Looking ahead to 2013

Never to early to start looking forward to next season, and whenever the Packers season ends I always look forward with great excitement. I know the next time a game is played at Lambeau field Ill be there, as I have been for the past 3 preseason openers. I also know when the 2013 season kicks off fall will be beginning, my favorite time of the year, and Halloween Horror Nights will just about be here again, so I always look to August/September with eager eyes. Flatly put, theres no way around the fact the Packers have an absolutely brutal 2013 schedule, on of their most brutal in teams history maybe even. Its always hard to look at this because you never truly know how good these teams will be next year already, but just by looking at this schedule you know it going to be difficult.

Home: Bears, Vikings, Lions, Browns, Eagles, Redskins, Falcons, Steelers

Away: Bears, Vikings, Lions, 49ers, Giants, Ravens, Bengals, Cowboys

The division games will be tough as always, so theres six toughies off the bat. at 49ers and at Giants, as well as Vs Falcons and at Ravens are all brutal games so theres ten that are tough. Steelers didnt make the playoffs this year, but history says that means theyll bounce back next year, 11 tough games. If RG3 is healthy, well, we know what a running QB can do against this defense, 12 tough games. Bengals is a road game against a playoff team, 13 toughies, and at Cowboys isnt brutal, it certainly isnt easy, 14 really tough games. That leaves just two games, Vs Eagles and Vs Browns as the two games that are bank on it wins next year, and you cant even really say with the Eagles yet, they might bounce back. Ive broke it down into three categories; bank on it, toughie, and brutal

Bank on it: 2 games

Toughie: 8 games

Brutal: 6 games. Road games against playoff teams count as brutal, so thats 4, plus the Giants were put on this list, also the Falcons game.

Compare that to this year, as to how I viewed it in the preseason, and their record in those games.

Bank on it: 5 (4-1) I had the colts as a bank on it win before the season. Also Titans, Jaguars, and Cardinals.Also the Vikings coming off a 3 win season.

Toughie: 8 (6-2) At Vikings and at Seahawks are the losses in this category.

Brutal: 3 (1-2) Vs 49ers and at Giants the losses, at Texans the win.

Twice as many games in the brutal category next season from this season. This is way to early, but doing a game by game prediction, right now Id expect an 11-5 season. Give one home loss, Ill say to the Steelers, then 4-4 on the road again, losing at Vikings, Giants, 49ers and one clunker in an undecided game.