Chasing The Seahawks In The NFC

Seahawks and Eagles are new measuring stick for NFC

For the second time in the last decade, the NFC has won two straight Super Bowls. In 2020 and 2021 it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams. In 2024 and 2025 it was the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks.

The two most recent winners are the new measuring stick for the rest of the conference. For the Packers, they defeated the Seahawks last season but are 0-3 against the Eagles in the last two seasons. The current dominance of the Eagles and Seahawks feels very similar to the teams the Packers struggled against a few years after their last Super Bowl championship. From 2012 to 2014, the two teams who represented the NFC in the Super Bowl were the Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers; two teams the Packers went 0-7 against over those three seasons.

For the Packers to compete with the Eagles and Seahawks, their two biggest weaknesses from this last season will both have to be addressed in order to get over this hump of not being the NFC’s Super Bowl representative the last 15 seasons. The biggest weaknesses the past season were the play of the offensive line and the interior defensive line. The play of the cornerbacks was probably the third on the list, but to match up with teams like Seattle and Philadelphia, the Packers can not get pushed around on the line of scrimmage.

Despite finishing behind the Chicago Bears in the NFC North standings and losing to their rivals twice in the final four weeks of the 2025 season, the Packers should be favorites in the NFC North in 2026. The team will return three key difference makers who did not finish this past season: Parsons, Tom and tight end Tucker Kraft.

If the offensive line can improve from within it should help quarterback Jordan Love and the passing game, which had glimpses of being an elite unit in the league when they had a healthy group of Chistian Watson, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs. With Doubs likely leaving in free agency, the possible emergence of Golden to go with Watson, Reed and Kraft should give the Packers offense the firepower it needs to go farther in January.

Packers Must Address Defensive Tackle Early in Draft

When it comes to the NFL Draft, the Packers are not slaves to their immediate needs, often preferring to look ahead to what their needs could be down the road, and viewing their draft picks as long term investments rather than a method of plugging roster holes.

It is for that reason that Brian Gutekunst must draft a defensive tackle early in the upcoming draft.

The Packers are already not in a strong position on the defensive interior heading into 2026, with Devonte Wyatt far and away their most reliable presence, and a group of inconsistent players behind him, headlined by Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse.

Wooden, Brooks and Brinson, all former day three draft picks, ranked 92nd, 107th and 111th out of 127 qualified defensive tackles at PFF in 2025, and Wyatt actually only ranked 87th, down from 37th the previous year.

But the immediate lack of quality in the room is not the reason the Packers need to make an addition in the draft.

As has often been the case when Green Bay enters the offseason with a glaring issue, Gutekunst first turns to free agency to address it and hopefully secure an instant solution. Generally, the Packers like to enter the draft not ‘needing’ anything.

In fairness to Gutekunst, he would not have known when constructing last year’s roster that he would end up trading Kenny Clark on the eve of the season.

At that time, there was no one available to pick up as a free agent who was going to make any kind of tangible difference, so Green Bay understandably rolled with what they had, and expected Micah Parsons to make the front better overall, which he did.

Expect Gutekunst to in essence replace Clark in the upcoming free agency period. The real problem is when you look beyond 2026, and this is where the draft comes in.

Did the Packers trade Aaron Rodgers a year too late?

The Seattle Seahawks helped build the core of a championship team from the assets acquired during the trade of Russell Wilson. Could the Packers have done the same if they had traded Aaron Rodgers a year earlier than they did?

Too Much Brake, Not Enough Gas

Matt LaFleur is back in Green Bay – and certainly to mixed reviews. For LaFleur’s detractors, the primary critiques seem to be his inability to hold leads, his lack of success in the playoffs, and his inability to fix special teams/his stubborn loyalty to Coach Bisaccia. Other critiques certainly exist, but based on our very unscientific review, those seem to be the headliners.

We’ll add another to the list, which we don’t hear nearly as often, and that’s LaFleur’s curious reluctance to just cut Jordan Love loose. That was certainly the biggest takeaway from the Chicago playoff debacle. On that frigid night, away from home, Love was unstoppable. He threw for 323 yards and 4 TDs (three of those TDs in the first half), and didn’t turn it over once against a Bears defense that led the league in interceptions and takeaways. Were it not for a Jayden Reed drop and some poor pass protection on a deep crosser to Christian Watson, Love, in all likelihood, would’ve thrown a 5th TD and won that game. Instead, Love became just the third quarterback in NFL history to lose a playoff game while throwing at least four pass touchdowns and no interceptions.

Of all the reasons to keep LaFleur in Green Bay that we heard this offseason, the most compelling came from Domonique Foxworth, who said that the Packers have “what feels like the brass ring when it comes to hiring a coach (which) is a play caller who is on the same page as your quarterback.”

Foxworth’s point is valid. This coach and player have years of chemistry together, and I’m sure – important lessons learned from the losses. Tough as they are, there’s real value in those mutual experiences. Trust and closeness are often born from shared tribulation.

Supporting that point, in his final press conference, Love threw his backing behind LaFleur, saying, “I definitely think Matt should be the head coach. I’ve got a lot of love for Matt and I think he does a great job and that’s it.”

Hopefully, Love’s faith in his head coach is reciprocated in 2026 with a coach that’s confident and more willing to lean on his quarterback when necessary, the way other coaches and quarterbacks have done in Green Bay, in Championships past.

Get to Know the Packers Newest Wide Receivers Coach: Noah Pauley

Noah Pauley will be joining the Packers as Green Bay’s new wide receivers coach. Head coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers have already experienced many changes to the coaching staff this offseason, but Pauley is the first addition to the offensive side of the ball.

Jordan Schultz initially reported last Thursday that the Packers were parting ways with former wide receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey and hiring the 36-year-old Pauley. It's unclear how it all transpired, but it's possible that Mahaffey’s exit could have been a mutual parting of ways, as he is reportedly joining Sean Mannion in Philadelphia as the Eagles’ new run game coordinator and tight ends coach. Pauley has been described as a "rising star" in the coaching ranks. He's said to have a bright and gifted offensive mind. Unlike Mahaffey, Pauley brings plenty of wide receiver experience to Green Bay. Pauley was a four-year starter at wide receiver for the University of Minnesota-Duluth and has coached the position for nearly ten years. His experience and coaching skill set make this a very encouraging hire for Matt LaFleur, despite a lack of NFL experience.

Pauley comes to Green Bay with plenty of experience coaching wide receivers, something they haven't had in a while. Neither of Green Bay's last two wide receiver coaches (Ryan Mahaffey and Jason Vrable) had backgrounds or experience coaching the position. Between playing and coaching, almost all of Pauley's experience is with wide receivers, and he's helped develop some good ones.

Packers Offensive Draft Thresholds: How Green Bay Builds Its Board

CHTV NFL Draft analyst Newt Westen and CHTV Draft Guide contributor Brian Maafi dig into Green Bay’s historical draft thresholds — the measurements, traits, and profiles that basically guarantee a prospect won’t be selected by the Green Bay Packers. We break down a system that’s been nearly perfect over multiple draft cycles, missing just one true outlier along the way.

Are the Packers Good Enough at Cornerback to Compete for a Super Bowl?

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst addressed the media last week for his season-ending press conference. As always with these events, fans have to read between the lines and cut through the cliches to figure out what is really being said or hinted at. But Gutekunst surprised many observers when he indicated that fans should not expect major chances at the cornerback position this offseason.

Gutekunst fielded a question about overhauling the cornerback room. His answer was direct. “We had some injuries there. Hobbs missed most of the season, never really got going,” Gutekunst said. “I thought Carrington [Valentine] stepped in and did a great job; he’s a young player that’s still getting better. Keisean [Nixon] had a very, very good year, he was in the top three in PBUs and did some really good things. So, do we need wholesale changes? No. I do think it’s an area though that those guys can get hurt, they’re the smaller guys on the field, we ask a lot of those guys in run support, so depth there for me is important that we have answers.”

The Packers cornerback room had a very uneven season in 2025, and it went beyond injuries. For the entire season, the team’s top three cornerbacks combined for one interception and that was the game-clinching pick by Nixon in the Packers win over the Bears at Lambeau Field.

If the Packers truly want to compete for a Super Bowl, having an elite cover would be a big help. Contending teams usually have talented and productive wide receivers. Containing them becomes critical for any defense.

Right now, the Packers lack a bona fide CB1. Adding one this offseason, whether via free agency, trade, or the draft, could add another strong dimension to the defense. Was Gutekunst trying to downplay the need to distract opposing teams, or does he seriously believe this team has enough talent and depth at the position? We’ll find out this offseason.

Jonathan Gannon Has A Shot At His Own Personal Redemption Arc

While the Packers are in the middle of a massive coaching changeover, there is still time to stop and ponder the new man at the top of the defense.

We all know the story: Johnathan Gannon takes over as defensive coordinator for the newly departed Jeff Hafley. He brings with him a wealth of experience at defensive coordinator. He’s been able to put together an impressive string of coaching staff changes as well. I look forward to his introductory press conference in Green Bay, for a better idea of the man and the mindset he brings with him to the Packers. There is something bubbling just below the surface, whether he acknowledges it or not.

While he is in Green Bay, Gannon has a shot at his own personal redemption arc. And it might be his last.

Let’s be clear: the Packers did take a risk in bringing Gannon in. Green Bay is betting that Gannon’s experience will ensure a clean transition from one system to another, while in an extremely crucial year of a championship window. Typically, those kinds of scheme changes can take up to a year to really sink into the roster and become effective.

The Packers don’t have that kind of time.

In his first season with Green Bay, Gannon must: circumnavigate the lack of firepower at CB and maximize the talents of Micah Parsons while cleaning up the defensive line around him, all while effectively installing his own system. The Packers’ confidence in his ability to do this is why Gannon is in this position. Surely he demonstrated his plan for all that to the Packers during the interview process. If he can pull it off, Gannon might earn himself a shot to prove that the disastrous tenure in Arizona was just a pit stop.

He’ll be instrumental to whatever outcome the Packers get out of the 2026 season. We can only hope that a year from now, we can look back on this hire as the difference in what was a championship run for the Packers.

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Returning to Glory Within 1-2 Seasons

"Return to Glory." Any Green Bay Packers fan who was around for the 1996 Super Bowl-winning season may remember that this was basically the title given to that historical season. The Packers returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in almost 30 years and won. That season snapped a 29-year run, with the Lombardi era being the only era in the Packers' history to deliver a Super Bowl appearance. Finally, Packers fans weren't living in the 60s anymore when they talked about the Packers actually having some relevance in the NFL. Life was good.

After losing Super Bowl 32 in 1998, Packers fans didn't have to wait 30 more years to make it to the big dance again, for only 13 years later, the Packers were victorious in Super Bowl 45. The return to the promised land with Aaron Rodgers gave Packers fans confidence that they weren't going to return to the dark ages after the departure of legendary quarterback Brett Favre. That Rodgers, the new legendary QB, would keep the hope alive year after year. And indeed, the hope was there, but the Packers would not return to the Super Bowl with Rodgers despite four NFC Championship appearances.

The 2026 season will mark 30 years since the Packers '96 "Return to Glory" season. It may make many of you who were around to remember it feel old, but fear not, we at least have the Super Bowl 32 appearance and Super Bowl 45 victory since then to fall back on. But despite that little buffer, it's still been 15 years since Super Bowl 45. Those back to the dark ages fears are starting to creep up again, and the Packers need to do everything they can to stomp them out.

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One Yard Short of Forever: Remembering the 1983 Green Bay Packers

On the first of this month AMC premiered a new docuseries “The Rise of the 49ers.” Encapsulating the NFL franchise’s rise from underdogs to champions from the 1980s to the 1990s. Watching the first episode brought about memories of the story of the 1983 Green Bay Packers.

They didn’t hang a banner. They didn’t play in January. And yet, more than four decades later, the 1983 Green Bay Packers still live vividly in the hearts of the faithful reckless, thrilling, flawed, and unforgettable.

That team was offense incarnate. A weekly fireworks display powered by quarterback Lynn Dickey, who in 1983 rewrote the Packers’ record book by throwing for more than 4,400 yards more than any Green Bay quarterback ever had to that point. Dickey was fearless, proven to his 32:29 TD to Interception ratio. He stood tall, took hits, kept firing, and delivered the ball to a dazzling collection of skill players who turned Sundays at Lambeau Field into track meets.

Wide receivers James Lofton and John Jefferson formed one of the most dangerous duos in football, stretching defenses vertically and horizontally, while tight end Paul Coffman punished the middle of the field with precision and toughness. In the backfield, Gerry Ellis and Eddie Lee Ivory provided balance and grit, keeping defenses honest and adding to an offense that felt capable of scoring from anywhere, at any time. It was a high-octane machine fast, aggressive, and endlessly entertaining.

And it had to be.

Because on the other side of the ball, the Packers’ defense was, charitably, a gamble. Fans watched opponents slice through it with alarming ease, earning the unit its infamous reputation as a “Swiss cheese” defense. If Green Bay was going to win, they would almost certainly have to outscore you. Quite often, they did.

The 1983 Green Bay Packers reminded a generation of fans what joy looked like after years of struggle. They made Lambeau loud again. They made Monday nights magical. They made you believe right up until the final kick sailed through the uprights in Chicago. They were one stop away from capturing a division that had evaded them for the previous decade. And even without it, they’re still remembered, players still celebrated, and moments still loved.

Without a doubt, championships immortalize a team. Sometimes however, a team that left us with only an imagination of that glory can last just as long.

Matt LaFleur Inspired Cocktail

This one’s for the Packers fans who actually watch the game. The LaFleur Play Caller is a refreshing, floral, herb-forward cocktail inspired by Matt LaFleur — and the endless debates around his play-calling. Whether you think he deserves more credit or you just want a damn good drink at the tailgate, this cocktail delivers.