I don’t think it will be easy, but the Packers will improve to 13-0 on the season. The Raiders have just the weapon to slow the Packers’ offense – a good running game. My thinking is the Raiders will limit the Packers number of possessions, but as usual the Packers will take advantage of the ones they get.

I’m expecting a better defensive effort today by the Packers, so I think the Raiders will be settling for field goals this game while the Packers are scoring touchdowns. In the end it will be Packers 31, Raiders 22. Packers put it away with a TD in the final minutes.

I’ll be at Lambeau so no game blog today.

Go Pack!

The Green Bay Packers faced their stiffest test of the season yesterday and still found a way to win. This time it took a 5-play 68-yard drive in the final 58 seconds to set up Mason Crosby’s game winning field goal. The drive was an absolute thing of beauty. In a season full of amazing play by Aaron Rodgers, this might have been his finest hour.

Rodgers kept his cool against a fired up Giants defense and had to overcome a bad case of the drops by his receivers. Rodgers never got upset, at least not from what we saw on TV, and trusted his guys to make plays when the chips were down. They did. Finley, Jordy, and Jennings. Game over.

When it comes to the Packers’ defense there is no sense beating a dead horse any longer. They are what they are. They give up huge yards and big plays, but they get turnovers and score points. I think having three of the next four games in Lambeau will help the defense a little. It seems like the Packers have been on the road all year. Time for a little help from The G-Force!

It starts with the Oakland Raiders next Sunday. I don’t see much adversity here other than the Raiders’ running game. The Raiders are going to try and shorten the game with time consuming drives that keep Rodgers and Co. off the field. That can work if they can score every time. The Raiders’ defense is ranked 26th in the league which isn’t very good when you are trying to play keep away.

The Packers’ offense is going to need to adjust to the weather conditions that are so unpredictable this time of year. Some semblance of a running game could come in handy.  The early forecast for next Sunday is 36 and sunny, but that will change about 100 times before now and then. Being early December if it isn’t snowing it’s probably not going to be too bad. The last two games could be a tad chilly. Bears are used to it, the Lions are not.

It doesn’t look like James Starks is going to be back anytime soon, they rushed him back the first time and it only made matters worse. Ryan Grant has not been the same since coming back from a major ankle injury last year. They say you are not the same until the second year after an injury but maybe Grant wil show some improvement down the stretch with a few more touches.

Jermichael Finley makes you want to pull your hair out. Great catch one play but hit him in the numbers and bounces off him like a super ball. I think he is trying so hard to make a play because his chances are down this year that he gets ahead of himself. Hate to see a drop like he had yesterday in the playoffs.

The Packers have achieved the first of their goals by winning the NFC North Division title but still have the 49ers nipping at their heels for home field advantage. Not time to let up now. I think Mike McCarthy will be able to keep them in check this week after such an anticlimactic division title. Usually you are in the locker room whooping it up but instead the Packers were relaxing on the plane on their way home from New York. Ho-hum.

Keep playing them one at a time and things will fall into place.

3:18 PM: Wow! Haven’t even started my blog and the Giants lead. My prediction was 27-24 on a late Crosby field goal. Might have to update that to 37-34. We’ll see how the offense does.

3:27 PM: Guys wide open everywhere and Rodgers throws it away? How can he be rattled already? Off to a rough start as usual.

3:44 PM: Looks like a shootout. Packers’ defense as usual giving up big play after big play. Like every other game this year the offense will have to keep up for a while until the defense gets their shit together.

3:48 PM: 14-7 Giants. Man it would be nice to have just a little semblance of a defense. Wow, that was a bad call by the replay official. Only 10-7. I’ll take it.

4:01 PM: Packers’ much maligned defense does it again. Matthews with a pick six.

4:14 PM: Giants’ defense has the Packers’ offense in check. Can the defense make another play? I think we need it. Nice punt by Masthay.

4:35 PM: This new found commitment to the running game is odd. Trying to slow the pass rush I guess, but not working.

4:43 PM: Nice drive by the offense. Double-D with the TD catch. Come on D, let’s take a lead into halftime.

4:53 PM: Worst kick of the year by Crosby to close the half. Makes me even more confident he’ll hit the game winner today.

4:49 PM: Looks like a 21-17 halftime lead. Pretty good considering we haven’t played all that well.

5:25 PM: That was sweet! Rodgers to Jennings and a 28-17 lead! Let’s see that shutdown defense we are going to need in the playoffs, now that we are officially in, win or lose.

5:28 PM: So much for that.

5:35 PM: Defense breaks that time. This game is on Rodgers again.

5:40 PM: What happened to our timing passes. Giants defense play well after getting embarrassed last week.

5:46 PM: Giants are doing everything they said they would. I think the Packers back into a division title when the Saints beat the Lions tonight. How ironic, our first loss wins the division title.

5:52 PM: Eli Manning picking apart the Packers’ defense, this is ugly. Still, 11-1 and division champs is a good thing.

5:58 PM: Looks like the streak is over. Woodson out with a concussion, offense stymied, this will take a huge gut check to overcome.

6:00PM: Finley sucks!

6:12 PM: Hard to figure out why the Packers all of a sudden can’t catch the ball. Finally a week where they are not ready to play I guess. We still have a chance though. One big play.

6:19 PM: Rodgers not on target today.

6:26 PM: Can the defense for once calm our nerves? The worst we can do is overtime. Make sure Crosby kicks it out of the zone.

6:28 PM: Nope.

6:33 PM: Coming down to a two-point conversion it looks like.

6:39 PM: We gave them a good run. 17 straight. Only to lose to Eli Manning. That sucks. Over and out.

6:49 PM: I called it? You can thank me later.

If the Packers 27-15 beat down of the Lions showed anything, it showed that when the Packers are in a big game, they play like it. For a week twelve regular season game, the stakes couldn’t have been much higher.

The brash Lions playing for respect and to get back in the division race against the Packers playing to continue their 16 game winning streak and send a message to their up and coming rivals.

Message sent.

The Packers beat the Lions eight ways to Sunday. 24-zip starting the fourth quarter. Happy Thanksgiving Detroit. Looks like 1962 is still your claim to fame.

The Packers showed that the Lions are not a threat to them, and at this point I’m not sure who is. The Cowboys looked very ordinary and the 49ers were manhandled by the Ravens. Complacency is the Packers worst enemy.

I think the Packers will remain focused until home field is wrapped up, which could easily be before the Packers’ last two games against the Bears and Lions. Is 16-0, or as head coach Mike McCarthy called the “bonus goal”, worth risking Aaron Rodgers to injury?

The Bears and especially the Lions would love to knock Rodgers out and kill the Packers chances to repeat as champions. To me, the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal and the Packers should forget about the bonus goal.

But as far as 12-0 goes, I still think the Packers are in for their toughest battle so far against the Giants. Even though the Giants are playing on a short week and the Packers have a long rest.

The Packers have been great at handling adversity on the field, now, with Erick Walden’s arrest we’ll see how they handle it off the field. I think Walden should be cut or removed from the roster in some fashion immediately. Out of sight and out of mind.

The Packers are 11-0 but nothing is locked up and now Walden’s arrest will be a big distraction. McCarthy’s job just got a helluva lot harder.

Walden was the guest on The Mike McCarthy show last week and McCarthy called him a “core player”. Really? Not anymore.

I’m glad the players have off until next Tuesday, things will settle down a bit by then and the Packers will have time to address the issue internally. I would suspend him for the remainder of the season at minimum.

If handled correctly this shouldn’t be a long term distraction and on the field the Packers can absorb the loss if Bishop and Hawk aren’t seriously hurt. Walden had a few good games but had Zombo not got hurt he probably would have ended up the starter.

For now the Packers are 11-0 and are not letting up. The defense is getting better and the offense is still ridiculous. I never said they peaked, I just raised the question. Thursday the Packers answered it.

11:37 AM: Lions get the ball first. Tramon Williams had one in his hand and dropped. Shoot!

11:39 AM: Lions are definitely fired up. Just have to withstand these early punches and do what we do.

11:42 AM: Good start for the defense.

11:48 AM: Good start for the offense too until Finley drops a first down. Money just flying out the window for Finley this year.

11:59 AM: McCarthy got away witha mistake and a bold move on that drive. First he didn’t challenge a clear fumble and second taking a penalty instead of a fourth down. Stafford misfired though so it worked out well.

12:40 PM: Packers strike first thanks to Ryan Pickett tipping a Stafford pass to Clay Mathews. The old shootout becomes a defensive battle again. So far so good.

1:46 PM: Up by 21! Wow! Lions can strike quick too. Come on defense, keep it up!

The Green Bay Packers are 10-0. They own a three game lead in their division. They are easily the best team in the NFL. So why am I so nervous about tomorrow’s game?

I think first of all the stigma of losing to the Lions still lingers even though they are 7-3 and not the same old Lions. I still would hate to lose our perfect record to them.

The Packers have not played a real stinker game yet this year so I don’t see that happening tomorrow. Under Aaron Rodgers you are much less likely to get a four or six interception game that can lead to a lesser team blowing you out. So I think the Packers should be able to hang with the Lions all game. Can they outscore them is the question.

The Lions remind me of the Packers circa 1993, they are in dire need of that statement win. Beating the Packers would give them that. The Packers may have been a little bored lately. The only games in the last six the Packers looked really good were against the Falcons on a Sunday night and the Vikings on a Monday night. The Packers like the bright lights.

To play the ‘if’ game if the Packers win tomorrow the NFC North Division is essentially theirs. If the Packers lose they are not only back in a fight for the division title but will have a hard time getting home field advantage for the playoffs. Hard to believe because they would still be 10-1, but the 49ers are hot on their heels. If you are a Packers’ fan you are a Ravens’ fan tomorrow too.

To be honest, I am trying to fight the confident feeling I have about this game. It just seems to good to be true. I mean come on! Go in to Detroit, 10-0, beat them on national TV. Make millions of people’s Thanksgiving a wonderful day. Make a huge statement to the rest of the league. Too good to be true. This is the Lions biggest game since 1962 and even with all the Packers can accomplish, it means more to them.

My gut feeling is usually wrong, but my gut is telling me the Packers absorb a strong early punch by the Lions but win like they have all year. Take a hit, settle down, then strike quick and often and hold on in the end. Packers 38, Lions 28.

The Green Bay Packers are 10-0 and are almost assured of making the playoffs, but coming off less than stellar performances two of the last three weeks one has to wonder if they maybe peaked a little too early this year. The Packers now face a tough two-game road trip that will surely shed more light on the subject.

The Packers have a huge game at Detroit and follow that with a trip to play the Giants in the Big Apple. While the Giants didn’t look very good last night, it is still a tough trip. Thursday’s game has all the makings of a 63-60 college-like game. The Lions’ defense is better but the Packers’ offense is better. Last team with the ball probably wins.

The Packers did not play very well at all yesterday against an inspired Tampa Bay team that was determined to upset the defending champions. Only the Bucs own mistakes prevented that from happening. The two areas of concern of late are the usual defense and now an offensive line that can’t pass block. MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers is getting killed back there and is being forced to scramble way more than he should. He took a helmet-to-helmet hit yesterday that could have ended his season.

I’m amazed that Dom Capers hasn’t been able to adjust his defense like he has in previous years. Are the players simply not playing as well? I just don’t get it. Same thing for the offensive line, which was shaky earlier, settled down for a while, and now is a sieve. Josh Sitton has turned into a penalty machine, Chad Clifton is out with an injury, there is a first time starter at left guard. Maybe it’s a combination of all of those things. Not even trying to establish a running game doesn’t help either.

The Packers, especially Rodgers, met the press after the game yesterday in a somber mood. I think they know they dodged a bullet, which also tells me I think they were looking ahead to the Lions’ game. If that is the case I would expect the Packers to play much better on Thursday.

I don’t think the Packers will go 16-0, so winning a game ugly won’t be the low point of the season. How the Packers respond to the loss will be the telling point. Did they let one loss turn into two or did they use it as motivation to start another late season Super Bowl run?

I am almost, and I emphasize almost, to the point where I think a loss might not be the worst thing in the world. I’d hate to see it but it has been a loss that turned around each of the past two years. First an embarrassment inTampa in 2009 and then a moral victory in a loss at New England last year. Of course it’s not like the Packers are that terribly much in need of a turnaround, but the fact is they have to play better than they have the last few weeks to win games in the playoffs.

I still think the Giants are the best bet to break the streak. Like the Lions, they have a dominant defensive front that can put pressure on Rodgers. Two weeks in row facing that kind of pressure is going to be tough.

I do expect the Packers to play better Thursday in Detroit. Will it be enough against the suddenly resurgent Lions? Good question. Can’t wait to find out.

Minutes away from kickoff. I’m sorry for being worried about these guys. They have their backs against the wall and nothing to lose. If the Packers lose it could be the start of three straight losses with trips to Detroit and New York following. Big game. If we take them seriously. Should be OK.

12:07 PM: Well, we got a stop after giving up one first done. Good start. Let’s see if the offense did their homework. Clay Mathews is currently out with an injury.

12:12 PM: Packers’ offense looks out of sync, thought it was going to be a cake walk. Holding on Sitton the main culprit. Not even two Bucs penalties could stop a three and out.

12:16 PM: Might be Aaron Rodgers’ first bad game coming. Or, maybe not…

12:20 PM: Getting a TD here after they had us three and out and blocked a punt. That would hurt.

12:28 PM: Rodgers takes a helmet-to-helmet hit but seems OK. B.J. Raji scores from a yard out. 7-0 Packers.

12:36 PM: Mathews back in, and a three and out for the defense. Good field position for the Packers, let’s get another TD and make it really cold for the Bucs!

12:47 PM: 14-0 Packers! Not going to say I was wrong yet, but it is starting to look that way. Would love to the defense keep the clamps on.

12:52 PM: Defense gives it right back! Unbelievably poor tackling. We got ourselves a ball game folks.

12:59 PM: Drop by Finely ends a ugly series of plays by the Packers. Momentum on the Tampa side big time.

1:04 PM: Stupid play Tramon Williams and now another third and long given up, the Bucs are getting stronger by the minute. Defense’ good performance of last week a distant memory.

1:10 PM: Packers playing mediocre at best but have a great opportunity with the ball and four minutes to halftime, then the opening kick of the second half. Need to get it done.

1:30 PM: The only team that can stop the Bucs today is the Bucs. We need them to make enough mistakes to give Rodgers opportunities.

1:34 PM: So instead of taking a knee with 32 seconds left you get two star players hurt. Stupid mistakes like that get you beat. Packers need a TD on that first drive of the second half. Can’t give them the ball right away the way the defense is playing.

1:54 PM: Packers’ offensive line is getting worse by the week. I don’t understand it. This game will be won or lost by the defense.

2:00 PM: Enough with the blitzing already! Freeman is eating it alive. I was afraid last week was due more to the Vikings than it was to the Packers.

2:09 PM: I wouldn’t be so worried about the crappy defenses if the offense was doing its part. Tampa has the 31rst ranked defense and yet they have stymied the Packers with a pass rush the Packers can’t stop. I called it.

2:18 PM: Offense can’t overcome it’s offensive line problems. Pressure on the defense again. Rodgers rattle for the first time this year. Rodgers can’t beat Tampa just like Mike Vick can’t beat Chicago. We’ll be an angry bunch come Thursday, though.

2:29 PM: Should be a tie game but the Bucs dropped the two-point conversion. The only way the Packers can win this one is if the Bucs give it to them. Offense can’t move the ball and the defense can’t stop them. 13:07 left to the Packers winning streak.

2:41 PM: Huge drive for the Packers and the lead is back to nine. Can they finish it? I must say I am not that overly confident. Might need 35 to win this one.

2:54 PM: Rodgers interception and the Bucs are knocking on the doorstep. Worst play call of the year by McCarthy. We are not winning this game. Mark my words.

2:57 PM: Bucs take advantage and score the TD. Had to happen eventually, hopefully it’s a wakeup call.

3:33 PM: OK, we won. But the ugliest of the year so far. At least they can promote Thanksgiving as the “10-0 Green Bay Packers” versus the Detroit Lions. 1962 all over again. Can the Packers flip the script this time and go to 11-0? Can’t wait!

I wonder what line Mike McCarthy is using this week to get his team ready for another inferior opponent. So far he has been able to get the Packers focused week in and week out, but this might be his toughest test so far. The Bucs are sandwiched between two division games and have given the Packers’ fits for years.

Maybe McCarthy is using the ugly loss in Tampa two years ago as motivation, maybe he is preaching the don’t be looking ahead to the Lions angle, whatever it is, I hope it works. The Bucs had a rough week media-wise and are going to be trying to shut people up today.

Tampa has the second worst defense in the NFL, so naturally, the Packers will probably struggle on offense today. I think the Packers’ defense needs to keep trending in the right direction. If that happens the Packers should win handily. But I think it will be a tough game, and the questions on defense will remain for another week. Packers 23, Bucs 20.

The Green Bay Packers’ defense for one game looked like the shutdown defense it was during last year’s playoff run. This game was better than the St. Louis game in which they only gave up three points. The Rams basically killed themselves in that game.

Against the Vikings the Packers were flying around with reckless abandon and instead of relying on turnovers, they made stops. After giving up a few early third down conversions, the Packers put the clamps on Vikings for the rest of the game.

The question now is can they sustain it? I’m sure you saw the poll question about the defense and I must say I’m a C – ask me Thanksgiving night. Thorn in the side Tampa Bay comes to town this week and the Packers never seem to fair well against the Bucs.

I’m not worried about the Packers getting up for a game like the Vikings’ game, Monday Night Football, division opponent, but getting up to face the Bucs with a huge game against Detroit four days later does worry me a little.

That is why if the defense is indeed back, it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was the defense that broke down two years ago in Tampa when the Packers lost to the winless Bucs. The Packers had no answer for Josh Freeman that day. Sunday would be a great day to redeem themselves against the struggling Freeman.

That was then and this is now and currently we have two teams going in different directions. The Bucs got blown out last week and even though they have played a tough schedule they have been wildly inconsistent. If the Packers’ defense plays the same as they did Monday my worries will be short lived.

As good as Aaron Rodgers and the offense is, I think it will be the Packers’ defense that keys a successful title defense. The weather is going to get worse and the cushion the offense has been giving is going to shrink.

Beat the Bucs and Lions and I change my vote to A.