Packers: 3 new predictions for rest of season following bye

With the Green Bay Packers’ bye week officially over, let’s recalibrate and make three new and bold predictions for the rest of the season.

The first quarter of the season couldn’t have gone any better for the Green Bay Packers. And it’s not just about their 4-0 record, they’ve looked impressive along the way to boot. With their offense clicking and their defense doing just enough to win ball games, it’s been a fun start to this season.

Coming out of the bye, Green Bay will (hopefully) play 12 straight games, creating a daunting and physically challenging task ahead of the playoffs. If they’re able to capture the one bye in the NFC, that extra week off will provide a huge boost to their team.

Now that we know a little more than we did before the season, let’s revise some predictions and make three new and bold ones.

3. Za’Darius finishes second in the NFL in sacks

My initial prediction had the Packers leading the league in sacks per game. They currently rank sixth with three quarterback takedowns per game despite an admittedly slow start by their standards. One man who started to bust his slump in their final game before the bye was Za’Darius Smith when he accrued three sacks against the Atlanta Falcons. On the season, he has five, placing him third in the league behind Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. It will be difficult for him to keep pace with Aaron Donald (7.5 sacks), but he has all the tools to finish second, especially when Kenny Clark comes back and takes some of the attention off Smith.

2. Aaron Rodgers throws for 50 touchdowns and wins MVP

I originally predicted a top-three MVP finish for Aaron Rodgers and he looks like a lock to accomplish that after his first four games. However, let’s take it even a step further and say he’ll win the whole thing outright while throwing for 50 touchdowns. Rodgers’ career-high of 45 touchdown passes came back in 2011 and he’s currently on pace to throw for 52. He’s also expecting to get Davante Adams and Equanimous St. Brown back soon with Allen Lazard’s return looming sometime in the future. Adding even more weapons will make an already dangerous Rodgers even more lethal.

1. Packers go 13-3

After finishing 13-3 last year, many analysts predicted the Packers to take a step back and finish with roughly 10-11 wins on the season. Now it’s a stretch to say they’ll only win 13 games on the season. Looking ahead at their schedule potential losses could include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans although even some of those might be surefire wins considering how the teams have played so far this season. Still, there will also probably be one random dud along the way–after all, it is a long season. To play it safe, let’s say they go 13-3 once again this year.