The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers have the week off with a bye.
They’ve been no less impressive this season than they were a year ago, in fact maybe more so. The Packers struggled to get going a year ago with injuries hampering them. Now, they’re just the fourth defending Super Bowl champion to begin the following season 7-0, according to Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The last? The 2007 Indianapolis Colts began 7-0.
Passing is up and scoring is up around the league and a case can be made that no team out there does either one better than the Packers, who will be forced to deal with inevitable 16-0 chatter soon if they pile up a few more victories.
How does a shot at 16-0 stack up? There are some games that will be tough. Coming out of the bye, the Packers play at San Diego. The Lions (5-2) typically play them well at Ford Field and Green Bay visits there on Thanksgiving Day. Also remaining is a road date at the New York Giants Dec. 4 and the Packers host the Chicago Bears Dec. 25. For a while, Lovie Smith had the Packers’ number, even at Lambeau Field.
If they get close, the Packers do have three of their final four regular-season games at home.
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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune