The loss of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater hasn’t just made the Green Bay Packers overwhelming favorites to win the NFC North.
The Packers are now favored to win every single game during the 2016 season, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI).
“Before Bridgewater’s injury, the Packers were the FPI favorites in 15 of their 16 scheduled games,” wrote ESPN’s Sharon Katz and John McTigue. “The lone exception was in Week 2, when the Packers travel to Minnesota. That game has now shifted in favor of the Packers, making them the favorite in all 16 games entering the season.”
To be clear, FPI isn’t projecting the Packers to go 16-0. However, Green Bay is projected to win 10 games with an 80 percent chance of making the postseason, which are both the highest projections in the NFL.
Bridgewater, who helped lead the Vikings to an NFC North title last season, will miss 2016 after dislocating his knee and tearing his ACL during a freak play at practice on Tuesday. Minnesota has already placed Bridgewater on season-ending injured reserve, leaving Shaun Hill and Joel Stave as the top two players on the Vikings’ quarterback depth chart.
According to FPI, Green Bay has a 65 percent chance of winning the NFC North—up 10 percentage points after Bridgewater’s injury.
Based on 2015 records, the Packers have the easiest schedule in the NFL in 2016.
Green Bay opens with road games against Jacksonville and Minnesota.