6 Days Until Training Camp: Got to Love the Schedule

The Green Bay Packers under first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love have a real chance to hit the ground running in 2023.

Jordan Love at Detroit in the 2021 finale. (Photo by Raj Mehta/USA Today Sports Images)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Aaron Rodgers replaced Brett Favre as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback, he inherited a proven group of receivers. Jordan Love won’t have that luxury as he replaces Rodgers. What he will have – on paper, anyway – is an easier schedule to jump-start his debut season.

In 2008, the Packers played seven games before their bye. The Rodgers era kicked off with a victory against the Minnesota Vikings, who went 8-8 in 2007. The other matchups (with their 2007 records): Detroit Lions (7-9), Dallas Cowboys (13-3; NFC East champions), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7; NFC South champions), Atlanta Falcons (4-12), Seattle Seahawks (10-6; NFC West champions) and Indianapolis Colts (13-3; AFC South champions).

What a seven-game crucible with games against the reigning champs from the NFC East, NFC West, NFC South and AFC South and only one team that was truly terrible.

In 2023, the challenge – on paper, anyway – appears a lot less daunting for Love. Green Bay’s first seven weeks include six games against teams that did not reach the playoffs last season and its bye.

Here are the opponents, their 2022 records and their projected win totals from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Week 1: at Chicago Bears – 3-14 in 2022, 7.5 projected wins.

Week 2: at Atlanta Falcons – 7-10 in 2022, 8.5 projected wins.

Week 3: New Orleans Saints – 7-10 in 2022, 9.5 projected wins.

Week 4: Detroit Lions – 9-8 in 2022, 9.5 projected wins.

Week 5: at Las Vegas Raiders – 6-11 in 2022, 6.5 projected wins.

Week 6: Bye

Week 7: at Denver Broncos – 5-12 in 2022, 8.5 projected wins.

What happened in 2022, obviously, means little when looking ahead to 2023. All six of those teams are projected to win more games than they did in 2022. Still, there are no juggernauts on the early schedule. Combined with a bunch of Charmin-soft pass defenses, Love and a young group of pass-catchers has a real opportunity to get into a groove.

Really, you can extend this out a bit further. Week 8 is a home game against the Vikings, who went 13-4 and ran away with the NFC North title last year but suffered some significant personnel losses and are due for regression after winning 11 games by one score. Their over/under win total is 8.5. Week 9 is a home game against the rebuilding Los Angeles Rams, who went 5-12 last year and have a projected win total of 6.5.

Finally, the meat of the schedule will arrive: Week 10 at the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8 in 2022, 8.5 projected wins), Week 11 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers (10-7 in 2022, 9.5 projected wins), Week 12 at the Lions, Week 13 against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (14-3 in 2022, 11.5 projected wins) and Week 14 at the New York Giants (9-7-1 in 2022, 7.5 projected wins). The Steelers lost a tiebreaker for the final playoff spot while the other three teams reached the postseason.

Rodgers and Co. went 4-3 through their first seven games, including a home victory over the Peyton Manning-led Colts in their final game before the bye. The second half of the season was a disaster, with one close-game loss after another. For the 2023 season to be a success, Love and Co. must take advantage of the early stretch of games.

Packers Training Camp Countdown Series

Our #Packers Training Camp Countdown series rolls on with missed tackles - the key number here a perfect fit with seven days until the first practice.https://t.co/k6lHHTjPph

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 19, 2023

7 days until training camp: A missed-tackles surprise

8 days until training camp: Third-down pressure

9 days until training camp: One-score games

10 days until training camp: 10 most important Packers

11 days until training camp: 11 drops too many

12 days until training camp: What history says about replacing No. 12

13 days until training camp: Replacing Mason Crosby

14 days until training camp: Previewing the 14 opponents

15 days until training camp: Aaron Jones, touchdown machine

16 days until training camp: Two months until Week 1 at Bears

17 days until training camp: 17 is the unmagical number

18 days until training camp: LaFleur’s magic touches?

19 days until training camp: 19 1,000-yard challenges

20 days until training camp: 20 reasons for optimism

21 days until training camp: 21 Packers rookie tight ends

22 days until training camp: Fourth of July fireworks

23 days until training camp: No. 23, Jaire Alexander

24 days until training camp: From No. 1 to No. 24 in red zone

25 days until training camp: From No. 1 to No. 25 in tackling

26 days until training camp: The key to the defense is No. 26

27 days until training camp: 27 sources of inspiration

28 days until training camp: At least they’re consistent

29 days: Keisean Nixon’s surprise stardom

30 days until training camp: 30th in key defensive stat

31 days until training camp: A killer No. 31 ranking

32 days until training camp: 32nd-ranked receivers

33 days until training camp: No. 33, Aaron Jones, is a great player

34 days until training camp: Plus-34 in turnovers