It must be pretty much concensus that the Packers have perhaps the toughest schedule of any team this year. Of course, the Packers would do themselves a huge service by starting in 5-0 against the cakewalk teams (Minnesota and Detrout at home, at Arizona and Chicago, and then at home for Seattle). I really don't envy the rest of the schedule. Over the next seven weeks, the Packers come home for the Chiefs, travel to St. Louis, have their bye week, play at Minnesota, come home for the Eagles, travel to Tampa and then come home for the 49ers. The next two weeks should be easier, playing at Detroit and at home against the Bears, but then they close the season by traveling to San Diego and Oakland and coming home for Denver. Ouch.

I think the set up of home and away games is extremely biased against the Packers this year also. Excluding division games, the Packers have to travel to Arizona, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, San Diego, and Oakland, while Seattle, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver have to come to Green Bay.

Take note also of when the games are, because the league is obviously trying to make it so Green Bay doesn't have an advantage by having home games. Minnesota and Detroit - both dome teams - play in Green Bay the first two weeks of the season. The Packers have to go to Arizona in September. Seattle and Kansas City both travel to Green Bay in early October. San Francisco, the only other non-cold weather team to travel to Green Bay, plays here the week before Thanksgiving, but they're so used to still playing in January that playing in Green Bay in November is hardly a handicap. Come December, cold weather teams Chicago and Denver travel to Green Bay, while warm weather teams San Diego and Oakland get to play Green Bay at home.

I really don't like the way this all works out.