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The Packers are hoping Suh won’t get this close to Rodgers on Sunday

We’re back to the Detroit Lions already?  It seems like just three weeks ago I was breaking down the key matchups between these same Lions and the Green Bay Packers.  That’s because I was.  Due to the fate of the 2012 scheduling, the Green Bay Packers ended up with five divisional games in their final seven and didn’t see either the Lions nor the Vikings for the first time until week 11.  That means there will be a short time in between each matchup.  In the case of this rivalry, it was a mere 21 days.

With not many changes in the game’s key matchups, I’m going to drill down on the top three and spend more time on them.

Packers Offensive Line vs. Lions Defensive Line

No, not an earth shattering proclamation and yes, it’s a repeat from the first matchup.  But alas, it’s still a key in this game.  Since the last matchup, the Packers are dealing with yet more injuries on the line.  Starting guard/tackle T.J. Lang did not participate in practice on Wednesday and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy did not seem too optimistic with his progress early on this week.  I don’t expect Lang to play on Sunday which clears the path for rookie undrafted free agent Don Barclay to make his first NFL start at right tackle.  Read more... (1590 words + 3 images, estimated 6:22 mins reading time)

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Packers CB Tramons Williams and S Morgan Burnett will need to be on the same page this Sunday

The Green Bay Packers are back in action this week after their bye.  They head to Detroit to face the Lions for just the first time in 2012.  The Lions are coming off a loss to the Minnesota Vikings and have battled inconsistency all season.  They have yet to beat a division opponent and are 0-3 against the North so far.

In looking at a breakdown of the key matchups, it is much of the same old story.  Stop either team’s passing attack and you likely win this game.  Here are the areas to watch as Sunday’s game unfolds.

Lions WR Calvin Johnson vs. Packers CB Tramon Williams

This is becoming an old rivalry.  Since taking over as a starting corner in 2009, Williams has been blanketing Johnson in each matchup.  Minus last season’s finale when the Packers sat many of their starters, Johnson hasn’t had any more than six receptions in a game in which Williams matched up on him.  He did have a two-touchdown game in 2010 and the Packers struggled to contain him in that contest.  They can’t afford to allow Johnson to take over on Sunday.  Read more... (1894 words + 3 images, estimated 7:35 mins reading time)

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Schwartz's antics should be raising some eyebrows in the Motor CIty

If you took a poll of 100 NFL fans and asked them which of the four head coaches in the NFC North was on the hottest seat entering the 2012 season, a majority very likely would choose Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith who survived a mediocre season which was followed by a major shakeup in the Bears’ front office.

In this case, the majority would be wrong. Or at least they should be.

As of late I would argue that Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has caught Smith and perhaps even passed him as the NFC North coach in the most hot water.

To many, this seems like a preposterous line of thought. Schwartz has been a key player in turning the Lions from an 0-16 laughing stock to a team that just qualified for the playoffs for the first time in forever. He has one of the league’s best quarterback/receiver tandems in Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson and has a formidable defense to boot. Firing Schwartz seems utterly insane.

If you only looked at the on field product, it would be. Throw in events off the field, and things become a little more sketchy. With Lions defensive end Nick Fairley recently being arrested for the second time in nearly two months on top of Ndamukong Suh’s temptation to get stomping mad plus Schwartz’s handshake skills and the happy story of the Lions’ turnaround quickly takes a detour down a dark path.  Read more... (820 words + 1 image, estimated 3:17 mins reading time)

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Matt Flynn likely will be shaking his agent's hand after earning a significant raise following his performance on Sunday.

I agreed 100 percent with Mike McCarthy’s decision to rest Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, but I couldn’t help but think about how I would feel if I dropped an entire paycheck to bring my family to the game, only to learn that Rodgers was resting.

“Resting?” I would have said. “I’m paying how much for tickets, parking, food, beer, a jersey and other stuff so my family can come watch Aaron Rodgers and he’s taking the day off?!?!”

Those angry thoughts would not have lasted much longer after the game started, though. How many fans can say they saw something historic and record-breaking happen at Lambeau Field? The fans at Sunday’s game can.

The Packers are definitely rising heading into the playoffs and there will be more opportunities to make history before the season concludes.

Rising

Matt Flynn
Matt Flynn may be the biggest mover of the entire season. Flynn’s performance and his statistics from Sunday speak for themselves, so I’d like to use this space to address the silly notion that the success of Aaron Rodgers this season and Flynn on Sunday was solely due to the Packers “system.” Yes, McCarthy has one of the best systems in the NFL, but anyone who suggests Rodgers is a “system quarterback” should be locked in a padded room with Skip Bayless and forced to watch replays of the Broncos-Chiefs game from Sunday. Tom Oates from the Wisconsin State Journal sums up my thoughts perfectly with this Tweet. You could put Rodgers on any team, with any system, and he’d still be one of the best QBs in the NFL. The throws he makes and the plays he digs out of his you-know-where are amazing and would be just as amazing under any “system.” And lets not cheapen what Flynn did on Sunday by lazily chalking it up to the Packers “system.”  Read more... (774 words + 1 image, estimated 3:06 mins reading time)

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Will he or won’t he?

That’s the question surrounding Packers coach Mike McCarthy this week as he decides whether or not to play his starters in the meaningless regular season finale at home against the Detroit Lions.

Then again, maybe it isn’t a truly meaningless game for the Packers.  They have the chance to finish 6-0 against the NFC North.  They can force the Detroit Lions into the number six seed and make them open the playoffs in either New Orleans or San Francisco.

Still, it is highly unlikely the first stringers see action for a full sixty minutes.  It’s a safe bet will see Matt Flynn replace Aaron Rodgers for the second half if not sooner.  Injured players that normally would tough it out on game day likely will end up sitting as the Packers try to get healthy for the playoffs.

The Detroit Lions meanwhile are hoping to avoid being the NFC’s sixth seed. The difference between the fifth and sixth seed means avoiding a trip to New Orleans or San Francisco and instead heading to New York or Dallas depending on the outcome of that game.

Throw in the fact that the Lions haven’t won at Lambeau since 1991 and this game is anything but meaningless to Jim Schwartz and company.

Key Lions players

DT Ndamukong Suh I am not going to rehash what happened when the Packers and Lions played on Thanksgiving.  All I can say is I hope the sequel to “Stomp!” does not make a special appearance at Lambeau this Sunday.  Read more... (957 words + 1 image, estimated 3:50 mins reading time)

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Caleb Hanie takes over for Jay Cutler in Chicago.

For a while, it looked like the NFC North might send the Packers, Bears and Lions to the playoffs. There’s a chance that still could happen, but it’s a longshot. With the Packers cruising, the Bears and Lions have some work to do if they want to grab a wild card slot.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings are holding down the bottom of the division while trying to get a new stadium.

It’s time for a trip around the NFC North.

Chicago Bears

Remaining schedule: Chiefs, at Broncos, Seahawks, at Packers, at Vikings.

Biggest issue: Making adjustments. Jay Cutler is out for at least the rest of the regular season, leaving Caleb Hanie to try and lead the Bears to the playoffs.

Analysis: The challenge the Bears face is actually twofold: Is Hanie capable of taking the Bears to the playoffs and is offensive coordinator Mike Martz capable of adjusting his gameplan to maximize Hanie’s strengths and mask his weaknesses?

Hanie was bad last Sunday against the Raiders, but Martz’s gameplan was worse. You know how Mike McCarthy refuses to adjust his gameplan when an offensive lineman goes down, even if the backup lineman is struggling? Martz is the same way, only he is refusing to adjust to a backup quarterback. There’s a big difference between a backup offensive lineman and a backup quarterback.  Read more... (755 words + 1 image, estimated 3:01 mins reading time)

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Before the Green Bay Packers 27-15 win over the Detroit Lions, dialogue surrounding a 16-0 regular season was nothing more than anticipative thinking. Odds say that Green Bay would slip up at some point, and a Thanksgiving game in Detroit represented the contest that most thought would be the one.

But after watching the Packers dismantle the up-and-coming Lions on national television, the possibility of this team getting through the regular season unscathed has become more than fantasy.

In fact, it might be a bigger shock now if the Packers don’t head into the playoffs with the NFL’s third perfect regular season in history.

Let’s take a look at the Packers final five games to see where a potential ‘L’ could come from.

Dec. 4, at New York Giants

Why the Giants could win: Like the Lions, New York theoretically has the defensive line to pressure Aaron Rodgers without bringing extra guys on the blitz. On offense, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw (who should be back from injury) represent a tough running back tandem, and Green Bay has had trouble tackling bigger backs. Quarterback Eli Manning is having a career year statistically.

Why the Packers will win: You don’t have to go back far to find the Packers’ 45-17 drubbing of the Giants in 2010. In fact, that win kicked off the Packers current 16-game winning streak. Rodgers threw for over 400 yards in that contest and the Packers offensive line contained the Giants’ front four.  Read more... (1485 words + 6 images, estimated 5:56 mins reading time)

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