The Green Bay Packers are 8-3 heading into a home primetime Thanksgiving matchup against the Miami Dolphins. And for Packer fans, there is certainly plenty to be thankful for.

To me, top on the list is the franchise stability the Packers have enjoyed for most of my 36 years of life to this point.

Just how fortunate we are to have a stable franchise was further emphasized by the recent events transpiring with the New York Jets.

The Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers a year and a half ago in a move that was widely hailed as being a masterclass by then-general manager Joe Douglas, who outwitted the apparently hapless Brian Gutekunst to bring in a player that would help the team compete immediately for a title.

Obviously, things have not worked out that way. Rodgers ruptured his achilles and missed almost the entire 2023 season. The Jets’ poor start cost Robert Saleh and Douglas their jobs midseason and led to reports that owner Woody Johnson wanted to bench Rodgers after the team’s loss to Denver. 

The franchise is an absolute mess, and will be extending its playoff drought that leads all the major American sports leagues.

Then you’ve got a team like the Chicago Bears, which keeps making the same mistake over and over again regarding timing new coaches and quarterbacks. In all likelihood the cycle will begin again after this season, when the Bears will (if they are smart) do what they should have done last offseason: fire Matt Eberflus and find a coach who will actually be complementary to the skills of new franchise quarterback (for now) Caleb Williams.

In contrast to these dumpster fire organizations, the Packers are an incredible model of consistency, one that Rodgers may well have taken for granted. 

(It is now being reported that Rodgers wishes to play next season, but not for the Jets.)

Consider what the Packers have accomplished since the Rodgers trade.

Last year, the team was expected by many to be a bottom feeder in the first year under Jordan Love with the youngest roster in the league. Instead, the team made it to the second round of the playoffs, nearly upsetting the eventual NFC champions in their own stadium. This was the kind of result that the big optimists would have maybe hoped for this year.

Now, in 2024, the Packers are off to an excellent 8-3 start, one that only doesn’t look as impressive as it is because this is the only time in history there have been two teams with better records than 8-3 in the same division as the 8-3 team.

Yes, it’s true that the Packers have not yet fully played up to their capability this year. But the fact that they’ve managed to win eight of eleven games and still haven’t shown us anything close to their peak should be exciting; this is a team that has not peaked too early and is forced, because of divisional circumstance, to maintain its energy and intensity into the late portions of the season. 

At the very least, the Packers are a team that has beaten every single team they were supposed to. That’s a big deal – not once have they been upset this season. And while you’d love to see them finish one of those games against the Eagles or Vikings, this is a team that clearly belongs with those top-flight contenders. 

The franchise’s model of consistency set up Jordan Love for success and allowed the team to be in a position where they are legitimate contenders for at least the next couple years. 

Mark Murphy, Brian Gutekunst, and Matt LaFleur deserve tremendous credit for how they’ve handled these past couple of years.

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

I’ve featured Hillsboro Brewing Company in this space a few times. The first beer of theirs I had was several years ago when I had their Leaping Lemur cream ale and enjoyed it far more than I expected to, especially for a relatively simple/not all that interesting style. I’ve had several more of their beers since then and have consistently enjoyed them, even if I haven’t been absolutely floored by their quality.

The most recent one I tried may be my favorite one from the brewery yet, and it’s perfectly in season. It’s called Badger Sweat, a Vanilla Bean Milk Stout.

Here’s how the brewery describes it: 

“Just like our brewery, this great state of ours was founded on the blood, sweat, and tears of the men and women. We are excited to bring you this vanilla bean milk stout, coming in at 6% ABV.”

The beer is smooth and relatively light for a stout (befitting of the milk stout style). The vanilla adds additional smoothness and sweetness without being overpowering. This is an extremely pleasant stout that fits a wide variety of occasions, especially as the temperature is starting to get a bit brisker out there.

You’ll probably be able to find it at any local liquor store that sells craft beer in Wisconsin. I got mine where I get most of my beer: from Woodman’s. So if you’re looking to try something new, I can definitely recommend this one!

Let’s appreciate a blowout!

There was a surprisingly large portion of the fanbase that seemed dissatisfied with the blowout victory over the San Francisco 49ers this past weekend. On BlueSky things were mostly positive, as it tends to be there, but still a bit muted. And from what I hear, other corners of the internet were not particularly happy.

I get some of the consternation; Brandon Allen had a little bit too easy of a time for much of the game considering what was expected from him. But let’s remember that he has a true quarterback whisperer for a coach and is surrounded by some pretty outstanding weapons. Ultimately the defense only allowed 10 points and had several crucial takeaways that helped a stalling offense.

Speaking of the offense, yes, they disappeared for the end of the second quarter and basically the entirety of the third. But they finished strong. They produced the first 100-yard rusher against the 49ers since the early part of the 2020 season (!). 

It really is impressive that this team already has such high expectations that a 38-10 victory over a team that has been the cause of the Packers’ demise too many times over the last decade and a half can feel so underwhelming.

Ultimately, the 49ers were never all that close to winning this football game, and the final score accurately reflects the difference between the two teams that were on the field that day.

And I don’t want to hear the talk of “well they had all these players injured.” That’s football. Every team has to deal with injuries. The 2010 Packers could have filled a hospital unit with their IR and won a Super Bowl. This very team went undefeated with its backup quarterback in for two and a half games. 

You can only beat the teams in front of you. And the Packers have generally been doing exactly that this year.

Around the NFC North

As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North.

• The CHICAGO BEARS managed to have blocked kicks in back to back weeks. How is that a thing that can even happen? How do you not get that fixed after the Packer game, KNOWING that Green Bay went into that game with the mindset of "if we don't get a blocked kick, it'll be a dissapointment?" It's just the latest example of widespread organizational dysfunction. This franchise continues to be a disappointment to its fans and a treat to its haters. It's me, I'm a hater.

• The DETROIT LIONS continue to cruise along in the top seed in the conference, but they've got the Vikings and Eagles breathing right down their necks and the Packers not too far behind. They're going to have to keep the pedal to the metal if they're going to achieve their goal of the top overall seed for the first time in their franchise history. They get their classic Thanksgiving showcase against the Bears; will there be a repeat of a holiday embarrassment? Surely last Thanksgiving against the Packers has to be on their minds this week.

• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS keep reeling off victories despite feeling like a very beatable team. It's to their credit that they've accomplished this; good teams beat the teams they should beat, and they're doing that over and over again, all while being continually underestimated by people like me. They very nearly threw away the game against the Bears this week, but still managed to get down to business and secure the divisional W in overtime. All they need to do is keep winning.

This or That in Mr. Backes’s classroom: Week 12

As some of you may recall, last year I started doing weekly “this or that” polls on the whiteboard in my classroom at school for laughs. I decided to make it a weekly part of this column to keep you updated on what the youths are saying these days about entirely unimportant issues.

Here are some of the results from the last week:

• Thanksgiving dinner defeated Thanksgiving leftovers
• Thanksgiving football defeated Thanksgiving parade
• Apple pie defeated pumpkin pie
• Procrastinating defeated getting it done

I’ll continue to keep you updated on the most pressing issues of our time.

Early looks at the NFC playoff picture beginning to form

I know, I know, we’ve not even seen any Thanksgiving football played yet, so it’s a little early to be thinking about the playoff picture. However, now that the ESPN playoff machine is available (marking my favorite time of year), it’s impossible for me not to start playing out scenarios.

Let’s just say this right away: it’s looking really good for the Packers right now. They’d have to have an absolute collapse to not get into the playoffs. 

Unfortunately, they’re playing in one of the strongest divisions the NFL has ever seen. This is the first time since the NFL/AFL merger that, after 11 games played, a division has three teams with at least eight victories. What we’re seeing out of the NFC North is unprecedented right now, and because these three teams keep winning, it forces them to keep the intensity ramped up in their approach to all their games.

Right now in the NFC, you can all but engrave in that the Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Eagles will be in the playoffs. 

After that there’s a bit of debate. In the NFC West, everyone is technically alive at the moment. The 49ers are going to have some difficulty with the injuries they’ve had, and they’ve already lost some key tiebreakers. You can never count out a Sean McVay squad, and the Cardinals were looking like they were in the drivers’ seat until coming out flat against Seattle. Really, that divisional race is wide open, and there’s still a possibility that they could send two teams if the Commanders’ recent struggles continue.

Speaking of the Commanders, they’re currently in the 7th spot in the conference, but a couple tough losses have some questioning whether they’re going to be there for long. It is an inexperienced squad, but so far there has yet to be a consistent playoff contender to emerge from the rest of the conference.

In the NFC South, right now the Bucs and the Falcons would be the two favorites there, but neither one is exactly inspiring a ton of confidence. I’d say it’s much more likely that (if the Commanders don’t get into the playoffs) the NFC West sends a second team to the playoffs than this division.

While nobody is technically “out of it” yet, there are certainly some teams you can probably just stop paying attention to (ahem… Chicago). 

While there may not be quite as many playoff slots “up for grabs” as usual, it still promises to be a thrilling finish. And with a win this week against Miami and a win next week against Detroit, the Packers would suddenly be right back in the chase for the division title. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Looking forward to celebrating my favorite holiday of the year! You get a ton of great food, the parade, football, time off work… without the pressure of having to buy presents. Honestly, hard to top any of that.

I’ll be in central Wisconsin this time around at the in-laws’ place, but will be looking forward to seeing the Packers that evening.

I gotta say, it’s nice to have the Packers not play in the middle of the day on Thanksgiving. It allows more socialization and doesn’t ruin the dinner if they lose. Plus, I can make sure the kids are in bed before the game starts so we can watch uninterrupted.

Whatever you’re doing, wherever you’re celebrating, I hope you have a great holiday and have plenty of things in your life to be thankful for.

Week 13 Picks

Week 13 already??? This is wild.

The Dolphins are playing much better football with Tua back in the swing of things. It’s still a lot to ask any team to come to Lambeau Field on a short week, especially when it’s a Florida team playing in late November in the brisk Wisconsin air.

I think the Packers have the offense needed to keep the Dolphins off the field and a defense sufficient to hold their passing offense in check just enough to get the win. The Packers advance to 9-3 and turn their attention to another showdown with Detroit.

LAST WEEK: 9-4

SEASON TO DATE: 123-58

THIS WEEK, give me…

LIONS over Bears

COWBOYS over Giants

PACKERS over Dolphins

CHIEFS over Raiders

TEXANS over Jaguars

COLTS over Patriots

CHARGERS over Falcons

SEAHAWKS over Jets

COMMANDERS over Titans

BENGALS over Steelers

CARDINALS over Vikings

RAMS over Saints

BUCS over Panthers

RAVENS over Eagles

BILLS over 49ers

BRONCOS over Browns