PACKERTALK: Please don't let this Journey end!

The day we have all been waiting for is here. Round 2 of the playoffs where only the NFLs Elite 8 get to play. Last year after the Packers had a 15-1 season and a first round bye, the Giants came to Green Bay and spoiled the party. A year later the Packers get to go down to San Francisco and spoil things for the 49ers. 

Beating the 49ers in San Francisco is a tall task. If only the Packers had beaten San Francisco in Week 1 when they came to Green Bay, or if there were not replacement refs in Seattle, or if the Packers had just won in Week 17 at the Metrodome, this could have been a home game. As it turns out it was good to play last week and the Packers are a good road team so no more looking back, we are here. The 49ers were the better team when the season started and proved that but who is the better team now?

Coaching: Both Mike McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh are 49 years old. Jim is just 1-1 while Mike is 6-3 in the playoffs (including a Super Bowl Win)... ADVANTAGE PACKERS

Special Teams: Both teams are solid on Kick and punt coverage and have good Punters. The 49ers return game is slightly better. Both kickers, Mason Crosby and David Akers, have been terrible. This might be a game where both teams go for it on 4th downs and maybe we will see a fake...ADVANTAGE 49ERS

Secondary: The Packers are young and getting better and having the veteran Charles Woodson back is huge but the 49ers secondary has some GREAT players...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Linebackers: The Packers have Clay Matthews and a lot of other good linebackers like A.J. Hawk but the 49ers have Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and much more...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Defensive Line: The Packers are good but the 49ers are very strong. The biggest key to this game is that the Packers OL is able to keep San Francisco DL from taking over the game...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Offensive Line: The Packers now have the best five guys out there and playing well and have a bit of a running game. They must play well and protect Aaron Rodgers if the Packers are to win this game. Still, the 49ers have more talent at this position as well...ADVANTAGE 49ers

It is often said that games are won and lost in the trenches yet the Packers beat the Vikings in Round 1 of the playoffs even though the Vikings are also stronger on both sides of the line. It's a 5-1 advantage for the 49ers so far but stay with me here to find out why the Packers do have a chance.

Wide Receivers: Now only do the Packers have four OUTSTANDING ones but the 49ers have lost guys to injury and have the old Randy Moss starting for them...HUGE ADVANTAGE Packers (worth 2 points)

Running Backs: I love DuJuan Harris but with Frank Gore and more...ADVANTAGE 49ers

Quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers vs. Colin Kaepernick (the very best vs. the very inexperienced) In addition to that Aaron Rodgers is playing the team that he grew up rooting for AND the team that passed him up in the draft. Colin Kaepernick grew up in Wisconsin and was a big Packer fan but this is bigger for Aaron now because the game is in California, a bit of a homecoming for Rodgers...This is a TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE for the Packers (worth 3 points)

My rankings finish in a tie 6-6: This game could end in a tie, maybe like 28-28 or something and go into overtime, maybe two overtimes. I hear the field is not in good shape, which team benefits from that? I don't know who knows? It is the NFL, where anything can happen. I'd rather see the Packers play in a dome!

The 49ers (11-4-1) had a tie with the Rams (7-8-1) this season and then when they played them again they lost. This was a bit shocking because most people agree that San Francisco had a much better team than St. Louis. Did the Packers (now 12-5) lose to any inferior teams? It would seem like they did but NO, they did not. The Packers lost to last year’s champion New York Giants (9-7) and the other four are all playoff teams.

When I look at that and add in the fact that the Packer players overall have more games of playoff experience, it gives the Packers the very slightest edge.

I hope to see the Packers try the kick return throw back play that was did not work against the Bears.

I hope to see the fake Field Goal that worked so beautifully in the earlier game against the Bears.

I hope to NOT see the Packers need to try an on-side kick but it is good to know they are good at it in case they need to use it.

I hope all Packer fans really enjoy this game and appreciate some long time Packers who have been great for years but might not be Packers next season because of money. This is a business after all, we need to accept that and say Thank you to this "Core Four" who could me playing their last games as Packers:

Greg Jennings...Charles Woodson...A.J. Hawk... Donald Driver.

My final thought: IF (and it is a big if) the Packer Offensive Line can play well enough and the Packers don't commit any turnovers in this game (or at least win the turnover battle) I think Aaron Rodgers will lead the Packers to a victory we will all remember for a long time: Packers 35 49ers 28 (that's right, no Field Goals) Like I always say: "The Journey is the Reward" and this Journey has been so much fun that I can't stand the idea of seeing it all end! 

Packers 24 Vikings 10 in an Ugly Win over a bad Vikings team!

John Kuhn scored two Touchdowns so I must give him credit for that but with all the weapons the Packers have it seems odd that he gets the ball at all.

Charles Woodson playing again makes the Packer defense better.

Good: Holding Adrian Peterson to 99 yards rushing

Bad: The Vikings team did not even put up a fight

Ugly: The Game! The Packers should have scored twice as many points as they did 

However: A playoff win is always a great win and now it's on to San Francisco!

The New York Nightmare!

I am not upset about the loss, I knew it was a tough task going into the home of the champs without Greg Jennings, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, and Sam Shields just to name a few BUT I disagreed with nearly decision that Mike McCarthy made after the game started poorly. Running the ball as often as you pass it in a game where you lose 38-10 can only be considered giving up.

It is clear to me that even though the Defense the Kicker are problems, the biggest problem is the Offensive Line. It needs to improve NOW!

MVP’s to Jordy Nelson for the nice long TD play and Dezmand Moses for his sack of Eli Manning.

Without Clay Matthews the Packer Defense Sacks the Lions playoff hopes!

Green Bay 24 Detroit 20

Maybe not what we expected but again, a win is a win is a win. All is well that ends well and in the end Aaron Rodgers threw his second touchdown pass to Randall Cobb with 1:55 to play to lift visiting Green Bay to its fifth consecutive victory.

I knew the Offense could struggle a bit vs that Lions front four without Bryan Bulaga. We continue to try to run the ball but can only muster 3 yards per carry even with James Starks back. Thankfully we did enough to win and nobody else was injured. Still, we are so thin on the OL that another injury there could spell doom.

When it came down to the drive with just minutes left down 20-14 there was no doubt in my mind that Aaron Rodgers would find a way to win it, and he did. Therefore he gets my game MVP over Randall Cobb who deserves it again. It seems like Rodgers deserves it almost every week and does not get it, therefore this one goes to Aaron.

The Special Teams gives us a lot to be happy about yet again EXCEPT for Mason Crosby who nearly lost the game for us. The Packers won't be replacing him so we must just all hope that he gains back his confidence in time to help the Packers win these big upcoming games. I never thought Jarrett Bush would become this good of a player but please Packers, keep him on Special Teams where he knows what he is doing.

The Defense flat out won this game for us. Without Clay Matthews and still no Charles Woodson, the Defense held a good Offense to just 20 points and at the end when forced to stop Megatron one more time they did it!  There is a lot of deserving guys again this week for the Defensive game MVP but M.D. Jennings brought back one of the picks 72 yards for a score. When you get a pick 6 you usually win, he really picked up the slack for the Offense in this one.

With the 49ers blowing out the Bears tonight as I expected, here are the Current NFC North standings: 

Packers 7-3 

Bears 7-3 

Vikings 6-4 

Lions 4-6