Claiming a circulation of over three million, and a readership of 23 million, when Sports Illustrated comes out with its annual standings and postseason projections, sports enthusiasts pay attention. This year, the magazine had a couple of surprises in store for Green Bay Packers fans.
Going against most prognosticators, SI is predicting that the Vikings and Packers will have identical regular season records of 11-5 – but that the Vikings will emerge as the division champ. The Packers are projected to be the fifth-seeded NFC team, landing them in the wild card game.
After the bad news, however, SI follows up with some better tidings. It predicts the Packers will prevail over the Giants in the wild-card game, then oust the top-seeded Falcons in the divisional round.
If so, this gets Green Bay to the NFC championship game, and SI predicts that the Packers will vanquish the Vikings in that contest.
This would put Green Bay back in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2010 season. The magazine, however, envisions that the Packers will fall to the current Super Bowl champion Patriots, though by a close 31-27 score.
SI’s NFC projected seedings, from the top down, are the Falcons, Vikings, Seahawks, Giants, Packers and Buccaneers. The similar AFC lineup consists of the Patriots, Steelers, Raiders, Titans, Chiefs, and Ravens.
That’s a bunch of familiar names, with the Bucs being the only projected recent newcomer to the NFC dance. They last appeared, and lost, in a wild card game in 2007. In the AFC, the Raiders have been to the postseason just once since 2002, losing in a wild card game. The Titans haven’t been there since 2008, and the Ravens were last there in 2014, also losing in a wild card game.
The Patriots and Packers each have a string going of eight straight postseason appearances.
Season starting schedule couldn’t be tougher: go 2-0 and I’m a believer, but 0-2 with Bengals on the horizon makes all the above moot. 0-2 start means 10-4 necessary the rest of the way to have legitimate shot at the playoffs. A slow start could kill this season quickly.
Will be curious to see how McCarthy approaches it as his teams are historically slow starters.
And historically the Packers struggle with the Bengals. Even when the Packers win it seems the games are close. 0-3 isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Last place we want to see Seattle is week 1. Packers ran longer practices than usual this year but Seahawks camps and practices are more grueling and harder hitting. Seahawks have some Lambeau demons to exorcise and have pretty much shit the bed in every game at Lambeau. I will root for the Packers but am betting Seattle pretty hard. They’ll use their new weapons to great effect. Packers will ease in their guys to ill effect.
I also think the under is a strong play. Both offenses will struggle.
Usually i don’t like knowing what’s going to happen in the future. But based on this information, this is great news, the Packers will be playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Which is what i predicted a month or so ago.
Many of you laughed at me for starting to save my money for tickets to watch my Packers in the Super Bowl. But now we have proof the Packers will be going, so who’s laughing now bitches!!
I just wish the score would be different, but i’m buying tickets anyway. It’s not like i have this chance every year. Looks like the score will be close enough that it will be a great game. I’m just hoping that the score was switched by mistake and we beat the Patriots 31-27.
I apologize for all the Thompson and Murphy bashing, i didn’t think we were going to another Super Bowl, but now i know better.
See ya’ll all in Minnesota!!