Did the Packers find themselves in time to make a deep playoff run, or did they play a good game against an opponent that won a weak division (NFC East) and just wasn’t up to par? “He goes up and high-points the football and comes down and makes the play”.
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But all four wild cards should be brimming with confidence, even if unlike in the opening round, they aren’t favored by the oddsmakers.
Having a balanced offense will be important in the game against the Cardinals.
“I’d like to tell all the naysayers – how about those Packers and what they did yesterday”, said one caller to The Fan 107.5 in Green Bay.
Whatever the reasons behind the rejuvenated offense, the Packers are feeling much better about themselves than this time last week. Rodgers doesn’t turn the ball over a lot, but he does get sacked a lot (46 times in 2015). Rodgers had a disastrous day with two fumbles lost on sacks that were returned for touchdowns. Rodgers has been more involved in planning of late and don’t expect the routine to change as the Packers prepare to visit the Arizona Cardinals in the divisional round this weekend. The Cardinals are 1-5 ATS in their last six games at home, but the one cover came against the Packers.
The NFL, Kevin Minter said, “is all about short-term memory”. They are averaging 28.4 points per game at home, fifth-best in the league. The Cardinals are a tough team, but the Packers are a tough team too. But we just needed a game like this to get our mojo back. Holding the running game would go even further to neutralizing the pass.
The Cardinals are coached by Bruce Arians, the only man to win NFL Coach of the Year as both a head and interim head coach.
Yet, “that game doesn’t matter at all”, defensive tackle Calais Campbell said.
“I do play”, Rodgers said. And Campbell said he has never played with an outside pass rusher as good as Freeney.
“Yeah, I mean I don’t see it the way it’s perceived”, McCarthy said. “Nothing against the guys that I’ve played with, but I never had an All-Pro D-tackle, and he’s an All-Pro guy”. We’re not going to be an underdog. The Packers picked up the tempo on offense, Aaron Rodgers started to get rid of the football quicker and his receivers started to get open for him. It would be a momentous accomplishment for the franchise, which has only once before played in a conference championship game. Josh Mauro and Markus Golden are questionable. He started four games this year and is a key part of the defensive line rotation. The Cardinals are the most well-rounded team in the NFL. Cards QB Carson Palmer has had an MVP-caliber season, but Rodgers has a major edge in the area of playoff experience.
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The Steelers are 7-2 SU in their last nine games including last week’s 18-16 win in Cincinnati, but must contend with injuries to key personnel including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown.
