Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a man of his word.
Coming off week 11 24-42 beat down to the Washington Redskins, the Packers lost four consecutive games and were 4-6 on the season. The playoffs appeared to be out of reach, but Rodgers saw the team going in the right direction.
“I feel like we can run the table, I really do,” said Rodgers on the team playoff chances. “The offense is starting to click a little bit more. We just have to put together a game where we’re consistent from the first snap to the last. We’ve been getting closer to that. We’ve really been clicking at times the last few games. It’s going to be important that we get going early.”
Run the table is exactly what Rodgers and the Packers did. The team won their last six games to clinch the NFC North and will face the New York Giants in the wildcard round.
Both teams faced each other week five that the Packers won 23-16. The Packers running game dominated in that matchup running for a total of 147 yards. The running game may not be as effective as wide receiver Ty Montgomery is the team’s running back after Eddie Lacy was placed on injured reserved and James Starks has been in concussion protocol. At least they have a great quarterback.
Rodgers led the NFL in touchdown passes with 40. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson seems to have returned to form after tearing his ACL last preseason. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 14 to go along with 97 catches for 1, 257 yards. His counterpart wide receiver Davante Adams caught 12 touchdowns, ranking second in the NFL.
Even with the Packers great receiving duo, they will have their work cutout for them against this stingy Giants defense. They rank second in the NFL in points allowed with an average of 17.8 points per game. What makes their defense great is their secondary play.
Giants’ cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie have been terrific all season. Jenkins made the Pro Bowl after shutting down opposing wide receivers. Rodgers-Cromartie finished second in the NFL in interceptions with six. Also, free safety Landon Collins has played at an all-pro level totaling five interceptions and adding 100 total tackles, ranking second in the NFL.
For the Packers, they could possibly be without three cornerbacks. Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins, and rookie Makinton Dorleant all suffered injuries in the regular season finale versus the Detroit Lions.
This could be a big problem, as the Packers need healthy cornerbacks to face dynamic wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham can destroy the Packers defense if their cornerbacks are not able to play in the playoff game.
It would not be a Packers game if the game were not played in the cold. This game will be played in freezing temperatures as it is estimated to be less than 20 degrees throughout the game.
Both teams are evenly matched and playing good football. This game can comedown to a last second field goal. No reason one of these teams can represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
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