Apparently league MVPs aren’t immune to it either. Two winning teams have been opponents, the Panthers (9-0) and Broncos (7-2), both of which ended up as Packers losses.
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Forget the fact the Lions had not won at Lambeau since 1991. Shorter third-down plays mean quarterback Aaron Rodgers can use more of the playbook and make defenses pay for blitzing.
To beat Oakland, a depleted secondary is probably going to have to figure out a way to slow down a high-powered passing game with quarterback Derek Carr throwing to wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. He was 14-of-22 for just 77 yards and no touchdowns. The Vikings continued their win streak Sunday against the impressive Raiders. But, we also need to keep in mind that Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers and at any period in time he can go off on any defense.
Had Jordy Nelson been healthy, he could have been a dependable, deep target for Rodgers. They split the two wild-card games. Minnesota’s next four games are home to Green Bay (6-3), at Atlanta (6-3; 3-1 at home), home for Seattle (will be playing for their playoff lives), and at Arizona (7-2; 3-1 at home).
Obviously frustrated, Rodgers appears to be letting his disappointment affect other parts of his game.
Eddie Lacy did not practice Thursday in Green Bay, electing to rest his injured ankle after testing it out before practice.
As for the shortcomings on offense, which didn’t score a touchdown until less than six minutes were left in the fourth quarter after Detroit built a 12-3 lead?
Green Bay’s play of late has been anything but together. Is he overweight? Is he injured? In the receiving end, Devante Adams had 79 yards in 10 receptions while Justin Perillo added 58 yards in five catches. The Packers’ running game has all but disappeared – starter Eddie Lacy was benched and James Starks has rushed for only 90 yards over the three-game tailspin. After their week one loss to a 49ers team that was projected to be very bad, many had their questions.
Normally, owners wouldn’t want to see that kind of imbalance in their quarterback’s offense.
The Packers and Vikings have met 109 times, including two post-season contests. Attempting that many passes is only going to encourage opponents to blitz more and thus cause more problems. We’ll take a hungry Vikings team at home, giving up to a field goal. QB Teddy Bridgewater is steadily improving, and RB Adrian Peterson is running out of his mind this season (not a big surprise).
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Green Bay needs to snap a three-game losing streak on the road to draw even with the Vikings while the Vikings are trying to extend their lead in the division against a team they’ve beaten just once in their last 11 meetings.
