Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots: Keys to Victory

Nov 23, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (27) rushes against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Green Bay Packers win 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

3.  Take the first lead.

The New England Patriots are not a team that the Green Bay Packers want to fall behind on.  Tom Brady is a master at managing the clock and moving the chains with his short and intermediate options.  Taking an early lead in this game will help the Packers force New England into a more vertical passing game, which plays into the coverage and pass-rush strengths of Green Bay’s defense.

If the opposite happens and the Patriots take a first half lead, they will be able to lean much more heavily on Gronkowski, Blount and Vereen.  This could be extremely challenging for the Green Bay Packers to defend given the realities of their defense.

Taking an early lead will also allow the Packers to include Eddie Lacy as often as they desire, which on Sunday, should be a lot.  Lacy’s workload took a huge spike last week against Minnesota, and I fully expect him to top 20 carries with ease if the flow of the game allows on Sunday.

At the heart of this “key to victory” is my worry that the Packers may struggle to come from behind if they are forced to either down the stretch or in the playoffs.  This, again, centres around the lack of 3rd and 4th options in the passing game.  This has gone largely unnoticed with Green Bay flying high over the past month, but a strong pass-coverage team could present a huge challenge for the Packers if they fall into a deficit.

Taking the first lead will allow the Packers to play the game that they want, not the game that Bill Belichik wants, and is imperative if they hope to hold the last lead of the game, as well.