Green Bay Packers: 5 Teams with a Shot to Take Them out Come January

As we all know, the Green Bay Packers are the best team in football. Having the only undefeated record tends to do that. The defending champions are in a prime spot to make another deep run and possibly repeat as Super Bowl Champions

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a look at five teams the Green Bay Packers have to get past first.

No. 5: New York Giants

We might as well get this started with the least likely of the bunch. The New York Giants have some impressive wins this year, including a road win at Philadelphia and this past week at home against Buffalo.

However, this is still the same team that lost to the Seattle Seahawks at home, making them tough to judge.

Eli Manning has shown that he can be effective this year, surprising many including myself. He has shown signs of his old self already, most notably in the loss to the Seahawks where he threw three interceptions.

If he can stay turnover free, this team will have a chance to make a run. But it's hard to see that happening.Also, the Giants have always been a running and defensive oriented team.

This year they've been struggling on both fronts, ranking right in the middle of the pack in pass defense (16th with 245.8 yards per game) and an abysmal 25th in rush defense (127.7 yards per game). The biggest woe might be the rush offense, which ranks 26th at 90.2 yards per game.

Chances they knock off the Packers: 15 percent

No. 4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Talk about a team with good wins and terrible losses. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have wins over Atlanta and New Orleans, with a loss to the 49ers (which wouldn't be that bad if it wasn't by 45 points).

While I've never been Josh Freeman's biggest fan, he can show signs of absolute brilliance from time to time. What isn't so great about him, however, is his five touchdowns to six interceptions. If he can pull it together and LaGarrette Blount can stay healthy, this team has a chance to win the NFC South.

We'll find out a lot about this team in the coming weeks with games against the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and the Green Bay Packers. They should be able to beat the Bears but with the game in London you never know. If they can come out of this 2-2 or better I'll be impressed.

Chances they knock off the Packers: 20 percent

No. 3: New Orleans Saints

The Saints are yet another team that squandered the opportunity to be the clear cut second best team in the NFC. While they started the season off with a loss in Green Bay, they looked far from weak in doing so.

The Saints followed that up by reeling off four straight wins against teams ranging from the Houston Texans to Carolina Panthers.

Their biggest strength is obviously their pass game, which could be a big problem for the Packers considering the weakness they have shown in defending the air attack.

Yardage-wise, the Saints rank second in the NFL with 344.3 yards per game. But Brees has shown his turnover prone side that crippled this team last year.

With Brees on pace to throw over 20 picks this year, he has to step his game back up to the level we all know he can compete at if the Saints want a shot. If these two teams were to face off come playoff time, I expect Brees to cost his team the game with a costly interception in the fourth quarter.

Chances they knock off the Packers: 30 percent

No. 2: San Francisco 49ers

Putting the San Francisco 49ers second on this list may be a surprise to some of you, considering their hot 5-1 start and win against the Lions.

But this isn't about what team is going to be the second, or even first seed come playoff time. This is about who can beat the Packers.

The 49ers are very good at two things, running the ball and stopping the run. However, what's going to come back to haunt this team is their inability to throw and stop other teams from throwing on them.

They rank 30th in the NFL in pass yards per game, with 171 yards per contest and 21st in opposing pass yards at 261 yards per game.

There is a chance they can use their running game to control the clock and keep Aaron Rodgers and co. off the field. But they're going to have to become a more two dimensional team for me to give them a real shot.

Chances they knock off the Packers: 35 percent

No. 1: Detroit Lions

While they did just lose to the 49ers last week, the Detroit Lions are the most dangerous team for the Packers to face in the playoffs. While they have squeaked by mediocre/terrible teams like the Cowboys and Vikings, this team is one to keep an eye on.

The combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson is what gives them the best shot. We can all remember the NFC title game in 2007 when a tall, physical receiver (Plaxico Burress) completely dominated the Packers secondary en route to a disappointing loss.

The Lions sport the eighth ranked pass offense in the NFL (277.2 YPG) and sixth ranked pass defense (205.5). With their ability to get after the quarterback, I'm hoping this team falls out of the playoffs before the Pack runs into them. Green Bay will still be the favorite but not by much.

Chances they knock off the Packers: 45 percent