Oh, We’ll Understand it Better Bye and Bye…

This final three weeks of the NFL regular season are going to be off the hook. The Packers are still playing for a first round bye and the schedule makes practically theirs to command. With a head-to-head match-up with the Cardinals in a couple weeks, the Packers have the opportunity, if they can beat them in the regular season, to leap frog their seeding with a tie record. This, of course, assumes that they win out which will be no small feat the way the Raiders and upstart Vikings are playing. It also requires another Cardinal loss aside from the game against the Pack, and the Cardinals will be playing for their shot at a bye. But the ideal scenario puts the Packers as the two seed and gives them a bye. But one has to wonder if this year’s loss to the Lions (or Bears) will be like last year’s loss to the Bills…could have changed everything. Personally, I like the Packers chances in that regard. To me, the more likely time to decry the loss to the 1-7 (at the time) Lions will be if the Packers make it far enough to have to go to Carolina for a rematch against the Panthers. That would be all to similar to the trip to Seattle last year (hopefully with a different outcome).

As it stands, the Packers best shot would appear to be winning the North and taking the third seed with the best record in the wild card round. This could be very interesting as it would pit the Packers against the Vikings for the third time this year (unless the Seahawks’ record is worse) as Washington would get the forth seed as a Division winner. If the Packers were to win, and the Seahawks could get it done against a weak Division-winner, this would send the Seahawks (lowest winning seed) to Carolina and the Packers (highest winning seed) would take on the Cards yet again. The way the Seahawks are playing right now, they could knock the Panthers out and then…you guessed it…the Seahawks would end up at Lambeau for a second time.

Did the NFL hire Nostradamus to put together the schedule this year? Of course the Packers have to keep winning and getting better and if they do this, I think they can beat anyone. Just recall how close they came to beating the Panthers and they really only played one half of football. But a home NFC Championship game would be just…special.

We will understand it better as the final pieces fall in place, and of course, the most important thing for the team itself is to focus on beating a tough Raiders team. But regardless of how it turns out, it looks like the season’s best is yet to come. The Packers have a lot of tough games ahead, let’s hope their best football is ahead too.

Go Pack!