Packers’ scariest pitfall to overcome on 2024 NFL schedule

In a season where expectations were tempered, the Green Bay Packers impressed even the most optimistic Wisconsin football fans. The team finished the regular season at 9-8, then knocked off the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs before falling just short to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.

After the Packers’ loss to the Niners in the playoffs, the schedule-makers did Green Bay no favors in 2024. The Green and Gold have the fourth-toughest schedule this year based on their opponent’s combined 2023 winning percentage. Those teams will not be quite as good in 2024, with Green Bay ranking 19th in strength of schedule when accounting for the projected win totals of their 2024 foes. Still, this schedule will provide a difficult for a Packers team looking to prove itself as a true Super Bowl contender in Jordan Love’s second season as a starter.

With a testing schedule ahead, how will the Packers fare this season? This is the Packers’ scariest pitfall to overcome on the 2024 NFL schedule.

Facing off against San Francisco, Miami, and Detroit in consecutive weeks

Green Bay’s 2023 season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs against eventual NFC Champs the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers held the lead in that game heading into the fourth quarter, but the experienced 49ers outplayed a young Green Bay squad in the final period to secure the victory. The Titletown team has now lost five straight playoff games against San Francisco, and these defeats have comprised of five of the franchise’s last eight playoff exits dating back to the 2013 season.

While the Niners have the Packers’ number in the playoffs, the Green and Gold will have a shot at revenge in the regular season when Kyle Shanahan’s team takes a trip to the Frozen Tundra for a titanic Week 12 contest. That game will mark the start of what will be the toughest stretch of the season for the Packers.

After hosting the 49ers, the Packers welcome the high-flying Miami Dolphins the following week. This game is the primetime contest on Thanksgiving. While the Miami offense is rarely the same in cold weather (and a late-November night in northern Wisconsin promises to be chilly), the Dolphins are still a well-rounded team that is difficult to defeat.

Green Bay’s quirky schedule continues the next Thursday when the Packers have their toughest divisional contest — a primetime game on the road against the Detroit Lions. The two teams split their season series last season, with the road team opening a big first-half lead each time before holding on for the victory. The Lions also pushed the Niners to the brink in the playoffs but were unable to overcome their NFC West foe. This Week 14 contest could decide the NFC North champion and will have a big effect on the overall playoff situation in the NFC. The Packers also have a road game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 — a game against an easier opponent on paper but also one of the toughest road environments in the NFL.

The rest of Green Bay’s schedule is far easier than this three-game stretch, giving the franchise some leeway to slip up late in the season. But this will be a key test for a Packers team that deems itself to be a true Super Bowl contender.