We're just two days away from the most glorious time of year, the NFL playoffs! Even though the Packers don't play until next weekend, I wanted to gather some thoughts from fellow Cheesehead TV writers to see where our collective heads are at regarding the Packers' chances and how we expect the next few weeks to play out.

I asked CHTV writers to submit their responses to some questions and to elaborate as they liked. Participants were myself, Sarah Kelliher, "Jersey" Al Bracco, Maggie Loney, Jason Perone, Ryne Ryskoski and Brandon Carwile. 

Here's a collection of our thoughts!

On the Packers' odds, and a Super Bowl matchup

The first question I asked was "How far do you believe the Packers will advance in the playoffs?" Oddly enough, every single one of us gave the same answer--to the NFC Championship, but no farther. All seven of us also had the Packers playing at San Francisco in that game.

Interestingly, while five of seven of us said the Packers' biggest obstacle to a Super Bowl appearance was the 49ers, two of us (Sarah and Brandon) said it would be the Saints.

While we were unanimous in predicting the 49ers would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, thoughts as to who will represent the AFC were a bit more varied. The most common prediction was a Ravens/49ers rematch, which was predicted by Jason, Al, Maggie and Brandon. Sarah and I both believe the Chiefs will represent the AFC, while Ryne is the only one of us who's not doubting the Patriots, predicting them to go to their fourth Super Bowl in a row and fifth in six years.

General feelings about the Packers

Here's where things start to get interesting.

I wanted to know how people generally felt about the Packers in four phases of the game: offense, defense, special teams and coaching. I asked respondents to rank their confidence level in each phase on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being "GREAT!!"

OFFENSE

Confidence in the offense is generally shaky. Maggie and Sarah were the most positive respondents about the offense, both responding with a 7. But even their optimism could not be considered unbridled.

Said Sarah: "When the Packers' offense is on, I'm confident, but with inconsistency haunting them all season I can only hope they have it together heading into the post-season." 

Maggie said, "I think the offense is finding ways to win games. If they can put something together more consistently, they can be dangerous."

Al and Brandon both fell in the middle of the spectrum, giving a 6 as their offensive confidence score. Al pointed to the Packers' refusal to "stay with what seems to work," as well as the Packers' reluctance to go up tempo and the Packers' insistence on forcing explosive plays as key sources of his frustration. Brandon finds a lot of hope in the Packers' running game, especially in comparison to the disaster that was the team's running game heading into the 2016 playoffs. "However," he says, "If the run game is an 8, then the passing attack must be lacking. At least part of it is Aaron Rodgers throwing a better ball. I'm optimistic."

The biggest pessimists of the bunch regarding offense were myself, Jason and Ryne, all of whom responded with 5s. Jason says the offense doesn't "exude much confidence," and Ryne says that while Rodgers can still make great throws when needed, he "hasn't been able to do thos ethings as consistently as we've seen in the past." Still, Ryne says, "if he comes alive and gets hot like I believe he will, then a Super Bowl run is not out of the question."

My feeling with the offense is simple: it ultimately comes down to Rodgers. If he's willing to play within the offense, take what the defense is giving him, make underneath throws and play in rhythm, this team can go a long way, especially when you consider the strength of the running game. The issue is consistency; it's been lacking in a major way, and it's hard to have much confidence when you never know which offense you're going to get.

DEFENSE

Confidence in the defense is much higher across the board. Six of the seven of us answered "8," and Maggie was even more optimistic, with a "9." Here are some samplings of people's thoughts:

Sarah: "Although they've been exposed in the run game, the Packers' defense has made crucial stops when they need to in big moments."

Jason: "If the Packers are going to surprise us and achieve more, the defense will be the reason why."

Al: "The pressure on quarterbacks has been a major improvement, but if they don't get there, I worry about good QBs picking apart the secondary, especially with their tight ends."

Ryne: "The Smiths and KC  [Kenny Clark] are the key here. If they can get penetration and disrupt opposing quarterbacks (especially in Lambeau), then it will be hard to score over 21 points."

Maggie: "They're giving up some yardage again, but they're limiting points scored, which is the big thing. Now they have to keep it up."

Brandon: "[I feel] better than I did midseason... they've continued to get sacks and force turnovers, which are huge on the big stage. Every time I thought their luck would run out it hasn't."

My feelings: opponents aside, the Packers are playing defense as well as anyone else in the league over the last month and a half or so. If the defense that we saw in Minnesota shows up against playoff-caliber opponents, then we're looking at a potential championship football team. That's how important this defense is to this team, and how improved they are over last season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The feelings about special teams are generally positive, ranging from a couple "7" responses to even a "10" from Maggie, who says "Crosby is having a monstrous season and has proven to be clutch. JK Scott punted great against Detroit,a nd Ervin has been Gute's best midseason pickup as the Packers' GM."

The rest of us mostly used this opportunity to display our hyped-up affection for Tyler Ervin, so, you know, we're feeling pretty good here.

COACHING

We were generally optimistic about the team's coaching. The most pessimistic here was Maggie, who gave a 7. Myself, Sarah, Al, Jason and Ryne gave 8s, and Brandon gave a 9. Here are some thoughts:

Sarah: "I trust LaFleur. Yes, this is his first playoffs as a head coach but look at what he's done so far. A lot of times the plays are there, the calls are right, it's the execution that isn't quite clicking. I believe he can help this team go far if they continue to believe in him."

Al: "My only concern is the importance LaFleur puts on "explosives" feeds into Rodgers' love of big plays. Failed big plays are usually what stall drives for the Packers. I wish LaFleur would focus on sustaining drives. No issues with Pettine; he's using his personnel to their strengths."

Ryne: "We can't tell if the offense's peculiar play calling at times is LaFleur's or Rodgers' fault, but they always seem to put it together at the right time. If they can put together a game plan that doesn't include mindless 30-yard bombs every three plays to anyone not named Davante Adams, then there should be lots of sustained success."

Maggie: "LaFleur seems like he's been making great second half adjustments all season."

Brandon: "If Matt LaFleur isn't in the conversation for Coach of the Year, just throw the award out."

As for me, I've been very impressed with LaFleur this year. Pettine was a known commodity; I expected him to improve the defense significantly with the new players added this year, and he's delivered. But LaFleur was almost entirely an unknown, and I've really appreciated his calm demeanor and his willingness to empower the players to be themselves. He's not an intense figure on the sidelines by any means, but I think we're past the era in the NFL where those are the coaches finding the most success. Can he improve? Absolutely, but the early returns are extremely promising.

X-Factors

The next question I asked was, "Who or what do you see being an X-factor in the Packers' playoff run?" Think, for example, James Starks in the Super Bowl run a few years ago.

Responses here were varied.

Sarah: "The Packers' defense and Aaron Jones will be the biggest game changers."

Al: "Using the running backs in the passing game more creatively than just repetitive wheel routes. The defensive line must step up; they will likely be facing one of the league's best OLs from New Orleans."

Ryne: "Absolutely Aaron Rodgers. Like I said before, if he can get hot and hit receivers in stride consistently, then a Super Bowl run is not only a possibility, it's likely."

Maggie: "Aaron Jones and Za'Darius Smith"

Brandon: "The entire receiving corps."

For me, I have to agree with Ryne. The performance of most of the rest of the team has been fairly consistent and predictable. It's surprisingly Rodgers who has been the most up and down. He's seen some outrageous highs and lows throughout this year. For the Packers to go far, he has to play more consistently. If he hits the open player and plays in the rhythm of the offense, this team has a shot, complemented by strong defense and running.

What are you looking forward to?

I next asked, "What are you most looking forward to about this postseason for the Packers?"

Almost all of us mentioned, to some degree, how exciting it is to have playoff football at Lambeau again. I know Jason has already booked a hotel for conference championship weekend, so hopefully luck is in his favor! Here are some other thoughts people had:

Sarah: "Give me clutch Rodgers, prime time Za'Darius Smith and bring that trophy back home!!"

Al: "The cold, crisp air of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and hopefully a little snow in Lambeau."

Ryne: "Absolutely having a playoff game in January Lambeau. There's nothing quite like it."

Maggie: "Giving Rodgers a shot at home field in the playoffs. He's lost too many close ones on the road."

Brandon: "A highly motivated Rodgers."

I'm personally looking forward to potentially seeing a first-ever Rodgers/Brees postseason matchup. Two of the all-time greats have somehow never met in the playoffs despite all their teams' success over the last decade-plus. Get Brees out of that cozy stadium and into the chilly night air of Green Bay, and I think we can have some fun.

Final thoughts

Here are some parting thoughts from our respondents.

Sarah: "The talk of the season is that the Packers win, but they win ugly. I would love for them to win every game, ugly or not, but I'm really hoping they can find a way to make things easier for themselves in the playoffs. This team has the talent, staff and belief to do it, but they can't beat themselves along the way. Hoping for the best and as always... Go Pack Go!"

Ryne: "My reasoning for having the Packers only reach the NFCCG is 100% predicated on the assumption that the 49ers reach the NFCCG as well. Ithink their defense is just too good for Green Bay to overcome. If GB can avoid San Fran, then I think GB will get to the Super Bowl."

As for me, I'm just hyped for playoff football involving the Packers. It's been nearly three years since the debacle in Atlanta, and there have been massive shifts in the organization since that day. A young new coach with a bright future, a new GM with a completely different team building philosophies, some actual damn FREE AGENT SIGNINGS that have paid off in a big way, a vastly improved defense... yeesh. The Packers weren't supposed to be here this year, but here they are. Expectations are low, but if they can somehow break through and get to a Super Bowl, it will be truly something special, especially when you consider this team is tracking to only get better next season.

Thanks to all our respondents, and cheers to the Packers finally being back in the playoffs. GO PACK GO!