Last week I broke down the first seven weeks of Green Bay’s 2021 schedule and gave one storyline for each opponent. You can find that here. Today, we’ll be looking at the final seven teams the Packers play in 2021.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are overhauling the defensive side of the ball in 2021 to compete in a loaded NFC West. Arizona won the J.J. Watt Sweepstakes in free agency and brought in the veteran pass rusher on a two-year deal. They also added safety Shawn Williams and cornerback Malcolm Butler to the secondary, before selecting inside linebacker Zaven Collins in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Cardinals defense ranked 12th in the NFL in 2020 in points against, allowing an average of 22.9 points per game, a number that drastically improved from 2019 when the unit ranked 28th in the league and gave up an average of 27.6 points per game. Arizona lost its sack leader Haason Reddick in free agency to the Panthers after an impressive 12.5-sack season, so it’s imperative for the fresh faces on defense to contribute right away or the unit will regress. 

Kansas City Chiefs

After two straight Super Bowl appearances, the Chiefs can become just the fourth franchise to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls if they make it back in 2021. However, the result would’ve likely been the same as 2020 had Kansas City not spent in free agency to fix the offensive line and give superstar Patrick Mahomes some protection. The Chiefs made a splash signing ironman guard Joe Thuney to a five-year deal, then brought in Kyle Long after he announced he was returning from retirement. (Long is currently dealing with a knee injury suffered in practice but should be ready for the start of the season.) Kansas City also signed center Austin Blythe for one year and brought back tackle Mike Remmers as insurance. If this offensive line can keep Mahomes upright, there’s already plenty of explosive talent on an offense that ranked sixth in points per game in 2020. 

Seattle Seahawks

Rumors circulated this offseason that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was unhappy with the team and demanded a trade out of Seattle. Having absolutely no idea what it’s like to have quarterback drama in your franchise, I don’t feel I can accurately speculate on Wilson’s displeasure with the Seahawks. It does, however, seem to have all blown over and Wilson will be back under center for Head Coach Pete Carroll once again. The Seahawks did just lock up (no pun intended) receiver Tyler Lockett for four years, which should go a long way in appeasing the quarterback. The Seahawks went 12-4 in 2020, losing to the Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Now that the 49ers are healthy and the Rams have Matt Stafford at quarterback, the NFC West will be a lot harder to claim in 2021.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings had one of the worst defenses in the league in 2020, averaging 29.7 points against per game and ranking 29th in the NFL. That should absolutely change in 2021. Danielle Hunter is healthy and ready to return; free agent acquisition who opted out of 2020, Michael Pierce, will be back in the fold, and Minnesota also added Dalvin Tomlinson and Sheldon Richardson to the defensive line. That’s a stout front. We saw what the Vikings defense could be in 2019 when the unit ranked fifth overall in points against. With key contributors coming back healthy and new additions on defense, expect the Vikings defense to get back to 2019 shape. 

Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford joining the Rams might be the best move of the offseason. The Rams already won a playoff game in 2020 and made it to the Divisional Round with Jared Goff and John Wolford under center. Stafford is a huge upgrade over both parties. The defense is loaded and was the league’s best last season led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. I know we’ve said a lot about this loaded NFC West, but Stafford’s addition immediately puts the Rams in the driver's seat of the division. 

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens had a strong finish to the 2020 season, winning five straight to close out the season and make the playoffs as the AFC’s fifth seed. The defense ranked second best in the NFL behind only the aforementioned Rams, and despite the offense putting up an average of 29.3 points per game, that’s where the team’s struggles appeared. In big moments, like in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Ravens failed to put up more than three points. Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, got new weapons on offense in free agent Sammy Watkins and first-round draft pick Rashod Bateman. The running game was never the issue, so with a few fresh faces in the receiving game, the Ravens should be poised to run it back with Jackson. 

Cleveland Browns

If the Rams had the best single move of the offseason, the Browns might have had the best offseason as a whole, with Cleveland completely overhauling its defense. Myles Garrett needed help off the edge, so Cleveland brought in veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney. The secondary got an entire makeover behind cornerback Denzel Ward, with the Browns selecting Greg Newsome in the first round and signing both safety John Johnson and nickel Troy Hill away from the Rams in free agency. The Browns had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in 2020, and those men paved the way for the rushing tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to rush for 1,908 yards and 18 touchdowns. Add to this a team getting Odell Beckham Jr. back healthy, and the Browns are poised to be one of the toughest contenders in the AFC, a welcomed sight after so many years of misery.