediction: 2-2 (5-3 overall)NovemberAfter that game in Kansas City, a tough
road week awaits as the Packers head to California for their longest road trip
of the year. The Chargers look like a complete team, very good on both sides of
the football, and that’s a tough draw after that prime time game in KC. However,
the Packers then get a home game against Carolina before a late week-11 bye.
That gives them plenty of time to rest up and prepare for another West Coast
trip, this time to play the 49ers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.The Chargers
game is a dangerous one, given the travel and the opponent. Following
that
Davon House Jersey White , however, I see a motivated team coming home to make a statement against Carolina before an off week. With Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick
McKinnon back, San Fran looks to be improved over last year as well, but I like
the Packers’ chances against Matt LaFleur’s mentor, Kyle Shanahan.Prediction:
2-1 (7-4 overall)DecemberDespite five games in December, three of them come on
the road to help minimize the Packers’ home-field advantage in the cold weather.
Furthermore, one is against the Bears, another cold-weather team that appears
built for that time of year.First, however, the Packers will fly all the way
back across the country after facing the 49ers, as they open up December in New
Jersey against the Giants. Will New York have a new quarterback by then? We’ll
have a better idea next week in the draft, but I suspect that this Giants team
is still going to struggle in 2019. An Alex Smith-less Washington team comes to
Lambeau in week 14, followed by the Bears rematch in Green Bay the following
week. The Packers then close it out with road dates at Minnesota and
Detroit.Prediction: 3-2 (10-6 overall)I wish I felt good enough about the
Packers in the division to say they sweep the divisional stretch at the end of
the year, but I have a feeling that there’s a slight letdown coming late. I
actually feel better about Green Bay’s chances of beating the Bears in week one
at Soldier Field than I do about that week 15 game, largely because Chicago will
have a tougher time preparing for a LaFleur-Rodgers offense when there’s no tape
available. After 13 games, there should be more to work with and Chicago should
be better-prepared. Meanwhile
Kyler Fackrell Jersey White , the Packers have yet to win at U.S. Bank Stadium, so I’m not confident in projecting a win there. I will give Green Bay a
win in week 17, however, and they’ll need it to clinch a postseason berth.All
told, a 10-6 record would almost certainly be enough to get the Packers into the
playoffs, but whether that’s enough for a division title should depend on the
Bears and Vikings.Overall ObservationsOur Jason B. Hirschhorn discussed this
just after the release of the schedule, but it bears mentioning again: getting
five of the first seven games at home — and going no more than 200 miles away in
the first month — sets up well for a strong start. However, the very beginning
and end of the schedule will be critical to determining whether this Packers
team can make a run at an NFC North title.The Packers open up with back-to-back
division games in 2019, starting with the Bears on the road and then coming home
to play the Vikings. They then close the season with back-to-back-to-back
division games in the final three weeks of the season. Those periods will likely
be a major determining factor in the divisional race, particularly that final
stretch at the end of the year. Getting wins in the division early on can help
ease the pressure on the team late in the season, but regardless of the rest of
the team’s results, the Packers will almost certainly need to win two of their
final three games to have a shot at t division title.
