2010 Green Bay Packers Team Preview/Predictions
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2009 Record: 11-5
ATS: 11-4-1
The Green Bay Packers’ 2009 season was a success by any measurement or standard. A team that, in January of 2008, played for the NFC championship and then missed out on the playoffs the following season did not know what to expect as the fall of 2009 approached.
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How giddy the Packers and their backers must have been, then, when Aaron Rodgers came into his own as an NFL field general and led the Pack to an 11-5 record and the No. 5 seed in the NFC postseason.
What made the 2009 run to the playoffs so satisfying in the NFL’s smallest market was the realization that the team came on so strong after a flat first half. Only 4-4 at the midway point of the season and smarting after a terrible loss to lowly Tampa Bay, the Packers rallied to win seven of their last eight.
Rodgers caught fire thanks to improved protection from his offensive line.
In the team’s final two games, it won by 38 points (Seattle) and 26 points (Arizona) to not only make the playoffs, but crash through the front door. This team did not back into a bit of good fortune. It authoritatively claimed a postseason spot.
A dream of getting back to the Super Bowl died, however, in the wild card round, as Arizona and Kurt Warner outlasted the Pack in overtime, 51-45, in a modern-day postseason classic.
In 2010, it’s not hard to figure out the key to the Packers’ season.
It’s all about defense. Charles Woodson is around to patrol the secondary, and Clay Matthews III will be able to make plays as a linebacker. One point of immediate concern is the fact that defensive end Johnny Jolly has been suspended for the entire season due to his violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Yet, all those very specific issues pale in comparison to the bigger picture, which is that the Packers need more strength and toughness everywhere on their defense.
A lack of a consistent pass rush doomed Green Bay in last year’s playoffs. While it’s true that Arizona’s winning touchdown in overtime came from the defensive side of the ball, the fact remains that the Packers allowed 45 points in regulation.
Had they not been so porous against the Cardinals’ passing attack, they might have won without need of sudden death. Naturally, then, Green Bay must get more defensive production in 2010. Woodson and Matthews can’t carry the load themselves, and in a division with Brett Favre and Jay Cutler, a thin defense is going to rear its ugly head before too long.
Forget the fact that the Packers lost that NFC Wild Card shootout in Arizona last January; even if they might win those same shootouts for much of 2010, they can’t count on claiming those kinds of games in the playoffs.
Ultimately, the feeling here is that the Packers are definitely a playoff team. No questions need to be asked on that score. The key is getting to the Super Bowl and that’s where defense will tell the tale for better or worse.
The Jolly suspension doesn’t help matters.
Packers 2010 Outlook
The Packers will likely make the NFC Divisional Playoffs and fall short at that point in the NFL season.
Packers 2010 Futures
Super Bowl Odds: +1015
Conference Odds: +625
NFC North Odds: +135
2010 Packers Predictions
Place they’ll finish in NFC North: 2nd
Place they’ll finish in NFC Conference: 4th
Over/Under Season Wins Prediction: Over 9.5 Wins
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Dave Golokhov has written for BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central.org, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
