Green Bay Packers preview (No. 1): Super Bowl is within reach
Our 2015 NFL preview series ranks every team, from worst to first. Today: the No. 1 Packers.
2014 record: 12-4 (lost in NFC Championship game to Seahawks)
Head coach: Mike McCarthy (10th year, 94-49-1 regular season, 7-6 playoffs)
Key arrivals: *Damarious Randall (cornerback), *Quinten Rollins (cornerback), *Ty Montgomery (wide receiver), *Jake Ryan (linebacker)
(*denotes rookie)
Key departures: Tramon Williams (cornerback), Brad Jones (linebacker), A.J. Hawk (linebacker), Matt Flynn (quarterback), Davon House (cornerback)
2015 schedule (ET)
Sept. 13: at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Sept. 20: Seattle, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 28: Kansas City, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 4: at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.
Oct. 11: St. Louis, 1 p.m.
Oct. 18: San Diego, 4:25 p.m.
Nov. 1: at Denver, 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 8: at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Nov. 15: Detroit, 1 p.m.
Nov. 22: at Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Nov. 26: Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 3: at Detroit, 8:25 p.m.
Dec. 13: Dallas, 4:25 p.m.
Dec. 20: at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
Dec. 27: at Arizona: 4:25 p.m.
Jan. 3: Minnesota, 1 p.m.
IF EVERYTHING GOES RIGHT
The Packers were a four-minute collapse punctuated by a dropped onside kick away from the Super Bowl last season, so it's not difficult to imagine them using that indignity as motivation to get over the hump and into the big game this year. Everyone except wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who suffered a preseason ACL injury, is back on the league's highest-scoring offense, and second-year receiver Davante Adams appears on the verge of a breakout year. Having Aaron Rodgers with Adams, Randall Cobb and recently signed James Jones should ensure the offense doesn't skip a beat. The defense has replaced underperforming linebackers A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones with younger, and likely better, players.
IF EVERYTHING GOES WRONG
Injuries can undermine any team, and the Packers have a head start with Nelson already gone. Realistically, only two things could undermine the Packers, and first is always an injury to Rodgers. It doesn't take a long memory to recall Green Bay going 2-4-1 without him in 2013, and backup Scott Tolzien has yet to prove he's an adequate fill-in. The second is a crack forming in the secondary after the free-agent departures of cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Davon House. The Packers' front seven will not be strong enough to hold opponents if the team's first two draft picks, cornerbacks Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, don't grow up in a hurry.
BREAKOUT PLAYER: Wide receiver Davante Adams
Adams has earned high offseason praise from quarterback Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy, who tabbed his second-year wideout as the team's offseason MVP. If his development from a promising rookie showing continues in 2015, Green Bay will once again put up points.
CIRCLE THE DATE GAME: Week 2, vs. Seattle (8:30 p.m. ET/Sept. 20)
The Packers suffered two of their most memorable losses of the past three seasons in Seattle. This is a chance to avenge last season's devastating late-game collapse in the NFC Championship game.
ALEX MARVEZ'S PREDICTION: 12-4, NFC North champions
The Packers celebrated their past recently when welcoming Brett Favre back to Lambeau Field and inducting him into their Hall of Fame. The future should provide even more reason for Cheeseheads to cheer. Almost every key player is returning from a squad that would have gone to Super Bowl XLIX had a late lead in the NFC title game against Seattle not gotten squandered. On offense, 10 of 11 starters from the NFL's highest-scoring offense last season (30.4) are back after the Packers re-signed Cobb and right tackle Bryan Bulaga. One major change on offense is head coach Mike McCarthy ceding the play-calling duties so he can concentrate more on monitoring all areas of the team. The transition went smoothly in the preseason, with replacement Tom Clements having spent the past nine years working closely with Rodgers and McCarthy as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Linebacker Clay Matthews remains the key to Green Bay's defensive success. The 2014 Packers turned the corner when Matthews began giving opponents fits by shuttling between inside and outside linebacker. Overall, there's good reason why oddsmakers have installed Green Bay as the conference's Super Bowl favorite.
