After Packers Blew Two Wins, Now’s Their Chance to Reassert Dominance

The Green Bay Packers have proven they can beat any team in the league, having mostly dominated season-opening victories over the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders.

However, they’ve also shown they can lose to any team in the league, having performed poorly on offense in a loss at the Cleveland Browns and on defense in a tie at the Dallas Cowboys.

So, the second half of this sentence is demonstrably meaningless, but the Packers have a chance to get the ship pointed in the right direction and build momentum over the next month before the start of a grueling second half of the season.

After the bye, the Packers will:

Host the Cincinnati Bengals. Their average ranking in our Consensus NFL Power Rankings is 23.9.

Play at the Arizona Cardinals. Their average ranking in the Consensus Power Rankings is 19.3.

Play at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their average ranking is 12.5.

Host the Carolina Panthers: Their average ranking is 29.0.

The game against the Bengals looked like a marquee matchup when the schedule came out. That all changed, of course, when All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury that required surgery.

Cincinnati is 2-2, so very much in the playoff mix, but it is minus-eight in net touchdowns – second-worst in the league. The Bengals are coming off back-to-back losses of 48-10 at the Vikings and 28-3 at the Broncos. They will host the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Cardinals also are 2-2 but, with Kyler Murray at quarterback and a strong defense, they will be a more formidable opponent, especially at home. They started their season 2-0, with narrow wins over the Saints and Panthers – teams with a combined one win – but are coming off a 16-15 loss at the 49ers and a 23-20 loss at home to the Seahawks. Their top two running backs are on injured reserve, with Trey Benson joining James Conner on Wednesday.

The Steelers lead the AFC North with a 3-1 record. However, their three wins have come against teams with a combined four wins. With those wins coming by a total of 12 points, they are minus-2 in net points.

The Panthers are 1-3. After a promising finish to last season, it looks like they are on their way to a seventh consecutive season with 10-plus losses. After a 30-0 win at home against Atlanta in Week 3, they lost 42-13 at New England on Sunday.

Green Bay lost to Cleveland, which has one of the best defenses in the NFL, and tied at Dallas, which has one of the best offenses in the NFL.

None of the four upcoming opponents have a powerful side of the ball.

In terms of offense, the Bengals are 30th in scoring and 32 in yards, the Cardinals are 22nd in scoring and 28th in yards, the Steelers are 18th in scoring and 29th in yards and the Panthers are 26th in scoring and 24th in yards.

Of 31 qualifying quarterbacks, the Bengals’ Jake Browning is 29th in rating, the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray is 22nd, the Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers is ninth and the Panthers’ Bryce Young is 27th. Looking closer at Rodgers, who won four MVPs with the Packers, he is third with eight touchdown passes but last in air yards per attempt and air yards per completion.

In terms of defense, the Bengals are 27th in scoring and 30th in yards, the Cardinals are sixth in scoring and 23rd in yards, the Steelers are 21st in scoring and in 29th yards, and the Panthers are 19th in scoring and 19th in yards.

After blowing golden opportunities to be 4-0, there will be no taking anything for granted.

“It feels kind of like a kick in the gut,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Tuesday. “It definitely feels more like a loss than anything else, just talking about this last game. I think what’s disappointing is when you have opportunities to win games, which we had an opportunity in both games to win the game, and when you don’t win the game, it’s disappointing.

“You look around the league, though, you can’t take anything for granted. You see it every week, somebody who’s supposed to win the game not win the game. This league is competitive. That’s why you can’t take it for granted. You got to give your best shot every week. Otherwise, you will get beat.”

The meat of the schedule will arrive after the Carolina game, beginning with the Packers welcoming the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles – fresh off their bye – to Lambeau Field for a Monday night showdown.

After a game at the Giants, Green Bay’s final seven games will include five NFC North matchups, a game at the Denver Broncos and a showdown at home against the Baltimore Ravens.

Of the final nine games, only the Giants and Ravens have losing records through Week 4.