SEASON PREDICTION 

2025 came to a disappointing end for the Pack as they blew a 21-3 lead to the Bears due to frustrating play calling by MLF which allowed Chicago to claw their way back into the game. The downfall of the season however began in week 14. Green Bay was off to a promising start, up 23-14 in the 3rd quarter vs the Broncos but then everything crumbled when Micah Parsons went down with a torn ACL. Later Elgton Jenkins would roll his ankle and be ruled out for the year, which led to the Packers limping into the playoffs on a 3-game losing streak. The reports are that Micah expects to miss the first 5 weeks of the 2026 season so now the biggest concern will be if new DC Jonathon Gannon can extract enough production from the remaining pieces until their all-pro edge rusher returns.  

The difference before and after Micah Parsons got hurt was so obvious that even Ray Charles would be able to pinpoint when he left the squad. Per Rob Demovsky in the 14 weeks with Micah the Packers " ranked fifth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed, sixth in fewest points allowed and eight in ESPN's pass rush win rate. Over the final four weeks, they ranked 24th, 29th, and 21st in those respective categories." The record also reflects this as Green Bay had a 9-3 record in the games Micah finished and a 0-5 record in the games he didn't finish. With his loss also came the undoing of the secondary who no longer had the luxury of being coddled by an elite pass rush to cover their weaknesses in pass coverage. Green Bay tried to address this issue by signing and drafting CBs. Benjamin St Juste has been a ghost in camp, and I see no hope for him being a significant part of the rotation. The rookie Brandon Cisse shows promise, but is extremely raw and only 20 years old which means he is bound for some rookie mishaps, something the Packers can ill afford on their quest for a Lombardi. On a positive note, new DC Jonathan Gannon is attempting to switch up the defense to a 3-4 base which Parsons approves of. The 3-4 base is also the defense scheme in which new LB Zaire Franklin recorded his career high in tackles (179) in 2023. As for the front four the D-line will be relying heavily on Devonte Wyatt until Parsons can return. In addition, Green Bay will be hoping Lukas Van Ness can finally break out and become the pass rusher they drafted him to be with the 12th overall pick which would be greatly appreciated during this Parsons absence. Alas, similar to last year the biggest weakness for Green Bay is their CB room who seems to be relying on a 20 year old rookie to led them to the promise land.  

Transitioning on to the offense, the potential that this unit possesses is marvelous, and it brightly shines in games like Detroit week 1 of the regular season. However, the play calling is inconsistent and that is my main complaint with MLF as a Packers fan. He has a great offensive mind but once he builds a lead, he shortens his playbook and becomes extremely conservative. It got to a point where in 2025 the Packers averaged only 8.9 possesions a game the fewest of any team this century. Love has proven that he excels in a high tempo offense and has shown improvement in taking care of the ball and making the right read. The hope is that with the WR room uncluttered there can be more tempo used with less substitutions having to occur between each play. Furthermore, Love will get his best weapon back in Tucker Kraft who was the engine of the offense before he went down in week 9. Regarding the RB room is murky for a multitude of reasons which does worry me a bit. Talent wise Jacobs is still a solid every down workhorse back but due to his off field drama he may face a possible suspension. And with Emmanuel Wilson now gone it could be a very real possibility that Marshon Llyod is getting RB1 reps having only had 6 career carries.   

As for the special team's unit, I feel rather pleased with where things are headed for 2026. The packers got rid of McManus and drafted Trey Smack to take his place. In preseason Smack went 9/9 on his FG attempts and hit a couple 50 yarders. Obviously preseason is not indicative for what is to come in the regular season but it is a positive sign for a kicking game that has struggled since the departure of Mason Crosby. 

With Parsons out to start the season, I have Green Bay struggling in his absence going 2-3 to start the year. However, if the timeline is correct and he does return for week 6, then the Packers have a favorable schedule to finish out the year. With a competent pass rush back in the mix the pressure will be alleviated off the CB's allowing their lack of talent to be covered up by Parsons elite capability. And I'm hopeful that MLF will finally take off the shackles restricting this offense and allow the high flying fast tempo version of the Packers to be set free. Thus, resulting in the Packers finishing 10-7 and winning the division off a tiebreaker vs the Bears.