With the 2010 Packers season officially underway, now seems as good a time as any to preview the Packers regular season.

With #4 again bringing his waffling wrath down upon the Vikings, the Packers are quietly flying under the radar, if that is even possible for a 2010 Super Bowl contender. 

The latest reports for anyone who cares: Brett Favre reportedly on a plane to Minnesota as of 1:15 p.m. CDT, after Minnesota Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson, defensive end Jared Allen, and kicker Ryan Longwell traveled to Hattiesburg, Mississippi demanding an answer from their indecisive quarterback. 

Yet, the Packers have their own quarterback, and one who is putting his name into the talks of the elite quarterbacks of the NFL with guys like Brees, Brady, and Manning. 

The Packers 2010 season rests upon the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers.

Why, you may ask, since the Packers defense was No. 2 overall, and No. 1 in rush defense.

The NFL is evolving. 

It's evolving into a quarterback-dependent league, and in that case, the Packers have got to like their chances. 

Take the 2010 Super Bowl for example. Aside from the gutsy onside kick call to start the second half and swing the momentum to the Saints, the Saints won because Drew Brees outplayed Peyton Manning. That's how the Saints won all year. 

Yes, the Saints had a great opportunistic defense similar to the Packers, but they won with their ability to put points on the board. 

The Packers will have to do the same in 2010.

KEY GAMES: Week 1 @ Philadelphia, Week 7 vs. Minnesota, Week 9 vs. Dallas, Week 11 @ Minnesota, Week 15 @ New England, and Week 16 vs. New York Giants

The Packers have a much tougher schedule than last year, tying for 22nd hardest based on their opponents winning percentage from last year (125-131). Compare that to their schedule from the 2009, 11-5 Wild Card season and the Packers played the third easiest schedule. 

You may notice I didn't include any of the games against the division-rival Bears or Lions as key games. Regardless of the improvements both teams made (free agents Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor to the Bears; rookie Ndamukong Suh and free agents Nate Burleson, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Corey Williams to the Lions), I still consider this a 2-team division in terms of who can win the NFC North.

Week 1 will be a great test for the Packers. They will play the Donovan McNabb-less Eagles at the never friendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field. The Kevin Kolb era will officially begin. Yet, the bigger question for the Packers in this game will be how their secondary handles speedy wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Not to mention, Dom Capers will have to account for the explosive Michael Vick out of Wildcat formations. This could be a dangerous Week 1 game without Atari Bigby and Al Harris.

The games against Minnesota are undoubtedly key games whether or not Brett Favre is under center for the Vikings. The fact of the matter is, the Vikings return 21 starters, the most of any team in the NFL, and although this goes against my point from above that this is a QB-league, the Vikings can win with Tarvaris Jackson under center. The Vikings have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL with the "Williams Wall" and Jared Allen and Ray Edwards on the ends. Can the Packers keep Aaron Rodgers upright and not allow 14 sacks to the Vikings in order to get revenge on the Vikes for sweeping the season series last year?

The Packers will play Dallas at home for the second consecutive year after dismantling them in Lambeau last year and making Tony Romo look foolish. However, the Cowboys are one of the deepest teams in the NFC and Jerry Jones will be hungrier than ever with the 2010 Super Bowl in Dallas' new playpen. This matchup could feature a potential 2010 NFC Championship game with the Cowboys favored in the deepest division in football: NFC East. 

The Packers play another NFC East opponent in Week 16, who will be looking to return to the playoffs after missing out in 2009 for the first time in five seasons. Eli Manning is back under center with a bevy of young, physical, and extremely talented wide outs including Steve Smith (not the Panthers veteran), Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, and Sinorice Moss. The Giants have a new stadium of their own, albeit having to share with the Jets, and will undoubtedly be vying for a playoff spot as I can basically assure the NFC East will have 2 playoff teams. 

The other key game I have listed is Week 15 against the Patriots. As most of you would recall, the experts dubbed the Saints vs. Patriots game in New Orleans as the game to find out if the Saints were "for real." Well, the Saints were, and they won the Super Bowl. Could the Packers play a similar game to see how they stack up against one of the best AFC teams late in the season?

KEY RETURNING DEFENSIVE STARTERS: Ryan Pickett, Cullen Jenkins, Nick Barnett, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, and Nick Collins. 

KEY RETURNING OFFENSIVE STARTERS: Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge.

With Johnny Jolly suspended for the 2010 season, the Packers moved Ryan Pickett to defensive end opposite Cullen Jenkins and inserted second-year man B.J. Raji in at nose guard. It's no secret the 3-4 defense relies on defensive pressure, making Pickett, Jenkins, and 2009 sack leader Clay Matthews essential to the success of the Packers defense.

Not to mention, quarterback of the defense, Nick Barnett will be counted on to fly all over the field and be responsible in commanding the defense, which has lofty expectations to live up to.

Pro Bowlers Charles Woodson and Nick Collins will again be expected to lead the secondary regardless of if Al Harris or Atari Bigby are healthy. Collins is helping rookie Morgan Burnett learn the ropes because he remains the Packers best option to replace Bigby if he's injured.

Harris seems to be progressing through rehab nicely but the Packers will need Woodson to lock down the opposition's top receiver. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year still has great instincts as indicated by his nine interceptions and three touchdowns.

Harris will be 36 in December and cannot be counted on as much as he used to, but the Packers have a plethora of young corners who can play in the nickel and dime packages including Tramon Williams, who had a great season last year with four interceptions.

The offense returns all 11 starters on a high-flying potent group, led by Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers will need Greg Jennings to continue to be the offensive downfield threat. With Jennings stretching the defense, it opens up the underneath routes for Donald Driver and up-and-coming tight end, Jermichael Finley. 

Finley was Rodgers' favorite target at the end of the year including 6 catches for 159 yards in the playoff loss to the Cardinals. Finley has the size, strength, and speed to cause significant matchup problems for opposing defenses and could be a key cog to the Packers offense. 

Yet, despite these weapons, the Packers have no hope of succeeding if the offensive line doesn't perform better than it did last year. The Packers allowed a NFL-high 51 sacks. 

The Packers offensive line will rely on left guard Daryn Colledge, and left tackle Chad Clifton to protect Rodgers' weak side. With the addition of rookie Bryan Bulaga adding depth to the line and even competing right now for more playing time at left tackle. Hopefully, Bulaga can solidify a Packers front that struggled to keep Aaron Rodgers on his feet last year.

BOLD PREDICTIONS:

Week 1: @ Philadelphia  W

Week 2: vs. Buffalo W

Week 3: @ Chicago    W

Week 4: vs. Detroit   W

Week 5: @ Washington L

Week 6: vs. Miami W

Week 7: vs. Minnesota W

Week 8: @ New York Jets L

Week 9: vs. Dallas         W

Week 10: Bye

Week 11: @ Minnesota L

Week 12: @ Atlanta        W

Week 13: vs. San Francisco        W

Week 14: @ Detroit        W

Week 15: @ New England         L

Week 16: vs. New York Giants     W

Week 17: vs. Chicago W

Record: 12-4, NFC North Champions

The Packers benefit from a relatively easy beginning of the schedule, and I could even seeing them being undefeated before their big Week 7 showdown with Minnesota at Lambeau. However, their game against the Redskins with McNabb leading their offense is the logical choice for the first hiccup in the schedule.

I think the Packers have a much better chance to split with the Vikings last year with their improved offensive line and can win the NFC North based on the Vikings more difficult schedule.

The Vikings have a lot of the same games as the Packers including vs. Dallas, @ New York Jets, @ New England, and @ Washington. Yet, they also play @ New Orleans and vs. Arizona whereas the Packers have @ Atlanta and vs. San Francisco. 

The NFC North will be a very interesting division depending on the decision of Favre, who more than likely will be back as he flew into Minnesota today. 

The Green Bay Packers will win the NFC North and play in the NFC Championship game before losing to the New Orleans Saints, who will go back to the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year.