Internally, the Green Bay Packers are finishing up corrections from Sunday’s win at Lambeau Field and then setting their sights on this week’s trip to Denver to play the 11-2 Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. It’s the only way to operate in the NFL. Looking ahead gets punished.
For us on the outside, however, it’s safe to look ahead and wonder. And it’s probably fair to look at the next two games — both on the road, against the Broncos and Chicago Bears — and see what could be revealed about Matt LaFleur’s team and the path ahead.
The Packers are 9-3-1, in first place in the NFC North and in possession of the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Per The Athletic’s NFL Playoff Simulator, the Packers have a 95 percent chance of making the postseason. They are in an excellent spot with four games to go. This appears to be a team getting hot at the right time.
But this is no longer about just getting to the postseason, an important step in the process but a feat the Packers have accomplished in each of the last two years. It’s time for more. And setting the path forward can make or break a playoff run.
The Packers were 9-3 in December of last season. But losses in the team’s two biggest remaining games, at Detroit and at Minnesota, crushed any chances of hosting a playoff game and had the Packers limping into the postseason.
There’s a chance to write a different story in 2025.
The Broncos might be an uncommon AFC foe, but Sean Payton’s team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and winning in Denver — where the Broncos are 6-0 this season — will be no easy task. The Broncos are terrific along the offensive line and have one of the most disruptive defensive lines in football. You want to win big in the postseason? You better be able to stand tall and win the line of scrimmage. The Packers will get a big opportunity to prove they are championship caliber up front on both sides of the ball in Denver.
And every win is going to matter. Lose to the Broncos and hopes of securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC diminish greatly. Lose and the final three games suddenly get a little more stressful. Win in Denver and get to 10-3-1, and suddenly a 13-3-1 finish looks entirely possible.
In two weeks, the rematch in Chicago arrives. You want to win the division for the first time since 2021 and host a home playoff game? You want to be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the conference? Well, you better go to Chicago and finish the sweep of the Bears.
The Packers held on to beat Ben Johnson’s team on Sunday, but it was a 60-minute fight. Chicago drew the game even in the fourth quarter and had a real chance to tie it again late. They are tough and talented. In primetime, in what will almost certainly be terrible weather in Chicago in mid-December, the Packers must once again vanquish the upstart rivals. It won’t be easy. But it is necessary.
In 1996, the Packers won five straight games after an 8-3 start, including wins over the Bears and Broncos to open December. The run positioned Mike Holmgren’s team as the No. 1 seed, ensured a first-round bye and guaranteed that any NFC title game would be played at Lambeau Field.
The 2025 Packers have a similar opportunity.
Four straight wins, including three consecutive over division rivals, put the Packers in this position. The season hit a slippery spot after Tucker Kraft went down, but LaFleur’s team has successfully countered steered. All great teams eventually face these moments. The Packers appears to have survived theirs.
Now, it’s time to be forged in the crucible of really important December football games.
Packers-Broncos. Packers-Bears, again. Outdoors. Big stakes. Everyone watching. These are the games where champions form the unshakeable confidence necessary for winning in January and February.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Next 2 weeks will tell us a lot about the 2025 Packers’ path forward
