Now, with just hours before the season opener against the Bears at Lambeau Field, many think that a trip to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV is a very realistic probability.
Funny what a 3-1 preseason can do for experts and oddsmakers.
If the Packers are going to accomplish anything this year, it's going to come down to the defense.
Seven times last year, Green Bay lost by four or fewer points, allowing the second-most fourth quarter points in the NFL. Overall, the defensive unit was 20th in the NFL, allowing 334.3 yards per game.
What's the difference, then, heading into the new season? The names and faces are the same – all 11 starters are back from last year's unit. Could it really be that Dom Capers, hired as defensive coordinator in the offseason, has really made that much of a difference with his 3-4 scheme?
Perhaps. For what its worth, Capers looks like he might be the real deal. His players have bought into this new system and it seems, at least on the surface, to be paying off. With eight interceptions, the Packers finished second to only Buffalo and allowed just 26.2 points per game – the third-best mark in the NFL.
This is a defense that looks to be much more aggressive. Pressuring the quarterback hasn't been a Packers forte of late, but Capers is a guy that likes to blitz, and you can expect the Packers to do that frequently. They did in the preseason and it paid off; with eight interceptions, the Packers finished second to only Buffalo and allowed just 26.2 points per game – the third-best mark in the NFL.
In all, the first-team defense allowed 13 points in 13 possessions while forcing six turnovers. In all, the Green Bay defense allowed just 26.2 points per game and recorded 12 sacks to go along with 13 turnovers.
But what can you really take from those four meaningless games, anyway? Which makes it all the more puzzling that the Packers are suddenly the hip pick in the NFC North. Well, couple the defensive progress with a maturing offense and the Packers suddenly have the looks of a machine.
Pundits perked up after the Green Bay No. 1 offense put up 31 points on six first half possessions in a 44-37 victory at Arizona in week three. In their first 12 preseason possessions, that group recorded nine touchdowns and a field goal, good for 66 points.
It's way too early to put a prediction on the board, but it's not out of line to suggest that the Packers are a favorite in what looks like (save for the Lions) a very evenly-matched division. With a favorable schedule to open the season, it's entirely possible that the Packers could be 3-0 heading into their Monday Night Showdown against the Vikings and whatever over-the-hill quarterback they signed this year in week 4.
Win that one, and suddenly, you're a game up on everybody in the division a third of the way in. In the meantime, there's a couple more hours to sit and ponder the possibilities before reality, in one way or another, sets in.
