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Green Bay Packers: Analyzing second half of 2020 schedule

By Brian Sampson

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 27: Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers walks off the field after his team defeated the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 27, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 27: Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers walks off the field after his team defeated the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 27, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Let’s take a look at the second half of the Green Bay Packers’ schedule to see which games are locks for victories and which ones will be more difficult.

After hearing all offseason about their supposedly fraudulent 2019 campaign that saw the Green Bay Packers win 13 of their 16 regular-season games and advance to the NFC Championship Game, the Pack got off to a great start to the 2020 season. They won four of their first five games and now sit with a 6-2 record at the halfway point.

However, there is a lot of race left to be run, as the Packers must focus on finishing strong and earning the top seed in the NFC. Remember, the playoffs are structured differently this year and the top seven teams from each conference make the postseason, with only the squad with the best record earning a first-round bye. That may be more important than ever for Green Bay since they will have played 12 straight games by that point.

Before we separate the Packers’ schedule into three categories (locks for a victory, slightly favored and toss-ups), here’s who they have left to play as well as their record right now:

  • Sunday, November 15th vs Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7)
  • Sunday, November 22nd at Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
  • Sunday, November 29th vs Chicago Bears (5-4)
  • Sunday, December 6th vs Philadelphia Eagles (3-4-1)
  • Sunday, December 13th at Detroit Lions (3-5)
  • Sunday, December 20th vs Carolina Panthers (3-6)
  • Sunday, December 27th vs Tenessee Titans (6-2)
  • Sunday, January 3rd at Chicago Bears (5-4)

(Should be) Locks for victory

The Packers should have zero issues winning these contests and we can basically count them in the win column right now. These games include this week against the Jaguars, Week 13 vs the Eagles, Week 14 against the Detroit Lions and Week15 against the Panthers. All four teams have either battled injuries all year or are severely undermanned compared to Green Bay. Adding these four wins would move Green Bay into a double-digit win tally alone.

Slightly Favored

The Packers should be able to win these contests, however, anything can happen on Sundays which means they can’t overlook anybody (as we learned with the Minnesota Vikings). Green Bay is more talented than these teams, but they could be decided by one score or less. The only two games that fall in this category are against the Bears in Week 12 and 17.

Toss-Ups

There aren’t any games on the Packers’ schedule that are absolute losses for them so this is the most perilous category for them. These games could go either way and wouldn’t surprise anyone if Green Bay loses based on how things look now. These two games likely determine just how successful Green Bay is this season and includes Week 11 at the Colts and Week 16 at the Titans.

Next. Packers: 3 breakout candidates for second half of season. dark

Conclusion

In the end, the Packers have a great chance at matching their 13-3 record from a year ago. At 6-2, four of their games should be fairly easy wins, while they’ll be slightly favored in two others and a 50/50 game in their last two. That should set the Pack up for a nice finish to the 2020 season and a prime position to earn the top seed in the NFC.

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