2008 Opponents Determined

The NFL has released the Packers slate of opponents for 2008. The schedule is made under the following formula (copied from Packers.com):

-Home and away against its three division opponents (6 games).

-The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (4 games).

-The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (4 games).

-Two intraconference games based on the prior year's standings (2 games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.

The official 2008 schedule, with playing dates and times, will be announced in the spring.

The Packers will play the following opponents at home:

• Detroit Lions
  
• Chicago Bears
  
• Minnesota Vikings
  
• Atlanta Falcons
  
• Carolina Panthers
  
• Dallas Cowboys
  
• Houston Texans
  
• Indianapolis Colts
  

The Packers will face the following opponents away from the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field:

• Detroit Lions
  
• Chicago Bears
  
• Minnesota Vikings
  
• New Orleans Saints
  
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  
• Seattle Seahawks
  
• Jacksonville Jaguars
  
• Tennessee Titans
  

Essentially, the Packers are facing the NFC North, NFC South, AFC South, and the first place teams from the NFC East and NFC West. The combined record of their opponents in 2007 is 114-87. The Packers only face one team that lost 10 or more games in Atlanta. The schedule also includes six playoff teams.

Here's more of a breakdown of the Packers 2008 schedule:

NFC North Opponents
The Packers held their own against divisional opponents this year, going 4-2 in the tough North. However, both of those losses were costly losses to the rival Bears. If the Packers want to continue their dominance, they must be able to at least 5-1 in the division in 2008 because of the toughness of the rest of the schedule. Not to mention these games, as rivalry games, have much higher stakes.

NFC South Opponents
The South is one of the more perplexing divisions in the NFC. All the teams have potential to be very good, but most of the time they amount to middle-of-the-road teams. The division champion Bucs finished the year 9-7. However, all of the teams in the division are dangerous. Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Carolina can beat any team at any time. As for Atlanta, well, I don't really know what is going on with them so it is too early to tell whether or not they will be a threat.

AFC South Opponents
This is the toughest part of the schedule for 2008. No team in this division finished lower than .500. The once lowly Texans finished 8-8 and in last place. The Colts are a contender every year and the Jags have plenty of potential on the defensive side of the ball. The Titans have a young core of players built around Vince Young that continue to improve while the Texans are just improving with time. However, the Packers meet the Texans in Lambeau, and Houston, despite their 8-8 record, was 2-6 on the road.

Other Opponents
Filling out the rest of the schedule are the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. The Packers hope to avenge 2007's 37-27 loss to Dallas at Texas Stadium at Lambeau Field, while they face former coach Mike Holmgren in Seattle. Brett Favre has had much better success against the Cowboys at Lambeau, while it will be a test for the Packers to visit Seattle, one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.

Must-See Games for 2008

Any game against a division opponent – Can't beat NFC North football.

Dallas @ Green Bay – The Packers look to take revenge on the John Madden-anointed "next Brett Favre" and the rest of the Cowboys. Could quite possibly be a rematch of the NFC Championship Game.

Indianapolis @ Green Bay – If Brett Favre returns, he will face the man who may very well take his records in Peyton Manning.

Green Bay @ Seattle – The Seahawks are still a bit stung from that Wild-Card game a few years back ("We're going to take the ball and we're gonna score") and the matchup against Holmgren is always a good one.

Green Bay @ Tampa Bay – Some good ol' fashioned NFC Central football.

More must-see games could emerge as the playoffs play out.

I'm not going to lie, the Packers drew a tough schedule, but they can very well be successful. It will also show if they will be contenders for years to come.

Worst-case scenario: Not going there.

Best-case scenario: 16-0.

Likely scenario: 11-5/12-4.

Go Packers!