November Reign
Artemis Seer (Packer Addict) - Is week two of the NFL season too early to prognosticate on the Green Bay Packer season? Not for a seer, or for that matter, anyone who stares into a foggy mirror and spies a continuous repeat of Sunday afternoon highlights in the smoky glass. While all of the days between now and then exist in a thick “Others”-like fog, this much is clear: November will decide the fate of the 2007-2008 Packers.

And Nicole Kidman won’t be around to fight against the reality of whether or not the Packer season is dead. It’ll be decided on the ruddy fields of autumn slaughter, where hopes are buried with the bones of bested opponents and separation is made between the teams that will and the teams that won’t.

With the Packers at 2-0, only five games stand between now and the grind of the Packer schedule. Two games remain in September and three in October, which features a relatively early bye in week 7. During that stretch, the Packers play the Chargers, at the Vikings, the Bears, the Redskins, and the Broncos. At worst, the Packers could enter November at 2-5. At best, probably 5-2 (we’d all love to imagine the team at 7-0 going into November, but that seems improbable with two challenging away games).

Enter November, the month of fading light, slipping temperatures, and Christmas shopping. Five of the Packers’ sixteen games will be decided during November. They will play at the Chiefs, the Vikings, the Panthers, the Lions, and the Cowboys.

The schedule for November begins with a seemingly easy visit to Arrowhead. Is any game EVER easy? While simple on the surface, it could be a difficult game due to injuries, Larry Johnson, and a short week after facing the Broncos on Monday Night Football. The Packers must travel to Denver, back to Green Bay, and then make a trip to Kansas City, all in the same week, leaving little time to rest, practice or prep for the Huardled Chiefs. Given the strengths of the Packer team, we should emerge victorious in the great state of Misery.

The team then gets a blessed reprieve with the next two games at home. Regardless of the outcome, the Packers seem to play both the Vikings and the Panthers well at Lambeau Field. Tarvaris Jackson, who produces more turnovers than a Sara Lee Bakery should be terribly mystified by the majesty that is an ACTUAL football stadium filled with rabid and ravenous fans that have never had a sniff of an NFL blackout. And the Panthers should be toothless by November, with Carr guiding the cats through a depressive jungle of injuries, DeRunning back struggles, and disappointment.

But fighting for wins over the next two games will become as easy as trying to catch a turkey with Barry Sanders’ legs—small, elusive, and hard to catch on carpet. Ford Field and Texas Stadium. The Lions and the Cowboys. Turf and turf. Two of the worst places in recent memory for the Packers to play and in successive weeks. The Packers will face the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, four days after the Packers face the Panthers at home. Not only will a victory be daunting because of the location, but also because of the lack of time between games. Four days is about enough time for the Packer support staff to get jerseys cleaned for the Turkey Day broadcast, and not nearly enough time for the team to rest and prep for a divisional game on national TV. A week later, the Packers travel south to the source of so many painful memories over the last decade. Of all the tests of the Packer season, the Packers/Cowboys game could be the barometer of the team to beat in the NFC. It will match our secondary up with Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn and Jason Witten, powerful backs Marion Barber and Julius Jones. It will also feature a match of Favre versus a very talented Dallas defense.

There are many minutes of NFL games to be played between now and November. There are lots of directions the season still could go. Injuries and losses could mount. Schemes could be exposed, signals recorded and figured out. If the Packers stumble into November at 2-5, with wounded pride and bruised egos, the match-ups could easily favor their opponents over the long stretch. But, if the team charges into the gloom with confidence and strength, overcoming all scheduling challenges and obstacles and riding a positive win-loss record, they could power forward into late-season greatness.

The Seer predicts 7-5 going into a soft December schedule. And, for the youngest team in the NFL, what a wonderful Christmas gift it would be to be an active participant in the playoffs. However, in order to command playoff presence, the Packers must reign in November and separate themselves from the teams that are lost in the fog.