The Packers won again on Sunday, though you wouldn’t have guessed looking at much of the reaction following the game. Green Bay defeated the Cardinals 27-24, scoring the go ahead touchdown with under two minutes left before the defense held on. It should be noted that this Cardinals team has been feisty all season. They’ve lost five games by a combined thirteen points. Just the week prior they had taken the Colts down to the wire. The point is – there are no easy wins in the NFL, and you take every single one you can get.
This week is different though. The coaches will tell you it isn’t. The player will tell you it isn’t. But it is. This game matters more than any they’ve played this season even if it isn’t reflected in the standings at the end of the season. There is a world where Green Bay kept Rodgers and moved on from Love. Who knows how that world shakes out. But in this one, this game becomes a referendum on which party made the right choice. Do I believe that? No. But there’s a not small portion of the fanbase that does. If Green Bay goes into Pittsburgh and loses, that part of the fanbase is going to get loud, and the perception of the Packers as a contender will take a real hit.
So what do the Packers need to do to avoid that darkest timeline? Lets look at the three biggest factors that will go into the Packers securing the win this Sunday night.
Give Jordan Love the Reins
I say this every week, and will continue to do so until it actually happens. There were encouraging signs last week, most notably the 4th and 2 that led to the game winning score. LaFleur cited Love’s reaction to kicking the field goal as a primary motivator for sending the offense back out on the field. It was the right choice, Love is playing as well as anybody in the league right now:
If that’s not enough, you can isolate his play even further by just examining how he plays on the Sunday Night Football stage:
The team still needs time to gel as a run blocking unit, but they can pass the ball. Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft are both excelling with the limited looks they get, it’s time to start feeding your stars more. Love can do it, the coaches just need to let him loose.
Will the Packers Defense Solve their Quick Game Issue?
If the Packers defense has an issue, it can be attributed to two connected problems. First, they simply don’t have enough talent at CB. We knew this would be an issue coming into the season, but the hope was that an improved pass rush would help mitigate that. And to an extent it has. However, since the Dallas game teams have figured out that the best way to attack that weakness is with quick passes, often to the outside. Why is this a problem this week?
So what can Green Bay do? Getting DeVonte Wyatt back would help to start with. It’s unclear however if he will be back this week. Without him the answer is probably to let the cornerbacks play closer to the line. You may risk an explosive play or two, but those take longer to develop, and give the pass rush a chance to get home. That sounds better to me than letting Rodgers carve you up on a ten play drive that keeps the offense off the field.
The pass rush played a big role in last weeks win, and will need to do so again to keep the Packers win streak going.
Special Teams, Can You Just Be Normal Please?
Since the special teams debacles in the Dallas and Cleveland games Rich Bisaccia’s unit hasn’t made any massive mistakes. But you can still see the signs they want to mess up the game. Last week after scoring to tie the game at twenty, they immediately allowed a 40 yard return, then exacerbated the issue with a facemask penalty. This led to a Cards FG several plays later. It’s unclear who will be the kicker this week, but the team has to feel good about Lucas Havrisik filling in after last weeks record setting 61 yard field goal. The Steelers are a hard enough opponent to beat at home without giving them great field position or extra points.
Final Prediction
Like I’ve felt every week since the 2-0 start, Green Bay is the better team. It just comes down to execution, and most importantly the ability to get to 27 points. That really seems to help.
Packers 27 – Steelers 21
The post Packers Vs The Ghost of Christmas Past: What to Watch For first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.