If you are following the national media this week you must be wondering how the Packers even qualified for the playoffs, much less earned the number two seed. The Packers are too young and inexperienced to face a team with such a quality playoff pedigree as the Seattle Seahawks. While the Packers have Brett Favre, his record in the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl is not good and most think he will resort back to the reckless Favre if the Packers get behind early. Seattle has overtaken Jacksonville as the upset special of the week.
What do I think? I think the Packers will win the game, but if they were to lose, my guess is it will be because of the play of the offensive line. If the Packers have one major question mark going into the game it is the offense line. The guard position has been a revolving door all year and the one position the offense needs continuity in is the o-line. The Packers inconsistent running game is a perfect example. While Ryan Grant has played great it is more his ability to break the long run that makes the Packers’ running game look better. The Packers still cannot grind it out on the ground when they have to as evidenced in Chicago three weeks ago. The best news for the Packers today was that the weather will be perfect for football on Saturday with highs in the 20s and light winds.
Everybody is also talking about the Seahawks’ defense being so good but what seems to be lost in the conversation is the Packers’ defense, which is pretty good itself, in fact the Packers were ranked 11th in the NFL during the regular season to the Seahawks 15th. In points given up the two teams were tied at sixth. The Seahawks have had the pleasure of playing against an unbelievable number of backup quarterbacks which certainly pads your stats a little, but they are solid at defensive end and have a pretty good secondary that put the game on ice last week in the win over the Redskins. I’m still more worried about the Seahawks’ offense, though, than I am their defense. Maybe that is my downfall.
The Packers are relatively healthy, the losses of Colin Cole and Johnny Jolly not included, and are chomping at the bit to play a game while the Seahawks are coming off a fairly hard-fought game and a short week. Here I go again, I can’t find any negatives. I’m sorry, I know I am setting the Packers up to be knocked off, much like I did before Michael Vick and company put a beat-down on the Packers a few years ago. I guess I just think that head coach Mike McCarthy will not be like Mike Sherman and let the Packers step on the field unprepared for their opponent and not ready to play football. We do know that the coach on the other sidelines will have his team ready to play and I believe McCarthy will have his squad ready, it sure sounded like it today during his press conference.
I’m still leaning toward the Pack, but I’m getting more nervous by the minute. What do all these talking heads see that I don’t see?
Prediction coming tomorrow.
(By the way, Al Harris might be my new favorite Packer just based off his press conference of Jan. 7. You have to watch it at www.packers.com. The guy is hilarious.)