The Green Bay Packers need to improve if they are to win the NFC North

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Must win and Aaron Rodgers don’t belong in the same sentence when it’s only week four in the NFL. But we need to recognize and understand that the Packers offense aren’t what they recently have been. Green Bay has won the NFC North division five out of the past six seasons with 2015 being the exception as the Vikings claimed that crown by defeating the Pack in the regular season finale.

Right now the Detroit Lions look like the cream of the crop in the NFC North this season. The Minnesota Vikings have played well in Sam Bradford’s absence and I’d assume they’ll get better offensively when he returns. The Bears are a decent 1-2 team at the moment and who knows what they can accomplish this year.

Bottom line is every team in the NFC North seemed to improve except the Packers. Granted Green Bay did make it to the NFC Championship last season and Aaron Rodgers is a magician on the field. However, football is the ultimate team sport and quite frankly the Packers don’t have the best team in the division anymore.

Inter-Divisional games are always tough and they’ve yet to play the Lions, Vikings or Bears yet…Oh, My! Not to mention a trip to Dallas in Week 5, the Saints come marching in October 22nd and a Super Bowl rematch from 2010 in Pittsburgh against a veteran Steelers team. Green Bay also has to take on Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Baltimore who can all take a chunk out of those cheeseheads.

The Packers did a nice job in Week 1 beating the Seahawks but then again Seattle isn’t looking like themselves. The Falcons didn’t allow revenge from last season as they manhandled the Packers in Atlanta. Then last week Green Bay had to come back against a Bengals team who hadn’t even scored a touchdown until landing at Lambeau. However, the Pack stole a victory at home winning by a field goal.

Given the schedule, the improvement in the division and the average play by the Packers leads me to believe they have some issues that need quick fixing because a load of tough games lies ahead. I’m not ruling out Green Bay because of their pedigree and other reasons mentioned above. I am saying that the NFC North is up for grabs this year and the Packers may be on the outside looking in!