Green Bay Packers: 5 Most Important Games in 2015

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Aug 9, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back James Starks (44) is tackled during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. The Cardinals won 17-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Week 16
Date: Sunday, Dec. 27
Opponent: at Arizona Cardinals
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

If the Cardinals are healthy, they will most likely be fighting for a playoff spot when this game arrives against the Packers, and for Green Bay, they would be entering a hostile atmosphere with possibly a lot on the line as well this late in the season.

The Packers haven’t played the Cardinals since Nov. 4, 2012 at Lambeau Field where they won 31-17. Before that, the two teams met twice in an eight-day span during the 2009 regular-season and postseason. In Week 17 of ’09, the Packers defeated the Cardinals, 33-7. But in the ’09 NFC Wild Card Game, it was the Cardinals who had the last laugh with a 51-45 overtime victory in Glendale – which remains the highest-scoring game in NFL postseason history.

A lot has changed since these two teams last met in 2012, but both are now very solid football teams with more than just playoff aspirations.

Arizona last season was second in the AFC West with an overall mark of 11-5, playing with their third-string quarterback in the NFC Wild Card round, resulting in a 27-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Even with a third stringer at quarterback for part of the season, the Cardinals were 14th in passing, but 24th in scoring and 24th in yards per game at 319 yards.

For pure football fans, this Week 16 matchup could be one of the better games of the season, and it allows for the two teams to really earn a playoff spot by most likely defeating a team that will have a winning record when the season closes out the following week.

Next: Packers: Is cornerback help on the way?

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