Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the Packers would be 8 1/2 point favorites to beat the Dallas Cowboys tonight? Even if Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was playing the line would be pretty much the same. Last week the Packers were 7-point dogs in New York. The question is, can the Packers do what the Jets couldn’t and avoid the upset at home?
The Packers do catch a break with John Kitna replacing the injured Romo at quarterback, Kitna has lost many a game in Lambeau during his time in league. He can throw the ball but his heartbreaking interceptions make Brett Favre look like Joe Montana, if the Packers can shut down the Cowboys running game like they did the Jets, Kitna will give the secondary some big plays.
Is this the week the offense gets rolling? Well if not this week, then it may be never. The Cowboys are horrible against the pass and even without Donald Driver, the Packers should be able to pass at will. Wide receivers James Jones and Jordy Nelson should get plenty of opportunities to prove they are the one to to replace Driver fulltime, which may be next year.
I hope the Packers don’t completely abandon the run game though, thinking they can do what they want through the air. Things run so much smoother when you can run the ball first. Head coach Mike McCarthy has been a little more willing to try and establish the run in recent games and he has committed to Brandon Jackson for the most part, so hopefully he gives him some opportunities early and Jackson takes advantage. If the Packers can coming out running with success it will be game over early.
In the end I think the Packers are going to have a much harder game than oddsmakers are saying, but a win is a win. I’ll say the Packers take a come-from-behind 24-20 win on a late Aaron Rodgers touchdown pass. Nothing has been easy so far this year, so why should today be any different?