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Packers RB DuJuan Harris

For the third consecutive season, the Green Bay Packers failed to have a 1,000-yard running back.

To start the season, the Packers surprised many by signing veteran Cedric Benson and making him the starter. Benson was supposed to be “the guy” in the backfield. And while he added another dimension to the offense, he suffered a Lisfranc injury Oct. 7 against Indianapolis and was sidelined for the rest of the season.

In all likelihood, Benson will not return next season.

Second-year running back Alex Green stepped in and filled Benson’s shoes as the starter. Green showed flashes but failed to make the most of his opportunity.

So when James Starks was ready to return, the team gave him a shot as the primary ball carrier. Starks was more effective than Green, but a late-season knee injury threatened his season. Facing the possibility of putting Starks on injured reserve, the team needed a backup plan.

In comes Ryan Grant–the guy the Packers showed no interest in re-signing when he was an unrestricted free agent last summer. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Grant carried the ball 20 times for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans, perhaps the best game by a Packers running back all season.

But ultimately, the Packers went with second-year player DuJuan Harris, whom they called up from the practice squad Dec. 1. Harris was likely the team’s most consistent option in the backfield but may be best-suited for a change-of-pace role within the offense.  Read more... (945 words + 1 image, estimated 3:47 mins reading time)

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Rodgers in a baseball cap and waving a celebratory towel would be a welcome sight on Sunday. Green Bay can clinch a playoff bye with a win

Here we are in week 17 and another season is nearly in the books.  The Green Bay Packers end their regular season schedule with a trip to Minnesota to face the Vikings.  A few years back, the NFL changed its schedule making such that the last week of the season would be a divisional game for all teams.  This was in the hopes that the games would be meaningful and teams wouldn’t rest slews of their starters in preparation for the postseason.

The NFL has gotten its wish this year and with this game.  Each team has something on the line.  The Vikings need to win to secure a playoff spot.  The Packers can clinch the second seed in the NFC with a win.  Should the Vikings win, the Packers can still gain the #2 seed with a San Francisco and a Seattle loss.

Last week’s format was a success so I’m going stick with a “Keys to the Game” theme.  Let’s see what will likely determine the outcome of tomorrow’s contest.

Vikings Running Back Adrian Peterson

I feel like a broken record with the thoughts I share about Peterson but given the season he is having, they bear some repeating.  According to ESPN, Peterson has 1,898 yards in 15 games.  102 yards shy of 2,000 yards, an accomplishment only six other running backs can claim.  Peterson is also 208 yards shy of the 28 year-old and all-time single-season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984.  Read more... (1953 words + 3 images, estimated 7:49 mins reading time)

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Could Ryan Grant be the hot hand Mike McCarthy talks about?

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said during his Wednesday news conference that he will continue to stick with the “hot hand” at running back.

Usually when a coach says something like that it means he has a number of options at the position, which often means he has no options because he has a bunch of guys that don’t stand out and aren’t very good.

I don’t think that’s necessarily the case with the Packers running backs. Each guys brings a little something to the table, even if they aren’t a full meal.

With Alex Green returning from a concussion, McCarthy has another option as he experiments early in games to try and find somebody with that hot hand.

None of these guys will ever be confused with Adrian Peterson, but there are at least some viable options now. Whoever gets the nod will be running behind an offensive line that appears to be more aggressive thanks to the addition of Evan Dietrich-Smith at center and Don Barclay at right tackle.

Ryan Grant
Can Grant really keep this up? He actually looks like he’s got a little something left. Grant is usually good when the thermometer starts plummeting, but what he’s done so far has come out of nowhere. When he fumbled against the Bears, I thought he might wind up back on his couch. But McCarthy put him back out there and that confidence has paid off.  Read more... (438 words + 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

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The Packers need to bear down on Johnson this Sunday and keep him from running free

I’m going to depart a bit from the usual Key Matchups format because the Tennessee Titans are an unfamiliar opponent of the Green Bay Packers and also due to the injuries on both sides.

We will return to our regularly scheduled “Key Matchups” next week when the Packers visit the Minnesota Vikings to round out the 2012 regular season.  For this week, it’s more of a “What to Watch For”.

Titans Running Back Chris Johnson

Johnson gets hidden, sometimes even forgotten, in Tennessee because they are one of the smaller markets.  And let’s be honest, the Titans have been very forgettable the past four seasons.  But 1,200 yards and five touchdowns is nothing to overlook this week for the Packers.

Johnson had a 94 yard touchdown run in Tennessee’s Monday night’s dismantling of the New York Jets.  With that run, Johnson set a new NFL record with six career touchdown runs over 80 yards.

He’s still a very good running back and clearly has the ability to break a long run at any time.  Green Bay struggled to contain another great running back three weeks ago when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had a long scoring run and ran wild all day.  Read more... (1430 words + 3 images, estimated 5:43 mins reading time)

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Packers QB Aaron Rodgers celebrates his 27 yard touchdown run, the longest of his career

It started out ugly but the Green Bay Packers pulled out yet another early victory and swept the season series against the Detroit Lions with a 27-20 victory at Lambeau Field.

It was a rather unusual win for the Packers.  They gained nearly as many yards on the ground as they did through the air and after 35 consecutive games, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did not throw a touchdown pass at Lambeau Field.

The emergence of the running game was the story of this contest, as well as the Packers not panicking after spotting Detroit an early 14-0 lead.  They showed once again that no team handles adversity better than they do and that will serve them well going into the playoffs.  If the running game can continue to grow, then Rodgers will go from being deadly to unstoppable.   A solid Packers rushing attack is the last thing many opponents want to see.

Here are the good and not-so-good performances from the game against the Lions.

Note: Want to hear our “experts” expand on their selections as well as discuss the game and give you the “Packers Stock Report?” Check out the podcast to hear more reasons for their picks. Listen in using the player below or download the podcast from the Packers Talk Radio Network on Itunes.

Game Balls

WR Randall Cobb  Read more... (1032 words + 1 image, estimated 4:08 mins reading time)

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Evan Dietrich-Smith

Packers Drive Rewind is a new weekly post I hope to do for the rest of the season. That’s the goal, anyway. With the holidays coming up, I might not have time, or I just might forget. You never know.

Anyway, I want to take one key drive from each game and break it down with some film and my own thoughts. I’m not doing this to lecture everyone or prove how much I know about X’s and O’s. I just want to talk football. I did something similar last week.

If you think my observations are off the mark, or you have additional insight to add, please do so in the comments section. We have a lot of very knowledgeable readers on this site and I always enjoy their perspective on some of the more nuanced aspects of the game.

(Note: It’s hard to see numbers on some of the Lions players. My apologies if I mix up a few players.)

Here we go:

The Situation
Fourth quarter. Packers 17, Lions 17. Packers ball on their own 41 with 14:49 to play.

The Result
The Packers run the ball seven consecutive times, capped by a 14-yard touchdown from DuJuan Harris. The powerful drive appeared to demoralize the Lions and the Packers won 27-20. Packers fans tear off their shirts and start posing like Hulk Hogan.

Play 1: Alex Green runs left for 6 yards

 Read more... (1022 words + 1 image, estimated 4:05 mins reading time)

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Packers RB James Starks

Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin is reporting that running back James Starks may be out for the season with a knee injury.

Starks has battled numerous injuries dating back to his college days at Buffalo. He was forced to sit out the Packers’ first five games of the 2012 season with a significant turf toe injury.

But since returning to the field, Starks has become a major part of the team’s backfield rotation. This week against the Minnesota Vikings, he led the team with 66 yards on 15 carries, including a pivotal 22-yard touchdown.

The injury occurred when Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson upended Starks, hitting him square in the right knee late in the fourth quarter. Starks was able to return to the game and carry the ball a few more times, but the injury is apparently more serious than was originally thought.

The exact injury is unknown, although it’s not believed to be an ACL injury. Still, the Packers are reportedly considering putting Starks on the injured reserve and using the roster spot on a healthy player for the playoff run.

If Starks’s season is indeed over, the Packers will rely on Alex Green, fullback John Kuhn and recent call-up DuJuan Harris to shoulder the load running the football.

Green and Starks have been splitting carries since starter Cedric Benson suffered a Lisfranc injury against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season.  Read more... (264 words + 1 image, estimated 1:03 mins reading time)

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