Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers lays on the ground after being sacked by Romeo Okwara #95 of the Detroit Lions.
The Packers are running out of time in the Aaron Rodgers era. After last season’s 6-9-1 record, Green Bay missed the playoffs and finished under .500 for the second straight season. This led to head coach Mike McCarthy’s firing and the introduction of Matt LaFleur.
LaFleur is theoretically in the mold of Rams coach Sean McVay or Bears coach Matt Nagy, i.e. a 39-year old longtime offensive assistant meant to team up with a star quarterback. The problem is that his hiring doesn’t address the main problem, which was defense.
While the Packers finished in the top half of the league in total offense and points, the scoring defense finished No. 22 with 25 points per game allowed. It doesn’t help that Clay Matthews and Jake Ryan have left the linebacking corps for Los Angeles and Jacksonville, respectively.
With that said, we already knew more or less the path Green Bay has to return to the postseason. The opponents include:
- Two games each against the Bears, Lions and Vikings
- Home contests with the Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, Eagles and Redskins
- Road trips to Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles (Chargers), New York and San Francisco
Let’s take a look at how the schedule shakes out on a week to week basis. This schedule is official now.
Green Bay Packers 2019 Schedule
Green Bay Packers 2019 Schedule Matchups & Best Games
Before the Packers can even think about getting back into the playoffs, Rodgers and company have to restore order in their own division. Green Bay is just 3-8-1 against NFC North rivals in the last 2 seasons, including 2 straight losses to the Lions at Lambeau Field.
Rodgers has to be the quarterback that sparked a second-half comeback over the Bears in last year’s opener, and not the one who has generated just 51 points in the last 4 meetings with Detroit.
The road slate is fairly brutal, which includes trips to playoff returnees in Dallas, Kansas City and the Chargers. While it’s possible Green Bay can shut down Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott’s more balanced attack, Mahomes and Rivers respectively should light up a depleted defense.
Outside of those, Green Bay faces off against a bunch of borderline playoff teams at home, such as Carolina, Denver, Oakland, Minnesota (twice) and Washington. Depending on how the Packers replenish their depth chart in this month’s Draft, each of those games are winnable and can boost them into a Wild Card spot.
While Rodgers and LaFleur should team up to create a potent offense, it’s too risky to pick Green Bay as anything other than a 7-9/9-7 outfit this fall.