Green Bay Packers take command of NFC North and set eyes on playoff seed | Launderer report

For all intents and purposes, the Green Bay Packers have crowned themselves the kings of the NFC North as winter approaches. Now they will march forward in a battle for conference supremacy with little competition to speak of.

The 41-25 Chicago Bears teardown on Sunday destroyed the last vestiges of any team in the Division capable of usurping the Green Bay throne.

The 8-3 Packers are the only old Black and Blue team to post a winning record. At 5-6, the Bears are now tied with the Minnesota Vikings, while the Detroit Lions reset earlier this weekend by sacking general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia.

To be fair, Chicago has fallen apart in the past few weeks. Matt Nagy’s seat is engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, Ryan Pace – or whoever will be the general manager of the Chicago Bears next offseason – has to pull out a piece of scrambling paper and jot down the following directive: “A franchise quarterback no matter what.” “.

The Vikings come closest to being a true contender for Green Bay’s reputation. They’ve already shared their two-game streak with the Packers. Additionally, Kirk Cousins ​​and Co. has won four of its last five games. However, a three-game deficit is almost impossible to overcome with five weeks to go.

As such, the Packers can shift their gaze to the larger NFL landscape and turn to the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks, who are now their main contender.

The AFC has a lot more depth overall. Nine teams have winning records compared to the six in the NFC.

So the obstacles in front of Green Bay are not as difficult. But being the conference rep in the Super Bowl is all that matters, and the Packers are as lucky as anything.

As of now, Matt LaFleur’s team are certainly better positioned than their main opponents to win the NFC playoff seed. Before looking at the timetables, the current setups are problematic in both the Big Easy and the Great Northwest.

Timeline for Drew Brees return after 11 broken ribs and partially collapsed lung has yet to be determined, ESPN says Ed werder. Sure, the Saints are 2-0 with Taysom Hill behind center, but the versatile threat was only thrown for 78 yards on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Granted, the Saints haven’t had to do much offensively since Denver started a practice squad wide receiver at quarterback, but Hill would have enjoyed good performances on each other.

Defense is the name of the game in the Big Easy right now as New Orleans present the league’s first unit after stopping the exhausted Broncos. But let’s not forget that Aaron Rodgers threw three no-turnover scores in a Week 3 victory over the Brees-led Saints.

Rodgers is putting on another monster campaign with 33 passing touchdowns leading the NFL, down from just four interceptions. He’s still the X-factor. Most importantly, he and his head coach / caller click.

“I think the beauty of this year is the intricacies of simplicity Matt implemented in the offseason,” Rodgers told reporters after Sunday’s game. “It really made me feel very comfortable with the plan every week.”

When an NFC counterpart does not present someone like a healthy Brees or Russell Wilson, they are automatically at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, the Seahawks have Wilson in their lineup. What they don’t have is a defense that can slow down Rodgers, running back Aaron Jones, or anyone for that matter.

As Seattle prepares for a Monday night reunion with the Philadelphia Eagles, its defense is allowing 343.7 passing yards per game. To better understand just how horrible that number really is, no other team allows more than 291.5 per contest.

Wilson and Seattle’s dynamic wide receiver duo Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are exceptional, but the Seahawks are a largely flawed team on the other side of the ball. Green Bay’s defense isn’t great either. But the Packers are clearly better at that specific area.

With five games to go, Green Bay faces only one opponent– Tennessee Titans in Week 16– with a winning record. Surprisingly, the same goes for New Orleans and Seattle.

Of the three, Seattle has the easiest remaining schedule based on current win-loss records, although a Week 14 reunion with the New York Jets without a win skews slightly.

The Packers are set to face two shaken teams in the Eagles and Lions in consecutive weeks before sandwiching the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears around the Titans. A 13-3 recording is still being played.

Green Bay’s rise to the top of the NFC is almost assured depending on the trend of the organization and what lies ahead.

No team should be one step ahead of themselves, however. After all, it’s a week-by-week league, especially during a pandemic. That said, the Packers are well positioned to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LV.

The AFC side of the ledger will be a glove for any battle-tired team that emerges.

Currently, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs are the best teams in the league for entirely different reasons. The Steelers have an opportunistic defense and a veteran quarterback who pushes all the right buttons. The Chiefs, on the other hand, feature a spectacular offense with Patrick Mahomes in the lead, and the reigning Super Bowl MVP is limitless in what he can do.

But the other conference also has the Cleveland Browns, Derrick Henry’s Tennesee Titans, two up-and-coming AFC East representatives in the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, and one of the league’s best defenses in the Indianapolis Colts.

Yet the most important thing that can be said about a team heading into the playoffs applies to the Packers: They can beat anyone.

Green Bay has already made its point as the best in NFC with little resistance. The Packers should now have their eyes set on a much bigger crown depending on how the pitch is set up in their favor.