USA TODAY’s predictions for the 2020 NFL season imagined a scenario in which the Green Bay Packers would win four fewer games than last season but still retain the division crown.
Nate Davis of USA TODAY predicted the Packers will go 9-7 but still win the NFC North for the second consecutive season in 2020.
Davis predicted the winners and losers of all 256 regular-season games to project win-loss records for all 32 teams. He settled on 9-7 for the Packers, but that record was good enough to win the NFC North over the Minnesota Vikings (8-8), Detroit Lions (7-9) and Chicago Bears (5-11).
Davis noted the lack of playmakers added this offseason and the potential difficulty of the quarterbacks the Packers will face outside of the division in 2020 as major reasons for regression.
As for the postseason, Davis predicted the Packers would beat the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Wild Card Round before falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round. The New Orleans Saints were the predicted NFC champs and Super Bowl champs.
Although 9-7 would be viewed as a sharp decline after Matt LaFleur’s team won 13 games in 2019, any record between 9-7 and 11-5 has to be considered probable for the Packers, who overachieved in many significant areas and likely won’t be as fortunate in close games in 2020. They are prime regression candidates, even if the team might be better overall this season.
A year ago, Davis predicted the Packers would go 9-7 but miss the playoffs. In 2018, he believed the Packers would go 11-5 and make the playoffs. Obviously, the Packers made the playoffs in 2019 but missed the playoffs in 2018.
