The Green Bay Packers made the cut of teams who are truly competing for a ring in 2026. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr released a list of NFL teams he believes can realistically win the next Super Bowl, and Green Bay earned a spot alongside 13 other teams, including two NFC North rivals.

The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears also made the list, making the division one of the most competitive in football. But the Packers’ case centers on one player above all others: quarterback Jordan Love and his continued development into an elite passer.

Jordan Love’s case as a franchise-caliber quarterback

Orr’s argument for the Packers rests heavily on Love’s statistical trajectory and what he can become in 2026.

“I think last season was a narrative buster for Jordan Love, whose pocket presence often conveyed a sense of erraticism beyond the truth. Love is athletic and can see the field well, which motivates him to take chances—many of which get home. He finished last season with the lowest bad-throw percentage of his career (in a full-season sample size). His percentage of on-target throws was also a career high. He ranked third in down-to-down efficiency behind only Drake Maye and the EPA god, Brock Purdy.

“His completion percentage over expectation was better than Josh Allen’s. All of this is to say that Love is set up to start the season on a monster run, with the Packers likely to be favorites in their first four games (against the Vikings, Jets, Falcons and Buccaneers). This will be a solid confidence-building runway and ease Green Bay into the point in the season when Micah Parsons should return from last season’s torn ACL. The Packers were really only blown out once last season, had five one-score losses (and a tie) and were one disastrous quarter away from making the second round of the playoffs. I’m often biased toward teams like the Packers, who underperformed with some of their best players, over a team like the Broncos, whose best path to the Super Bowl has seemed to already materialize.” — Connor Orr.

The numbers back Orr’s point up. Love’s bad throw percentage, on-target rate, and completion percentage over expectation all pointed in the right direction last season. If he can sustain that level of play with a healthier supporting cast, Green Bay has a legitimate foundation to build a deep playoff run.

Health is the variable that changes everything

The Packers’ 2025 season was highly compromised by injuries. Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Devonte Wyatt, and Zach Tom all missed the final stretch and the playoff loss to Chicago. Other key contributors like Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Love himself missed time throughout the year. That context matters when evaluating what Green Bay can be at full strength.

Parsons is still expected to miss the first few weeks of the regular season as he recovers from last year’s torn ACL. But getting those pieces back at various points throughout the season should provide the depth and talent the Packers lacked late last year.

It’s rare for a team to come out of nowhere and compete for a Super Bowl. Contenders are typically identifiable before the season starts, and Green Bay fits that profile. The Packers have high-end talent at the skill positions, a rising quarterback, and a defense anchored by Parsons whenever he returns. Green Bay has the tools, the coaching infrastructure under Matt LaFleur, and the quarterback talent to make a legitimate Super Bowl push. The question is whether health cooperates in 2026.