The Similarities Between The New England Patriots And The Green Bay Packers Are Shocking

Nov 30, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA;

(left) and Josh Green (right) pose before the game between the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Much has been written about the mammoth contest between the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers on Sunday. It is very rare in the NFL when an inter-conference matchup receives this much attention, but this game is just different. It deserves the hype and it’s going to be a hell of fun game to watch. Here are some keys to victory for both squads.

Not only does the game pit both conference’s hottest teams against each other, it features two of the league’s top AP MVP candidates, too. Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have both been playing lights out in 2014, not to mention Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is receiving some MVP buzz as well. On top of that, Packers’ wide receiver Jordy Nelson was on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week for being “the league’s top deep threat.”

Clearly there is no shortage of big-name players in this matchup, but the most interesting thing about this clash is how similar both teams are. Both in the way that these two teams play the game and in how they’re both statistically producing.

Lets Take A Look At The Similarities Between New England and Green bay

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1. Both teams feature future Hall of Fame quarterbacks that are posting ridiculous statistics this year. Brady has thrown for 2998 yards, 26 TDs and 6 INTs and Rodgers has thrown for 2957 yards, 30 TDs and 3 INTs.

2. Both teams are 7-1 over their last eight games. The Packers put together a four-game winning streak, then lost, and are now riding a three-game winning streak. The Patriots on the other hand have won seven consecutive games.

3. Neither Team is in the top 5 in passing or rushing statistics, yet are both balanced (and dominating) offenses. Despite the fact that both of these teams are in the top three in points scored in the NFL, neither is dominating (or relying on) a single offensive category. When the playoffs roll around teams with balance are in the best shape.

4. Total points scored this year are nearly identical. Patriots: 357 points, Packers: 354 points. For reference, heading into Sunday only six teams in the NFL had scored more than 300 points all season and still these teams are within a field goal of each other.

5. Both teams have ran for exactly 9 TDs this year. As if the similarities weren’t eye-opening enough, these teams have ran for the same amount of touchdowns on the year. Eddie Lacy has been the Packers’ main rusher whereas the Patriots have used Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, Jonas Gray and LeGarrette Blount.

6. Similar Sack Totals on Defense. The Patriots have combined for 25 sacks on the season and the Packers have combined for 27 sacks. Sure, it’s not identical, but the totals are close enough to take notice. These teams feature similar rushing attacks and rushing the passer is one of the most important parts of an NFL team’s attack.

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7. Both teams have ran back one punt for a touchdown and haven’t given one up yet. I don’t expect special teams to be a huge factor in this game, but if it is both of these squads seem to be fairly even.

8. The Packers have ran for 67 first downs and the Patriots have ran for 66 first downs on the season. It’s not an overly amazing statistic, but is interesting at the very least to see how similarly these offenses stack up.

Those were the statistical similarities, but the similarities between these two teams go far beyond the stat-sheet. These teams are ran by two of the longest tenured coaches in the game, Bilichick (1st), McCarthy (4th) and both organizations are known for their supreme locker room cultures. Both teams play in iconic outdoor stadiums that often see snow and both teams have been successful for almost the entire new millennium.

Both of these teams have their share of bandwagon fans and I mean that as a compliment. Yes both of these teams have absolutely great and loyal fan bases, but fickle fans of the game tend to gravitate toward successful teams as well. These organizations aren’t very different at the management level and with how similar these two teams are out on the field as well, it wouldn’t shock me if we saw them again in the Super Bowl XLIX on February 1st.

First we get to enjoy the matchup today at Lambeau Field. The winner can rightly claim the ‘league’s top team’ although that won’t satisfy either of these fan bases. The Patriots and Packers are both sniffing rings this year and it will be fun to see how things play out.