There are hot takes, there are scorching takes and then there are takes plucked directly from the surface of the sun. It was the last of these that former Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert conjured when speculating on the final six games of the year.
Benkert took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thanksgiving Day and made the case for the Packers winning out to end their season.
Hold up… do the Packers win out?
Week 13 vs KC (winnable)
Week 14 @ NYG (will win)
Week 15 vs TB (should win)
Week 16 @ CAR (will win)
Week 17 @ MIN (should win)
Week 18 vs CHI (will win)
“Hold up … do the Packers win out?” Benkert wrote on Thursday, November 23. “Week 13 vs KC (winnable); Week 14 @ NYG (will win); Week 15 vs TB (should win); Week 16 @ CAR (will win); Week 17 @ MIN (should win); Week 18 vs CHI (will win).”
Jordan Love Says Packers’ Prospects Looking Up as Season Continues
GettyGreen Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
Accomplishing an undefeated run through Week 18 would mean Green Bay finishes the 2023 campaign with eight consecutive wins and an 11-6 record, which would almost certainly land the Packers in the playoffs after missing out on the postseason by one victory last year.
When examining Benkert’s take as something that could actually happen, it must be noted that eight-game winning streaks in the NFL are exceedingly rare. That said, the Minnesota Vikings won five in a row earlier this season — all of which came without All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the lineup, including the last two without QB Kirk Cousins.
The Packers’ offense has come back to life in the past couple of games, as the team has averaged 26 points per outing over that span.
Quarterback Jordan Love has returned to his early-season form, completing 49-of-72 passes for 590 yards and 5 touchdowns against no interceptions during the past two wins. Love led the Packers to a 1-1 start with 6 touchdowns to zero interceptions to begin the season.
Green Bay’s offense is still the youngest in the NFL, which makes the notion of a sustained winning streak a tougher sell. However, the organization’s youth is growing up before the fans’ eyes, and Love said following the team’s road victory over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day that things feel different than they did earlier this season.
“It definitely feels different.”
— Jordan Love on where things are now compared to early in the season.
“It definitely feels different,” Love said during the postgame press conference on Thursday, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “I think it’s just part of the process, though. We’re just taking it week by week.”
Packers Poised for Playoff Push Following 2-Game Winning Streak
GettyGreen Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love looks to pass during an NFL game against the Detroit Lions in November 2023.
Green Bay’s chances to make the playoffs have skyrocketed from less than 10% a couple of weeks ago to more than 44% as of Sunday afternoon, per ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI).
The Packers’ postseason odds should be helped even more by several NFL results across Week 12, including losses by the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints, with whom Green Bay will compete for an NFC Wildcard spot assuming neither team wins its division.
The Minnesota Vikings host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football on November 27, and a Bears’ victory will pull the Packers to within a half-game of the Vikings in the NFC North Division.
FPI isn’t nearly as bullish on Green Bay’s chances to win out as Benkert was on social media a few days ago, but it does project the Packers to finish the season with 8.2 wins against 8.7 losses. Obviously, those exact numbers are impossible to achieve, but if Green Bay can get to 9-8 the playoffs then become a legitimate possibility.
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Former Packers QB Makes Case for Green Bay Winning Out