The Green Bay Packers improved to 6-3 after their 45-27 win over the New England Patriots in Week 9.
The Packers have now won five of their last six games. Unfortunately, they are in last place in the unbelievably competitive NFC North. However, there is still much to be determined with eight games to go, and Green Bay can still accomplish all its goals.
Green Bay Packers Labeled ‘Most Complete Team’ in NFC North
ESPN NFL analyst Bill Barnwell believes that the 2026 NFC North could go down as the best division ever. If the postseason began today, all four teams would be in. It’s tough to predict who will ultimately win the division title, so Barnwell made a case for team. When it came to the Packers, he stated that they are the most complete team in the NFC North.
“Green Bay can make the strongest case that it’ll get better moving forward. Parsons, even if he’s limited coming off the knee injury, will give the Packers the star they don’t currently have in their front seven. And the run game should regress at least a little bit toward the mean in the weeks to come, if only because NFL teams aren’t typically this bad at running the football for any length of time. Those improvements, married with what Love’s doing in the passing game, could push the Packers atop the NFC North.”
Legitimate Rushing Attack is Only Thing Holding Packers Back
It’s no secret that Green Bay’s Achilles’ heel is the run game. It ranks dead last in the NFL in rushing yards per game at just 68.2. Even when Josh Jacobs was added to the mix, he was contributing more as a pass catcher, and is now dealing with a fractured finger. However, Barnwell isn’t overly worried about all of that considering how dominant Love has been.
“Nobody throws deep more often than Love, who chucks the ball 20 or more yards downfield on 18% of his pass attempts. And while the Packers caught those passes on Sunday, the only thing that’s holding Love back from being an even more productive passer is his receivers’ hands, which have dropped just under 6% of Love’s pass attempts. That’s the worst mark in the league so far this season.”
On a bright note, the Packers did rack up 129 rushing yards against the Patriots. If Jacobs doesn’t have to miss significant time, they may have enough to get by in the running game. Green Bay could also explore acquiring a running back via trade before the November 10 deadline.
Packers Have 1 Big Edge Over Their Rivals in NFC North Race