Will The Green Bay Packers Make The Playoffs? Aaron Rodgers Eyes Championship

Few NFL franchises have had as much success as the Green Bay Packers over the past decade. After reaching the 2017 NFC Championship Game, Aaron Rodgers and Co. should be in the title picture, once again.

Green Bay enters the 2017 NFL season as one of the favorites in the NFC. Only the New England Patriots have better odds to win Super Bowl LII at some sportsbooks, and it would be surprising to see the Packers miss the playoffs this year.

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The Packers are tied with the Patriots for the longest active postseason streak in the NFL. Both teams have been fixtures in the playoffs since 2009, and the Seattle Seahawks have the third-longest streak with five straight appearances.

Winning the NFC North with a 10-6 record last year, the Packers have registered double-digit victories in seven of the last eight seasons. When Rodgers played just nine games in 2013, the team went 8-7-1 and was good enough to reach the playoffs.

It’s difficult for the Packers to miss the playoffs with Rodgers under center. Despite some struggles early last season, Rodgers still finished the year with a 104.2 passer rating, 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s a perennial MVP candidate with the best passer rating of all time, having totaled more than 30 touchdown passes and no more than eight interceptions in five of his last six seasons.

Rodgers will be 34 years old once the playoffs arrive and in the midst of his 13th NFL season. Tom Brady has proven that quarterbacks can get better with age, and Rodgers seems to believe that could be the case for himself.

“I think I did a really good job of pairing my workout mode with better eating habits. Now I’ve put together a year where I’ve sustained positive eating habits, and I really notice a difference in my performance,” Rodgers told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King at training camp. “I did a lot of stretching and yoga this offseason, which I have always felt has helped me to sustain my legs and my athleticism and just taking off in practice on some scrambles. Yoga is just wonderful for me. I feel like I am moving as well as I did when I was 23 and I'm 33. Stretching, for me, is amazing. Flexibility can add years to your life, and in our life, football, it adds years to your career.”

It’s extremely difficult to win a championship without an upper echelon quarterback, and having one almost guarantees a team life after the regular season. Much more is needed to find success in the playoffs.

There is no greater example than the Packers, who have one title in eight postseason appearances. Green Bay defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, but they have not returned since. Two trips to the conference championship game have resulted in losses, including last year’s 44-21 drubbing at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons.

Green Bay didn’t have the defense to win a title a year ago, ranking near the bottom third of the league in both yards and points allowed. The team didn’t make any major additions in free agency on that side of the ball, though they did go defense with their first four draft picks.

If the defense can even be average in 2017, the Packers have a real chance to make a title run.

“I don't feel like our window is closing here,” Rodgers told King. “I feel like this window is going to be open for a while. And in order for some of that stuff to go away, the outside noise, we're going to have to win another Super Bowl. It would be disappointing if we were only able to win one in my time here. Hopefully we can get one of those done.”

READ: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers Among Top Picks For NFL MVP

Bovada.lv gives Green Bay -500 odds to reach the playoffs and +350 odds to miss the postseason. With their over/under for wins set at 10, the Packers have -150 odds to total at least 11 victories.

The Packers have +750 odds to win the Super Bowl, via Bovada.