A Quick Look at the Schedule

You'll see on the right a copy of the Packers' 2009 regular season schedule. Obviously we'll take a closer look at each game as it comes. From a distance, though, let's give a little thought to the schedule as a whole.

First, we have to concede that home field advantage at Lambeau is not what it used to be. I'm afraid the mystique went out when Michael Vick and the warm-weather Falcons came to town in the dead of winter and handed the Packers their first Lambeau playoff loss. Ugly stuff and a miserable game.

Even so, it would be nice to be able to host some southern-tier team -- or some dome team -- after Thanksgiving. No such luck in this year's schedule. In fact, three of our final home games are on the road.

Speaking of the final quarter of the season, if we're still in the playoff hunt at that stage of the game, we're really going to have to earn our berth, as we play both of last year's Super Bowl teams, and on the road, at that!

Those games against Pittsburgh and Arizona, however, are not the two games on Green Bay's schedule that everyone will be talking about. Rather, all eyes will be on the October 5th and November 1st games: Green Bay at Minnesota and Minnesota at Green Bay. The Packers vs. Favre match-ups will be part sports, part romance, part tragedy, and part tabloid. And, boy, will they get high ratings!

Meanwhile, there must be a blue moon this November, for the Cowboys are coming to Lambeau. It seems that they come north one time for every fifteen trips we have to make down there. Anyway, they're coming this year -- America's Team vs. America's Team at Lambeau Field on November 15th.

All in all, the Packers enjoy a surprisingly easy schedule -- statistically, at least. ESPN ranks Green Bay's strength of schedule at #30 out of 32 NFL teams. Our opponents combined to have just a .428 winning percentage in 2008. (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/news/story?id=4027503)

That sounds very promising, although the list features two misfortunes... (1) The Super Bowl Champion Steelers have the 29th-ranked schedule, which seems terribly unfair. (2) The two teams with 'easier' schedules than the Packers are the two teams that finished ahead of us in our division last year (Minnesota at 31 and Chicago at 32).

And speaking of Chicago, they are our first opponent in 2009. We host them at Lambeau on Sunday Night (which seems to have surpassed Monday Night as a football big event) during Week One. Chicagoland has high hopes since the arrival of Jay Cutler. We shall see.

Green Bay gets two Monday Night appearances in 2009, but one Sunday Night game, and a Thanksgiving match-up with the Lions.

So, given the strength of schedule, the division, and the arrangement of our games, what's your prediction? Enter your prediction on the right.

For myself, I'm saying we split the four games with the Bears and Vikings, sweep the Lions, beat the Bengals, Browns, Rams, and 49ers. Meanwhile, I envision us winning just two of our games against the Bucs, Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, Seahawks, and Cardinals, bringing us to a 2009 record of 9-7. But that's just my head talking... my heart says 16-0!