2015 NFL Playoffs: Good News/Bad News for Packers
We are down to the Final Four, NFL style.
It’s quite a field that remains in running to reach Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona. There’s no franchise looking for its first league championship and all of these clubs have been to the Super Bowl once since 2009.
So who gets back in 2014? We’ll give you the good news and bad news for each of the remaining contenders, with their chances as well.
First up, it’s the Green Bay Packers.
The Good News:
This is a very different Packers offense than the one that took the field in Week 1 at Seattle.
That night against the defending Super Bowl champions, Mike McCarthy’s team totaled a mere 255 yards of offense and just 16 points. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for one score but was picked off once, sacked three times, fumbled once and passed for only 189 yards.
Now we are fortunate enough in this playoff encounter to see the No. 1 scoring team in the league against the NFL leader in fewest points allowed. During the team’s 1-2 start, Green Bay totaled only 54 points, a measly 18 points per game.
In their last 14 contests, including last week’s 26-21 playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys, McCarthy’s club has totaled an impressive 458 points, a nifty 32.7 points per contest. Only once in those 14 games were the Packers held to less than 20 points. It’s a talented attack that features running back Eddie Lacy (13) and wide receivers Jordy Nelson (13) and Randall Cobb (12), who combined for 38 of the team’s 52 offensive touchdowns during the regular season.
And as for Rodgers, his 17-game performance this season (including playoffs) has him down for 41 touchdown passes and just five interceptions.
The Bad News:
It’s the Seattle Seahawks, featuring a defensive unit that is still on a major roll.
Earlier this season, the Packers scored 55 and 53 in consecutive wins over the Bears and Eagles, respectively.
Including last week’s playoff win over the Carolina Panthers, the Seahawks have given up a total of 56 points in their last seven games.
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But the real bad news for the Packers could be the head-to-head encounter between their defense and the Seattle ground attack, which ranked first overall in yards gained. And stopping Marshawn Lynch won’t be enough when it comes to Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews and company. Let’s not forget that Russell Wilson ran for 849 yards in 2014, the fifth-highest total by a quarterback since the merger in 1970.
Green Bay ranked 23rd in the NFL this season in rushing defense and last week had their issues slowing down NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray and the Cowboys ground attack last Sunday despite pulling out a win.
So why the Seattle defense is certainly a formidable foe, being able to stay on the field to face that unit may be the taller order.
Synopsis:
This could turn into a heavyweight battle between Lacy and Lynch, both of whom could also have an impact in the passing game. But the key number here will not be the amount of yards on the ground but the carries by either of these workhorses. Controlling the ball and the tempo of this game will be the deciding factor in a game which may wind up closer than expected.