The Packers Must Channel Their 2024 Selves Over the Next Few Weeks

For the first time in the last few years, the Green Bay Packers will enter Week 6 coming off an early bye. Upon the schedule release, it felt like a disadvantage for a team hoping to play well into January, but it has coincided with a lengthy injury report. The offensive line is already ravaged, with Zach Tom nursing a torn oblique and Rasheed Walker popping up on the injury report Thursday.

On the defensive front, Devonte Wyatt, who has had a stellar start to the season, is expected to miss time. Wyatt departed in the middle of Week 4's primetime thriller in Dallas, and, while there were likely some confounding variables, the unit’s productivity declined steeply in his absence. The other thin position group is wide receiver. Jayden Reed is on IR, and Christian Watson is in the final stages of recovering from a torn ACL. Romeo Doubs appears to be playing himself into a contract extension with them on the shelf, and we continue to wait patiently for the Matthew Golden breakout.

Last season, Green Bay's story was that they took care of business in relatively easy games but struggled to finish against top-tier opponents. They won 11 games, but lost twice to the Detroit Lions, twice to the Minnesota Vikings, and twice to the Philadelphia Eagles. Coming into 2025, it was clear throughout the organization that getting over that hump to true contention would become a point of emphasis.

Early on, you could argue the results have flipped. Green Bay vanquished NFC contenders Detroit and the Washington Commanders in back-to-back weeks to start the season, vaulting the Packers to the top of the league’s power rankings while riding the high of the Micah Parsons blockbuster.

The two weeks that followed were humbling. They inexcusably dropped a slow-paced game in Cleveland that found a way to get super weird at the end, and they allowed the Dallas Cowboys’ offense to go band-for-band with them in a barnburner that eventually concluded in a tie. With a 2-1-1 record, the league knows what the Packers are capable of. Still, it’s an uphill battle to secure home-field advantage down the road with the Lions (4-1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1), San Francisco 49ers (4-1), and Eagles (4-2) leading a crowded race.

Coming out of the bye, Jeff Hafley will get to dust off at least part of the game plan from only three weeks ago. Joe Flacco, who led the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, will head into Lambeau to take on Green Bay's defense for the second time this season.

He replaces the much-maligned Jake Browning, who failed to keep the Cincinnati Bengals' offense competent in Joe Burrow's absence. At the age of 40, it’s hard to call Flacco a serious needle-mover, and Vegas sharps and bookmakers agree.

The Bengals, who were 14.5-point underdogs with Browning as the starter, remain 14.5-point underdogs heading into Sunday despite an intra-division, mid-week quarterback trade. In an alternate universe, Malik Willis would be facing off with Jordan Love. However, Cincinnati was likely not willing to pay the price for the player that the Packers have developed into a valuable backup.

It’s easy to see what the Bengals are hoping for in Flacco. They just need someone to get the ball to their expensive playmakers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, without turning the ball over senselessly. Bell-cow running back Chase Brown, who has had an atrocious start to the season, is likely in for some additional touches out of the backfield because Flacco’s lack of mobility often turns him into a checkdown artist.

The obvious answer to this problem, and perhaps a selfish one on the part of NFL fans, was to hope for Jameis Winston to don the orange and black. The veteran is the New York Giants’ third-string quarterback, but is a proven (and entertaining) veteran. The fact that the Bengals did not call and opted to trade within the division instead suggests they are prioritizing quelling turnovers.

Put simply, this is a game the Packers must win. If they want to compete for a Super Bowl this year, this is a perfect example of a game where they absolutely must take care of business. The final nine games of the season feature the Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens, and five divisional matchups.

That's where the NFC North, and the playoff seeding at large, will be decided. In the next four crucial weeks, facing the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Carolina Panthers, the Packers must channel their 2024 selves and welcome Jalen Hurts to Lambeau with a 6-1-1 record.

It’s easier said than done, but the team’s strategic weakness has reared its head early in the season: keeping games too close and keeping inferior opponents on life support through conservative offensive play-calling. It’s time to let Jordan Love rip it and go get four wins, and get Flacco back in the process.