I’ll be heading to Lambeau Field on Sunday to watch my Green Bay Packers look to move to 13-0 on the season against the Oakland Raiders. And yes, I can say my Packers because I made an impulse decision to by stock in the organization earlier this week, a decision that I have yet to regret nor will I for the rest of my life.
It’s funny that this is the week that I’ll be heading to my very first Packer game in my very first week as part-owner of the team. I’m a little nervous that I’m going to be the one that stops their undefeated season. I’m not superstitious, but I’d say I’m a little stitious.
There’s no reason the Packers should not run the table during the regular season. The playoffs are a different story, but given their schedule, the only team that is going to beat Green Bay in the next four games is the Green Bay Packers. In my mind, there are five aspects of the game that have made the Packers successful this year, and if Rodgers and Co. are able to run the table in the regular season, this is what they need to keep doing to make it 19-0.
1. Stay healthy
First and foremost, Green Bay needs to keep the players on the field that have helped it achieve its current 12-0 record. Unlike last year, the skill position players on offense have been healthy the entire season. In 2010, the Packers had to deal with the losses of Ryan Grant, Jermichael Finley and even Aaron Rodgers for a while, and they still won the Super Bowl.
The Packers have been able to stay relatively intact this season, with the loss of Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins as the only major loss to date this season (knock on wood). Green Bay has absorbed losses to the linebacking corp (AJ Hawk, Desmond Bishop) as well as on the offensive line (Chad Clifton), with all of those players slated to return at some point down the stretch run. The absolute most important player to keep healthy is Rodgers, but Green Bay needs to stay healthy across the board to make it through unblemished.
It's kind of important for this guy to stay healthy.
2. Tackle ball carriers immediately
The part of this Packers team that continually frustrates me is the inability that the defense has to wrap up the ball carrier right away. Green Bay is not one of those teams that blows up a big play in the backfield. The way they’ve been winning is a bend-but-don’t-break defense.
They have the playmakers (as I mention in “The NFC North Report” with Drew, Tyler and Amanda) in BJ Raji, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, and Tramon Williams, but the Packers would rather win by playing good, solid defense rather than relying on a pick-six or big play at the end of the gam.
To me, it seems that on every drive the Packers get to a ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage but are unable to bring him down right away. The offense will be able to turn a three- or four-yard loss into a three- or four-yard game. Those yards pile up and could inevitably come back to bite Green Bay if they play a team that can capitalize.
3. Have a strong running game
The Packers don’t need to run the ball to score, but they do need to run the ball to win games. When the Packers have looked their best this season, they’ve been able to move the ball through the air and then put the game away at the end of the game by running for first downs.
The best example of that this season that I can remember was in Week 7 when Rodgers connected with Greg Jennings on a 79-yard bomb early in the third quarter to erase a halftime deficit and added on 13 more points in the third quarter to take a two-touchdown lead. The Vikings got 10 points early in the fourth quarter to make it 33-27, but James Starks was able to run for 55 yards on the Packers’ final possession, including first-down runs of 15, 20, and 13 yards to seal the game. If Green Bay can have that success in the running game when they need it, they are going to be even tougher to beat.
4. Catch the ball
This sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Well, it’s really true. Some of the Packers players have had some trouble holding onto the ball this season, which is always disappointing to see given how deadly accurate Rodgers is with the ball.
The main culprit of recent has been Finley, and I can’t seem to understand how the ball can make it through those big, white-gloved mitts of his. Finley is sixth in the league in dropped passes this season with eight. And for as amazing as Jordy Nelson’s and Donald Driver’s catches were toward the end of the game, the touchdown “caught” by Jennings should have been overruled. Rodgers is going to put the ball on the money. The least his receivers can do is catch the ball.
The ball's going to be there. Just catch it.
5. Go for the jugular
The Packers need to go for the kill when they get the chance. They have the ability to do it, so why not? There’s no reason to play conservative or let teams hang around.
I don’t mind taking a chance on fourth down to try to go for a touchdown over a field goal. Make it a 21-point lead instead of 17. Put teams away early, so things don’t get tight in the second half. Who cares if the fourth quarter has Matt Flynn handing off to the backup fullback? You play to win the game. Just win it in the first quarter, rather than on a last second field goal.
I realize that I’m a fan (and part-owner!) of a fantastic football team. And I get that this is nitpicking. But the Packers are shooting for something that’s never been done before (19-0, not the undefeated part), so there’s a need to nitpick. Green Bay clearly has the basics down. But the devil is in the details, something that Mike McCarthy and crew will have to pay attention to in order to achieve perfection this season.
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