Left tackle David Bakhtiari, who missed three straight games with an ankle injury, is expected to return to the lineup for the Green Bay Packers when they face Arizona in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
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Some question the Packers’ ability to win Saturday night against the second-seeded and favored Cardinals.
The Packers are 0-3 against the spread in their last three divisional round games per the OddsShark NFL Database, and they’ll need a much better effort than the one they gave in late December to avoid another against the spread loss this Saturday.
Against Washington in the wild-card game last week, Jones caught seven of his 11 targets for 81 yards. The names on Green Bay’s roster are the same, but the Packers looked like a completely different team in beating the Washington Redskins in the wild-card round last Sunday than they have for most of the season.
The Giants didn’t make it easy for the Panthers to continue their undefeated season, but in the end the Giants lost meaning the Packers have clinched a playoff spot regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s Packers, Raiders game. This time, the Cards will have their main cogs playing longer – and it should make an impact.
The Arizona Cardinals’ offense ranks 1 in yards per game and 2 in total points. He had however, played in every game the prior two seasons, amassing more than 300 yards receiving in those years with five touchdowns. However I am also predicting that the game will not result in a 30-point loss for the Green Bay Packers either.
Injuries have contributed to the Packers’ lack of consistency, and nowhere more so than with the offensive line.
However, they have faltered since then losing six of their last 10 and dropping some big games at home to the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings.
Johnson did not play in the first meeting between these teams, which the Cardinals won 38-8 just a few weeks ago.
“That’s the offense that probably everyone would think would be synonymous with the Green Bay Packers, when you think about what Aaron Rodgers does and what they do on offense”, Arizona defensive coordinator James Bettcher said.
This line of thinking ended up being somewhat accurate as the Packers signed CB Roberson Daniel off the practice squad to help defend the Arizona Cardinals lethal passing attack. Two of the turnovers were strip sacks that were returned for touchdowns. The Cardinals are the least penalized team in the National Football League, averaging 47 penalty yards per game. The loss of Tyrann Mathieu was a big one. One thing hindering the Packers will be the healthy of Sam Shields.
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“He looked the same as I remembered him”, coach Mike McCarthy said earlier this month. The Cardinals sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times before McCarthy lifted his battered quarterback in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers must wear down Arizona’s pass rushers by running a lot of plays and moving the chains. Or will the Cardinals continue their dominant season now that the playoffs are underway, dispatching Green Bay as easily as they did in Week 16?
