Man I hate it when everybody and their uncle picks the Packers to win. Especially when the Packers are underdogs. And on the road no less. One thing head coach Mike McCarthy’s teams have struggled with is overconfidence and all this Packers love from the media this week may go right to the team’s collective heads. Even though the Packers lost three of their last six games they appear to be the flavor of the month.
Everybody seems to think this is going to be the Packers’ breakout game like 1995 against the 49ers. I sure hope it is, the parallels are there; excellent defense and an up-and-coming quarterback with Hall of Fame potential. The ’95 team had more playoff experience though, having already made the playoffs in ’93 in and ’94. Although this year’s team has made the playoffs three-of-the last four years, they have only won one playoff game and that was before Aaron Rodgers.
I do like this matchup and I do think the Packers should win the game simply because they are the better team. For me it’s all between the ears. Can McCarthy walk that fine line between being confident and overconfident? He lost that battle in Detroit earlier this season even though that loss doesn’t look quite as bad considering the Lions haven’t lost since.
The Packers’ players have been telling everybody who will listen they are the most dangerous team in the playoffs, from A.J. Hawk on the Scott Van Pelt show to Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson on The Jim Rome Show and Rome is Burning, respectively. I don’t mind a little “we like our chances” but this is getting a little scary.
At least the Packers will have the weekend to see how things unfold. Hopefully somebody gets upset providing an early wakeup call for the Packers. My guess would be the Seahawks beating the Saints, this has been a fortunate season for the Bears, why would this week be any different with them not even playing?
The Packers are the underdogs but the Eagles are the ones talking like dogs, no pun intended, well, maybe a little. Mike Vick has had to answer questions about being benched because he can’t pick up the blitz, they lost their last two games, one of them to the lowly Vikings, everything is going wrong in Philly while the Packers are flying high. Sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me.
Now I have myself scared. Official prediction coming Saturday, confidence was high.