It’s officially Week 13 in the NFL, and the Green Bay Packers have only played two divisional games. That means the Packers will play four division games in the remaining six weeks, and just played their first of three division games in a row. The Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and are headed to Detroit on a short week for a Thanksgiving matchup with the Lions before facing the Chicago Bears back at Lambeau the following week.
The Green Bay Packers only won one divisional game last season (and only won it thanks to Karl Brook’s middle finger) and are already off to a better start in 2025. They had a commanding 27-13 win against the Lions in Week 1 and put on another defensive show this weekend to defeat the Vikings 23-6.
The NFC North, like last year, is up for grabs. The Bears sit at the top of the division (I can’t believe it either) with an 8-3 record followed by the Packers (7-3-1), the Lions (7-4), and all the way at the bottom sits the Vikings (4-7). Each team has at least 2 divisional games left to play, but the Packers have the most with 4.
The current division records for each team:
My thoughts: While my heart feels the Packers have the ability to go undefeated in the division, my head knows better. The Packers have put more than a few sloppy performances on the field against below-average teams this season, which feels like their identity at this point. The offense has particularly struggled with finding consistency and a rhythm. This is partially due to a rotation of injuries among the offensive line and pass catchers, but also due to self-made errors like dropped passes and drive-crushing penalties. There’s also a case to be made about some head-scratching play-calling and time management issues at times from head coach Matt LaFleur as well as inconsistent kickers putting them in a bad spot. The defense, on the other hand, has been playing well for the most part. They’ve only given up more than 20 points 3 times this season. The other concern I have is injuries. The Packers’ injury report has looked like a CVS receipt the past few weeks, which is especially rough on short weeks like this one.
My heart says the Packers could go 6-0, but my head says 4-2 seems more likely. Here’s why.
The Lions will want revenge this week after getting embarrassed Week 1 and the Packers are not particularly healthy. They lost CB Keisean Nixon against the Vikings to a stinger and he was estimated to be a non-participant in practice on Monday. That doesn’t bode well for him on Thursday, and hits hard on a team that is already thin at the corner position. DE Lukas Van Ness and DT Karl Brooks, who both were active Sunday but on the injury report last week, were also estimated as DNP. So I think the Packers could lose to the Lions this week.
It also would not shock me if the Packers dropped one game to the Bears, specifically their first matchup in Week 14 in Chicago. The Bears are leading the division (for now) and will be fired up to play a team that’s had their number for decades. First-year Bears HC Ben Johnson has already been taking shots at Packers HC Matt LaFleur (starting with his opening press conference), so I think they’ll be throwing everything they have at the Packers. I think the Packers will settle things down a few weeks later and beat the Bears back at Lambeau.
The Vikings…well, I’ll just say I’m not really worried about them.
TL;DR: Packers finish 4-2 in the division.
So, Packers fans, what do you think? What’s the Packers’ record in the division at the end of the season? And what games do you think they’re losing (if any) over the next 6 weeks?