It was Ugly. Detroit Lions 7, Green Bay Packers 3. Aaron Rodgers goes out with a concussion and is likely out this week.
That’s all I am going to say about last week as that game just raises the blood pressure of ALL of Cheesehead Nation. Lets move on.
This Sunday the Packers travel to Foxborough to face the red hot New England Patriots on a nationally televised Sunday night game.
The past two weeks the Patriots embarrassed the Bears in Chicago in a snow storm and the Jets at home. Two of the supposed elite teams in the league were beaten senseless by likely NFL MVP Tom Brady and a defense that is maturing faster than most thought.
Now the Patriots get to face an already depleted Packers squad who now has to go with an untested backup at quarterback.
Will McCarthy’s men fall to their knees before the almighty Patriots or will they put up one last valiant effort with their playoff hopes on life support?
Breaking down the Patriots
It all starts with Tom Brady.
Two years removed from major knee surgery, Brady looks like he did during the Patriots near-perfect season of 2007 and without Randy Moss.
With Deion Branch and Wes Welker leading the way, Brady is on a streak of 19 TDs to ZERO interceptions. The man is playing lights out right now.
That said, he’s never faced a defense like the Packers’ who lead the NFL in defensive touchdowns.
Throw in a much improved rushing attack lead by Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (whose nickname of “The Law Firm” might be the coolest in the NFL) and this offense provides Dom Capers the biggest challenge of his two year tenure as defensive coordinator in Green Bay.
The Patriots offensive line deserves and enormous amount of credit for this success. Despite Logan Mankins holding out for part of the season, the line keeps Brady upright and creates holes for the run game. They do their job exceptionally well.
The Patriots defense was expected to be their weak link this season, but as with any Bill Belichick-led squad, they have found a way to beat expectations.
With a defensive line anchored by Vince Wilfork, the Patriots’ young linebacking corps and secondary has grown up rather quickly. With Jerrod Mayo looking like another Clay Matthews and rookie Devin McCourty playing like Charles Woodson, the defense makes the Patriots a lethal team on both sides of the ball.
Much like the Packers, the Patriots create turnovers at will. Leaving Brady a short field has been key to the Pats success this season.
When the Packers have the ball….
Let’s go with the odds and say Matt Flynn is the starting quarterback for the Packers.
A heavy dose of James Starks and Brandon Jackson is in order. With an inexperienced quarterback and what sounds like awful weather conditions, Mike McCarthy has no choice anymore.
He has to run the ball. Letting Flynn air it out in a snowstorm has blowout written all over it. I defended McCarthy big time this week against what I thought was over the top criticism. If he expects to beat the Patriots with a Flynn-led aerial attack, I will eat crow.
The Patriots will blitz Flynn like mad. It’s not hard to rattle a young untested quarterback and I would expect the Pats to do that early and often.
When the Patriots have the ball….
If I’m Dom Capers, I’m watching tape of Super Bowl XLII over and over again.
In that game the Giants pressured Brady like there was no tomorrow. They knocked him off rhythm enough that he wasn’t even close to leading a game winning comeback.
Capers will likely unleash Clay Matthews and company. The defense has got to get to Brady if there is any chance for the Packers to win this game.
The Patriots will continue to ride Brady’s hot hand as he spreads the ball around to his receivers. They also will likely take advantage of Cullen Jenkins‘ absence and run the ball right down the Packers’ throats.
B.J. Raji better be ready.
Three keys to the game
1. Weather the weather
The Bears folded in a bad weather game at home against the Patriots. Will the Packers do the same on the road?
Brady has played in poor conditions before. Flynn hasn’t. You couldn’t think of any worse weather for a quarterback to make his first start in. His team will have to carry him if Flynn wants his first start to be a victory.
2. Don’t quit
If the game starts to get out of hand early, the Packers have to keep fighting. Any sign of surrender would be disappointing.
You’re in the thick of a playoff chase. Two games remain and anything can happen. If the Bears win and the Packers lose, the Bears win the division and the Packers face long odds to get in as a wild card.
Not many people expect the Packers to be competitive in this game, much less win it. The Packers shouldn’t be displaying any woe is me attitude. This is precisely the kind of game where monumental upsets occur.
3. Stop Brady
You could also call this “Mission Impossible.”
Seriously though, if the Packers force the Patriots into some early mistakes and keep the game close through halftime, they might just have a shot. Getting to Brady early is key and it is very hard to rattle him.
Woodson and Matthews have to step up. This is when your playmakers have to make plays. It’s do or die time. It’s pretty hard not to get up for a game like this.
Prediction
Packers 9, Patriots 7
Yes I am serious and don’t call me Shirley (RIP Leslie Nielsen).
All the makings are there for the Packers to pull off the upset.
No one thinks they have a shot.
The Pats have not lost a home game to an NFC opponent since 2002. The team that beat them? The Packers.
These are the kind of games where McCarthy and his staff do their best work. No one gave the Packers a shot to beat the Jets and they did.
Not to mention the Patriots did lose to the Cleveland Browns earlier in the season.
Capers’ defense has carried this team all year. The defense knows it’s up to them to keep the season afloat.
I recently watched the 2004 World Series DVD. Remember when the Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees in the ALCS? No one believed they would come back but they did and broke the Curse of the Bambino.
On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team.
I believe in the Green Bay Packers.
We Believe. Go Pack Go.
——————Kris Burke is a sports writer covering the Green Bay Packers for AllGreenBayPackers.com and WTMJ in Milwaukee. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) and his work has been linked to by sites such as National Football Post and CBSSports.com. Follow @KrisLBurke
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I agree with your MM opinion. Yes,we have to be positive because you never know.Flynn’s running ability could be a key to our success.
Sorry, but the Pats will score more than once. Without Cullen Jenkins and even Frank Zombo, it’s going to be tough to put pressure on Brady. I expect him to have time in the pocket, which means our secondary is in for a long day. Plus, it seems the Pats know when to run the ball, and I’m sure they will make a habit of that in against a suspect Packers rush defense.
The injuries will be too much to overcome in this one, especially on defense.
Thanks for bursting my bubble.
With Rodgers and Jenkins, I’d have given the Packers a decent chance. But without them, I have to be a realist.
24-10 Patriots.
Our defense is our defense, their offense is their offense. The keys to this game will be, in no particular order:
1) Does the Packers O line bounce back from the horrible performance last week?
2) Can we limit, or preferably negate, drive squashing turnovers?
3) Will MM leave his stubborness at the door and call plays that assist his offense if/when they struggle, instead of pushing on with stuff that isn’t proving effective?
Over at CHTV’s live blog last week, I commented on how the Offense marched down the field with Flynn at the helm, something it had not been able to do with Rodgers. The obvious factor at work was more sensible play-calling. MM’s play calling seemed to be more selective, picking plays that were more schematically sound based on situation (in attempt to help prop up his inexperienced QB), where as when Rodgers is in, he calls plays in which I feel he relies on his offense’s physical acumen and prowess to prop up the play call. When the offense isn’t in sync (Which seems like it’s every opening half, ever week), MM refuses to make play calls to help them out, almost as though he’s afraid it is a sign of weakness.
O Line. Turnovers. Play Calling.. The defense is pivotal, but all they have to do is do what they’ve been doing. The offensive side is the key to Packers success.
McCarthy is a stubborn, stubborn man. He believes in his game prep and his game day plan to a fault.
It seems whenever we’ve heard McCarthy talk about simplifying things, the Packers come out and do very well. I think if he and also Rodgers would be a liitle more satisfied with a truer West Coast offense, the Packers O would be hard for anyone to stop. But some semblence of a running game is needed, too.
You just couldn’t resist.
you know how I feel…
9-7? Crosby makes 3 FGs in one game, including a game-winner? Yeah yeah, sure sure.
A Christmas miracle?
and Grinch speaks
We need to run,run,run,screen,screen,screen and take time off the clock.Do something we haven’t done all year,play clock offense.The moment we see MM go deep on 3rd and 1,it’s over.
Packers 20-16
That would be fantastic.However, good luck playing that type of offense with our line.
good read, I see woodhead having a massive game, since we r weak @ LB code. Out of the backfield catches will torch us
Joe I completely agree. This game will be won or lost based on our O line’s effectiveness and the ILB’s trailing their TE/RB’s.
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If GB limits the Pats YAC in both situations and if GB’s O line plays up to it’s ability – GB wins.
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If not, blowout.