The Packers are in a great position to go 12-4 and win 8 games straight. I thought the Packers would be content to get to 8-8 after the Tamp Bay disaster, but it is wonderful how wrong you can be. The Packers are poised to turned their 4-4 season to a stunning 12-4 wild card team. All the Packers remaining games are winnable. The remaining opponents, the Bears, Steelers, Seahawks and Cardinals are a combined 24-25 with three teams out of the playoff hunt and a divisional winner. These are the games the Packers have to win to finish 12-4.
Bears, Soldier Field – The Bears (5-7) are an empty shell of what they used to be. They cannot run the ball, they cannot pass the ball, they turn over the ball and they cannot score in the red zone. The defense, that was once dominate, is now just average, suffering from injuries and aging of its veterans. You can ready more about how terrible the Bears are here. There is only way I can see the Bears winning is with special teams touchdowns and very sloppy ball control on the part of Green Bay. As they still say up in Lambeau, even 20 years after Majkowski’s instant replay touchdown, the Bears still suck.
Steelers, Heinz Field - The Steelers (6-7) are having an extremely disappointing season. They have been hampered by injuries to their big playmakers, SS Troy Polamalu and QB Ben Roethlisberger. Their level of play seems to have fallen off a cliff as earlier this season they were 6-2. Even though the Steelers have suffered some embarrassing loses this year, (the Bears, Raiders, Chiefs, and most recently the Browns,) they are still extremely dangerous, especially at home. The Steelers are going to have a long week of rest and preparation for the Packers, and even in this meaningless game, the Steelers will be coming out to play . The Packers have the tools to beat this team, but they will have to play well.
Seahawks, Lambeau Field – The Seahawks (5-7) are not having a good season. This team is undergoing a rebuilding year under their new head coach, Jim Mora Jr. They have not played well this season nor is much expected of them. They rank in the bottom third on defense and offense. The Packers have always seemed to have Seattle’s number when they come to Lambeau field and the Seahawks 1-5 road record does not bode well for them either. I do not believe that the Seahawks pose a threat to the Packers unless they look past this game.
Cardinals, University of Phoenix Stadium - The Packers are likely going to be playing a game that is meaningless to the Cardinals (8-4). To add to that, it maybe a meaningless game the Packers , who could be playing them the next week in the playoffs. If these two teams are meeting in the playoffs the following week, the Cards would be very unlikely to want to show any of their tricks and not play to win. However, I cannot see McCarthy not playing to win regardless if the game has no meaning. If the game does have playoff implications and both teams come out to win, things still look good for the Packers. I will quote former Cardinals coach Dennis Green ,”We played them in preaseason, who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it’s bullshit?” This year the Packers played the Cardinals in the third game of the preseason, and the Packers first team administered a complete whooping on the Cardinals, scoring 38 points and allowing 10 points in the first half. If the first string Packers delivered a total beat down to the first string Cardinals then, I see no reason why they cannot do that now.
I maybe overly optimistic for the Packers but I think that barring injuries, the Packers are set up for an 8 game winning streak going into the playoffs. I really cannot see them doing worse than 11-5. There is a lot of excitement in seeing your team get hot going into the playoffs, and that could very well be the Packers this year. Go Pack Go!
