NFL writer predicts Packers will do something rest of NFC North won't in 2023

We are officially past the glamour portion of the offseason and into the tepid, yet still very active portion that consists of OTAs and the eventual mandatory minicamp.

While no roster is official, there's still plenty to glean from each team's list of 90 or fewer players, and, the 2023 schedule is out. Meaning, we now know the shape of each 17-game slate.

With all that in mind, The Athletic 's Vic Tafur recently released his predictions regarding each team's projected win total in 2023. And in terms of the Green Bay Packers , things are looking up, quite literally.

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Tafur has the over when it comes to the Packers' projected win total of 7.5 games, which obviously means an 8-9 record, at worst. But, there's one noticeable trend within the division that makes the bottom line of 8-9 look even better in the big picture.

The Packers are the only NFC North team projected to go over their 2023 win total

In fact, out of all of Tafur's projections, the Packers are the only team to hit the over while all other division foes are projected to go under.

When referring to the NFC North, he doesn't see a single team, outside of the Packers, reaching 10 wins in 2023. Granted, projecting the Packers to go over 7.5 wins doesn't automatically guarantee they'll reach 10 wins, but, it certainly means they have the ceiling to get there, which is a much better position to be in than the other way around.

This is how Tafur sees the NFCN, as a whole, shaking out in terms of projected win totals:

• Bears: Under 7.5 wins
• Lions: Under 9.5 wins
• Packers: Over 7.5 wins
• Vikings: Under 8.5 wins

And, to make things even more interesting for the Packers, Tafur listed the over 7.5 projection as one of his six "best bets":

The Packers were 8-9 with Rodgers, and I actually think they can match that without him. The stale energy will be gone, granted along with some breathtaking throws. But with two very good running backs and all the receivers that were drafted for Rodgers the past three years, Green Bay has enough talent that all Love has to do is be adequate. While Rodgers has to play six games within the AFC East and has NFC East as the cross-conference matchup, Love plays in the friendlier NFC North and gets to face the lowly NFC South (both teams play the AFC West). In fact, four of the Packers’ first five games are against teams with a losing record in 2022. And there’s also a chance that Love is better than adequate. - Vic Tafur, The Athletic

A big reason for the Packers' disappointing 2022 season was their slow start. If the team can gel early on, there is a good chance the team could start off with four wins in their first five matchups. They open on the road against the Bears, which isn't easy but definitely winnable. They then head to Atlanta before coming back home to host the Lions and Saints. Then, Week 5 is Monday Night Football in Las Vegas, a team that has plenty of questions on its own.

Coming out of that opening run with a 3-2 record that includes wins over the Lions and Bears would be an excellent start and one that propels them to reach the over of 7.5 wins. It's also very doable - which makes everything all the more exciting as we continue our march into the 2023 regular season.

You can check out Tafur's full column, here .