The million dollar question in Green Bay as the Packers get set to take on the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo on Sunday is: How good are the Packers?
The Packers (3-4) started off losing four of their first five games, but have rebounded to win two straight games. Those three wins all come against NFL bottom-feeders. The Packers have wins over Detroit (1-6), Miami (1-6) and Arizona (1-7).
Yes, the Packers are showing signs of improvement in a number of areas and their young offensive line leads the way. Now can the Packers take those improvements and channel them into wins against better opponents.
I really like Mike McCarthy's approach. His team has been hit by injuries, yet his approach is simply to prepare the next player in line for the next opponent. He gets the young players to believe they can succeed because he never leads anyone to believe that the replacements aren't good enough. Not only does McCarthy and his coaches convey confidence to the players, but he expects the teams veteran players to do the same. Never has McCarthy or his staff pannicked because of injuries.
You get the feeling that this team is turning the corner and despite the fact that at last count, they had 17 rookies on the roster, they're ready to win. But the true test will come in the games.
They'll get a good test from Buffalo on the road on Sunday, despite the Bills 2-5 record. They follow that with games against Minnesota (4-3), New England (6-1), Seattle (4-3) and the New York Jets (4-4) over the next four weeks. How the Packers come out of that stretch will be a pretty good indicator as to whether or not they're a wildcard contender or just a pretender.