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In spite of having a 10-6 record, the Green Bay Packers are suffering through a period during which they are simply not playing up to the level people are accustomed to seeing from them-not their fanbase, sports media or casual observers have failed to notice the cripplking effects of major ijuries (Jordy Nelson's loss looks to be huge-along with Sam Shields but Shields just might be ok to play Sunday)), less than the usual hyper-competent levels of execution-even Rodgers looks less than his normal elite QB self at times-other times he's his usual dangerously creative self. They'rs coming to FedExto play the Redskins and some Packers fans are worried about that.
It's an unusual feeling, having Packer fans worried about playing the Redskins-even a little bit.
That's what some of them are doing, though. Of course, some are more and less worried and some are pretty confident about winning....but some aren't-in fact some are basically picking the Redskins to win.
King Friday
Packer offense is going to look OK this week. The Redskins are a pathetic defense. Their schedule was a real cupcake...only 2 matchups against playoff teams, and they got absolutely smoked in both. I'm glad they won their last 4 games against horrible teams...congrats. Even playing like doo-doo, the Packers can win this game by more than a TD.
Striker
The Redskins CBs are playing pretty terribly right now. There is "sneaky shootout" potential for this game.
Reed will be tough to stop. Hope Hyde is up to it. And don't leave one of the slower LBs on Matt Jones. That would be bad for us as well.
JQ
II'm not a betting man, but read on the forum that "favorites" are deteremined more by where the bets are being placed than who Vegas thinks will win the game. I absolutely agree with you thought. The Packers could win of course, that why folks wager on games! But based upon both teams play the past month, the 'Skins look like more than a "one point favorite" to me as well
Mazrimiv
For GB to get past WAS, the GB defense will have to get to Cousins early and create some easy scoring opportunities. The GB offense simply isn't up to the task of carrying this team to a win.
CentralFC
Packers win 19-16.
All signs point to this being a grind-it-out affair. Bakhtiari and Shields should be back, a huge lift for an otherwise depleted team. Shields can run with Jackson and I'm confident we can find a way to limit Reed. Our defense is playing well enough to keep Washington to field goals. The difference to me is Rodgers and McCarthy versus Cousins and Gruden. I think what they've accomplished is stellar, but the playoff-seasoned team gets the narrow win.
Ultimately this game will come down to whether we can run the ball and convert third downs. That hasn't been the case this year for the most part. I'm optimistic we can piece together another win and extend our season.
ExpatPacker
I really don't think it matters who we play. This is a playoff team in name only. The Packers are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Who else is 4-6 in that stretch? Chicago, Jacksonville. That's who I would compare this team with.
Redskins will put this team out of its misery.
This will be an, umm, interesting offseason.
incognito_man
Still not sure how to feel about this one.
A hyper focused GB team is better, but I thought we'd seem them this last weekend. And it wasn't even close to seeing them.
Raji and Daniels are both banged up. Our entire OL is banged up. Ours WRs get open 3 plays a game and Rodgers misses 2 of them and the other is dropped. Lacy is bipolar out there. Peppers disappears and then shows up suddenly.
I dunno. I have no feel for this. Could be a 20 point win, could be a 10 point loss.
VolvoD
For the love of God, do not lose to the NFC Least. That division should be disbanded, the level of suck is so high.
Washington sucks, Philly sucks as much as their fans do, Dallas sucks in a comical way, Giants suck to the extreme.
grampi
What have you seen that would make you think this? I don't think GB could beat JAX right now, let alone Washington...
Sky King
Washington is playing strong to finish the season with positive momentum. The Packers have not. Conventional wisdom pretty much favors Washington.
broguy
People are going overboard with the negativity. We had two very bad games back to back and are on a bad slide in the last 10 games of what has been a very disappointing season. That being said, I think it's ridiculous to assume that we have no chance Sunday. We beat a solid Oakland team on the road three weeks ago and were a drive away from pushing a solid Vikings team to overtime on Sunday (and that was after playing 3 quarters of horrible football and giving the Viking 7 points on the fumble). I know beating the raiders and almost coming back against the vikings doesn't exactly constitute an impressive resume, but you'd think we're a college team playing the '73 Dolphins with the way some of you are talking about this game. Cousins has come on strong down the stretch, but the Redskins still aren't that good. They're a team that has a lot of holes (just like us!). I'm sorry, I don't care what kind of negative kick you're on, we're as good if not better than them and could easily win this game. Next week? That's a different story. But why don't we wait until next week to either talk about that game or start talking about what needs to change for next season? Football is about to go away for 9 months, so you might as well try to enjoy what's left of the season.
denverYooper
Packers put the screws to Washington and win 35-13. They sack Cousins 6 times and the talking heads start talking about how Green Bay has "that look".
All the people who scrambled off of the Packers bandwagon are scrambling to get back on.
Get the seats while they're cheap, kids.
Tony Oday
They are in the playoffs because you have to have an NFL East team.
Bossman641
I think this is a winnable game for the Pack but I'm worried Reed is going to give us fits.
Scot M. got some packer fan respect.
pbmax
Scot McCloughan can flat out scout.
Sanguine camper
Do the Packers even remotely look like a championship team? Of course not. The fact is they aren't even average at this point. While no athlete should ever throw in the towel it's phantasy to think this team can go win the Super Bowl.
pbmax
Washington is at home, that is their only edge. Sure, their offense has been more productive that the Packer offense, but the Packer D is light years ahead of the Washington D.
If it weren't for the possibility of the offense digging a hole in the ground and burying itself, I would say the line is too favorable to the Skins.
ricky
Now its time to do or die, put up or shut up, or choose your own favorite cliche. MM and the team are making the right sounds. Now, the question is yet again, will the real Packers offense we've gotten used to for the last few years finally show up? At this point, I'm doubtful. Though I hope to be pleasantly surprised. IF the offense can start clicking before they're a few TD's down; IF the OL can keep Rodgers upright and not running for his life; IF the receivers finally get some separation; IF the running game gets going, and IF the coaches decide to stick with it; and IF the defense continues to play at a high level, the Packers should win. And then the quality of the teams they play goes up quite a bit. But, at this point, one at a time.
Tongue-Splitter
I don't know why everybody's suddenly so afraid of of the Redskins. This is the best match up the Packers could have hoped for on the road.
Our defense did a fine job (all things considered) against Arizona, and they're the number 1 yardage offense. Washington is number 17. Cardinals are number 2 in scoring, Redskins are number 10.
But the real reason people should be most optimistic about going against the Redskins is their defense.
They were the 28th ranked yardage defense in the NFL. Worst in the playoffs by 7 rankings.
They're 17th in scoring defense, worst in the playoffs.
If there's a team left that we could get on track against, it's the Redskins.
Atari-XXX
I expect the Redskins to use Pierre Thomas the same way the Cardinals used Johnson against us. They know we'll be so focused on stopping Reed and Jackson. That's what every team does. Philly did it in the second half against Washington and there was so much room for Thomas underneath. They dinked and dunked their way into scoring position. Cousins isn't afraid to just take what the defense gives him. Many still see him as some gunslinger but his decision making has really improved over the last month.
We really need Bakh and Shields back.
persiandud
I just have the feeling Jordan Reed is going to murder us, he's so good right now
packfan4
That matchup scares me sooo much, far and away the biggest potential mismatch in this game. We have to put Randall or Hyde in combo with Ryan on him, their outside WRs don't scare me one bit if Shields is able to go.
It's an unusual feeling, having Packer fans worried about playing the Redskins-even a little bit.
That's what some of them are doing, though. Of course, some are more and less worried and some are pretty confident about winning....but some aren't-in fact some are basically picking the Redskins to win.
King Friday
Packer offense is going to look OK this week. The Redskins are a pathetic defense. Their schedule was a real cupcake...only 2 matchups against playoff teams, and they got absolutely smoked in both. I'm glad they won their last 4 games against horrible teams...congrats. Even playing like doo-doo, the Packers can win this game by more than a TD.
Striker
The Redskins CBs are playing pretty terribly right now. There is "sneaky shootout" potential for this game.
Reed will be tough to stop. Hope Hyde is up to it. And don't leave one of the slower LBs on Matt Jones. That would be bad for us as well.
JQ
II'm not a betting man, but read on the forum that "favorites" are deteremined more by where the bets are being placed than who Vegas thinks will win the game. I absolutely agree with you thought. The Packers could win of course, that why folks wager on games! But based upon both teams play the past month, the 'Skins look like more than a "one point favorite" to me as well
Mazrimiv
For GB to get past WAS, the GB defense will have to get to Cousins early and create some easy scoring opportunities. The GB offense simply isn't up to the task of carrying this team to a win.
CentralFC
Packers win 19-16.
All signs point to this being a grind-it-out affair. Bakhtiari and Shields should be back, a huge lift for an otherwise depleted team. Shields can run with Jackson and I'm confident we can find a way to limit Reed. Our defense is playing well enough to keep Washington to field goals. The difference to me is Rodgers and McCarthy versus Cousins and Gruden. I think what they've accomplished is stellar, but the playoff-seasoned team gets the narrow win.
Ultimately this game will come down to whether we can run the ball and convert third downs. That hasn't been the case this year for the most part. I'm optimistic we can piece together another win and extend our season.
ExpatPacker
I really don't think it matters who we play. This is a playoff team in name only. The Packers are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Who else is 4-6 in that stretch? Chicago, Jacksonville. That's who I would compare this team with.
Redskins will put this team out of its misery.
This will be an, umm, interesting offseason.
incognito_man
Still not sure how to feel about this one.
A hyper focused GB team is better, but I thought we'd seem them this last weekend. And it wasn't even close to seeing them.
Raji and Daniels are both banged up. Our entire OL is banged up. Ours WRs get open 3 plays a game and Rodgers misses 2 of them and the other is dropped. Lacy is bipolar out there. Peppers disappears and then shows up suddenly.
I dunno. I have no feel for this. Could be a 20 point win, could be a 10 point loss.
VolvoD
For the love of God, do not lose to the NFC Least. That division should be disbanded, the level of suck is so high.
Washington sucks, Philly sucks as much as their fans do, Dallas sucks in a comical way, Giants suck to the extreme.
grampi
What have you seen that would make you think this? I don't think GB could beat JAX right now, let alone Washington...
Sky King
Washington is playing strong to finish the season with positive momentum. The Packers have not. Conventional wisdom pretty much favors Washington.
broguy
People are going overboard with the negativity. We had two very bad games back to back and are on a bad slide in the last 10 games of what has been a very disappointing season. That being said, I think it's ridiculous to assume that we have no chance Sunday. We beat a solid Oakland team on the road three weeks ago and were a drive away from pushing a solid Vikings team to overtime on Sunday (and that was after playing 3 quarters of horrible football and giving the Viking 7 points on the fumble). I know beating the raiders and almost coming back against the vikings doesn't exactly constitute an impressive resume, but you'd think we're a college team playing the '73 Dolphins with the way some of you are talking about this game. Cousins has come on strong down the stretch, but the Redskins still aren't that good. They're a team that has a lot of holes (just like us!). I'm sorry, I don't care what kind of negative kick you're on, we're as good if not better than them and could easily win this game. Next week? That's a different story. But why don't we wait until next week to either talk about that game or start talking about what needs to change for next season? Football is about to go away for 9 months, so you might as well try to enjoy what's left of the season.
denverYooper
Packers put the screws to Washington and win 35-13. They sack Cousins 6 times and the talking heads start talking about how Green Bay has "that look".
All the people who scrambled off of the Packers bandwagon are scrambling to get back on.
Get the seats while they're cheap, kids.
Tony Oday
They are in the playoffs because you have to have an NFL East team.
Bossman641
I think this is a winnable game for the Pack but I'm worried Reed is going to give us fits.
Scot M. got some packer fan respect.
pbmax
Scot McCloughan can flat out scout.
Sanguine camper
Do the Packers even remotely look like a championship team? Of course not. The fact is they aren't even average at this point. While no athlete should ever throw in the towel it's phantasy to think this team can go win the Super Bowl.
pbmax
Washington is at home, that is their only edge. Sure, their offense has been more productive that the Packer offense, but the Packer D is light years ahead of the Washington D.
If it weren't for the possibility of the offense digging a hole in the ground and burying itself, I would say the line is too favorable to the Skins.
ricky
Now its time to do or die, put up or shut up, or choose your own favorite cliche. MM and the team are making the right sounds. Now, the question is yet again, will the real Packers offense we've gotten used to for the last few years finally show up? At this point, I'm doubtful. Though I hope to be pleasantly surprised. IF the offense can start clicking before they're a few TD's down; IF the OL can keep Rodgers upright and not running for his life; IF the receivers finally get some separation; IF the running game gets going, and IF the coaches decide to stick with it; and IF the defense continues to play at a high level, the Packers should win. And then the quality of the teams they play goes up quite a bit. But, at this point, one at a time.
Tongue-Splitter
I don't know why everybody's suddenly so afraid of of the Redskins. This is the best match up the Packers could have hoped for on the road.
Our defense did a fine job (all things considered) against Arizona, and they're the number 1 yardage offense. Washington is number 17. Cardinals are number 2 in scoring, Redskins are number 10.
But the real reason people should be most optimistic about going against the Redskins is their defense.
They were the 28th ranked yardage defense in the NFL. Worst in the playoffs by 7 rankings.
They're 17th in scoring defense, worst in the playoffs.
If there's a team left that we could get on track against, it's the Redskins.
Atari-XXX
I expect the Redskins to use Pierre Thomas the same way the Cardinals used Johnson against us. They know we'll be so focused on stopping Reed and Jackson. That's what every team does. Philly did it in the second half against Washington and there was so much room for Thomas underneath. They dinked and dunked their way into scoring position. Cousins isn't afraid to just take what the defense gives him. Many still see him as some gunslinger but his decision making has really improved over the last month.
We really need Bakh and Shields back.
persiandud
I just have the feeling Jordan Reed is going to murder us, he's so good right now
packfan4
That matchup scares me sooo much, far and away the biggest potential mismatch in this game. We have to put Randall or Hyde in combo with Ryan on him, their outside WRs don't scare me one bit if Shields is able to go.
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