The Green Bay Packers have the look of the best team in the NFL after 12 weeks but we all know they don’t hand out trophies in December. The way the Packers have been playing lately it is hard to find a real weakness on the team other than special teams.
The Packers have been among the worst special teams units in the league since head coach Mike McCarthy took over in 2006 and yet no real changes were made until McCarthy brought in veteran coach Ron Zook to assist special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum this year. To date, there hasn’t been much improvement.
Monday night the Packers will face the best return man in the history of the game in Devin Hester, and much of that history has come against the Packers while he was a member of the Chicago Bears.
The main reason the Packers haven’t been exploited yet on special teams is because of lack of opportunity. The Packers’ offense has been so good that they rarely punt and kickoff returns are now few and far between.
As good as the Packers are playing if they get in a close game their special teams are suspect at best. Kicker Mason Crosby has been solid the last year-and-a-half but he did miss a key field goal last week against the Patriots. Can he kick a game winner if needed? His only career game winner came in his first game in 2007 at Philly.
I have a hunch the Falcons will be able to keep it close Monday night which will put the heat on special teams even more. Atlanta is playing its best football of the year having won three of its last four games.
I think it will be ugly, but Packers’ prevail 27-21.