When the 2023 season schedule was released by the NFL in May, it was clear that the Green Bay Packers would have a tough middle of the season stretch, and then an easier finish. Following initial struggles, the young team got better against tougher opponents and, after 12 games, they are more or less where everyone would expect.

After consecutive wins against the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs, the Packers are 6-6, with a 70% chance of making the playoffs. And that happens because the remaining schedule is highly favorable for Green Bay.

According to DVOA, the Packers have the second easiest sequence of remaining games of this season, just behind the New Orleans Saints.

Other NFC teams that are fighting for a wild card playoff spot have much tougher games ahead. The Seattle Seahawks have the 9th hardest schedule, the Minnesota Vikings have the 13th, and the Los Angeles Rams have the 15th.

It's also easier for the Chicago Bears, but they are two wins behind the Packers, and the NFC South teams.

Difficulty of the remaining schedule according to DVOA among teams in the NFC wild card race:

Green Bay Packers 31st
New Orleans Saints 32nd
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28th
Chicago Bears 23rd
Los Angeles Rams 15th
Minnesota Vikings 13th
Seattle Seahawks 9th

Besides the schedule itself, the Packers will face at least two backup quarterbacks, as Daniel Jones and Kirk Cousins are out for season.

There are 41 quarterbacks with at least 100 plays this season. In a metric called EPA+CPOE, to measure efficiency of the offense and how accurate the QB has been, these are the ranks of the QBs the Packers will face:

Tommy DeVito: 37th
Baker Mayfield: 15th
Bryce Young: 33rd
Josh Dobbs: 27th
Justin Fields: 21st

Remaining schedule

Week 14 – at New York Giants

The Giants are the worst team in the NFL by DVOA, including the 31st offense and 26th defense. And that includes six games of Daniel Jones. Ok, he didn't play great, but he's still the better option. Without the starter, Tyrod Taylor stepped in, but he also got hurt in his third game. Undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito is the starter now, and even though Taylor is healthy again, the Giants are sticking with the younger option after two consecutive wins before the bye week. DeVito, though, has a 57.7 PFF grade.

Week 15 – vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs are probably the hardest matchup for the Packers this year. They have their starting quarterback in place with Baker Mayfield, good offensive weapons, and a solid defense. They are 21st in DVOA, 21st on offense and 14th on defense.

Week 16 – at Carolina Panthers

Two weeks after facing the worst team by DVOA, the Packers will face the second worst. The Panthers' season has been a disaster, and head coach Frank Reich has already been fired. Bryce Young's rookie season has had Josh Rosen feelings — or, at best, Jared Goff as a rookie feelings. To be fair, the situation around the first overall pick is insanely bad, and the defense under Ejiro Evero hasn't been much better either. The team is 30th on offense and 29th on defense by DVOA.

Week 17 – at Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are a good team, even better than the Packers by DVOA (15th). Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is coming back, so he will presumably be available for the divisional matchup. The problem for the Vikings is that Kirk Cousins is out for the season. Right now, Josh Dobbs is the starter, but head coach Kevin O'Connell has left the door open for changes if necessary. The Vikings are 19th on offense and eighth on defense, a great feat by defensive coordinator Brian Flores considering his personnel. It's also the most important game in terms of chances to go to the playoffs.

Week 18 – vs Chicago Bears

The Packers have won nine consecutive games against the Bears, including a 38-20 win in week 1 earlier this season. The Bears have gotten slightly better throughout the season, but they are still 24th in DVOA — 25th on offense and 20th on defense. It's still unclear what the situation will be, but there's a decent chance that, by week 18th, the Bears will be more concerned with the draft than with the season itself.

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