A system predicts one or more fields of a packet that includes multiple fields. Each of the fields stores a value. The system receives one or more of the fields of the packet and determines the value of at least one of the received fields (710). The system predicts a value of at least one other one of the fields of the packet based on the value of the received field before the other field is received (715). The system then processes the packet based on the received fields and the predicted field(s) (720).