2018 NFL Week 3: Packers vs. Redskins Preview & Prediction

How are we feeling today, Packer fans? Still a bit mixed feelings after last week's tie with the ViQueens? Yes, we can all relate to that. The Packers had all sorts of opportunities to put that one away, but the Packers defense couldn't stop a hot Minnesota offense in the second half. And relying for so many points off the typically sure-footed Mason Crosby...well, at some point that will come back to haunt you. And it did. Not his fault.

Having said that, let's recall that the Green Bay Packers are still undefeated. Yay. Does that tell us anything about today's game at Washington? Well, the Pack put up 46 points in the first two games against two of the better defenses they will probably face all season. Washington isn't close on that front. The 'skins lost to the Colts at home last weekend in an uninspired effort.

Packers RB Aaron Jones
(Photo: Jim Matthews/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin/@jmatthe79)

The Packers get RB Aaron Jones back off his two-game suspension, although head coach Mike McCarthy insists that he's going to have to work his way back into the lineup. We'll see how that goes. Given that he's the only explosive back they have on the roster, and with the disparity between run and pass in the first two games at 38 to 87 respectively, a gimpy Aaron Rodgers could use a little relief from the pass-happy approach of the first two games. Of course, it will always skew to the pass game as long as Rodgers is at QB and McCarthy is coach. That's OK. But a greater balance would sure help, as well as a home run threat coming out of the backfield. Jones may well have to get his game legs and timing together. But the only way to do that is to feed him the ball. Let's hope that happens a lot today.

Anyway, a lot could be said but lack of time spares you, dear reader, from having to labor through that amount of verbiage. Washington does have Alex Smith at QB and the venerable Adrian Peterson at RB. That means things can happen if the Pack's D once again decides to sleepwalk.

Still, Washington is not of the calibre of either Chicago or Minnesota.

Our Prediction

The Packers are favored by 3 points heading into this game. We expect them to exceed that.

We're calling it Packers 31 - Redskins 24.

Go Pack Go!!!

Packers lose NFC North Championship to Vikings

Well, Packer fans...that was certainly depressing, wasn't it? A 20-13 loss to Minnesota -- at Lambeau Field -- to put the Packers four-game NFC North division winning streak to an end. (Sigh)

But honestly, we've come to expect being disappointed ever since the Week 7 bye week passed, haven't we? Undefeated going into the bye...4-6 afterward. What the heck happened?

Oh, we know very well what's happened: no big plays, receivers that can't get separation, receivers that drop passes and can't break tackles, an offensive line that has been banged up since the start of the season and has a hard time opening lanes for runners and setting pass protection for the quarterback. And speaking of the quarterback...missing throws that used to be automatic and under constant pressure.

A familiar scene in recent weeks: QB Aaron Rodgers getting sacked.
(Photo by Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Everyone knows what the problems are, including opposing teams. But apparently, not even the coaching staff or players are able to correct course. Still, nobody can get this sorted out except the players themselves. They need to execute, whatever the game plan is.

For whatever the reasons, this has been a woefully underperforming team since Week 8. How bad is it? Even the players think they are going nowhere, according to former Packers TE Mark Chmura on ESPN Wisconsin yesterday; that sure can't help. You can listen to his comments here.

For the first time since 1968 and the era of head coach Phil Bengston, the Packers lost all their home games to their three division opponents. Remarkable...in a bad sense. In their last two games of the regular season, the Pack, as we know, went 0-2. If they had gone 2-0, they would have gotten the number 2 seed and a bye in the NFC playoffs instead of being on the road with a number 5 seed. Two more wins. Two. More. Wins.

So many missed opportunities game to game and as a season.

The Packers were exposed in many ways and became easy to defend by team after team. The Packers defense held opponents to high-teens scoring for the most part; but the offense had a hard time getting first downs let alone touchdowns.

Can the Packers beat Washington? Of course the possibility exists. The probability??? The Packers are currently listed as 1-point underdogs against a Washington team that won 4 of its last 5 games behind a red-hot quarterback by the name of Kirk Cousins. "Voice of the Packers," Wayne Larrivee, when asked Monday if the Pack could beat Washington, replied that Washington, particularly because of its defense, could be beaten. But considering the Packers have scored a total of just 4 touchdowns in the last three games...?

Unless the Packers find their lost confidence, believe in themselves and each other, and execute, this will be a one-and-done playoff experience. There will be some big changes in the offseason for the Packers, whenever it starts. What those changes will be is anyone's guess.

We'll have more on the upcoming playoff game against Washington as game time nears. Stay tuned for more.

Week 2: Packers vs. Redskins Preview

Fans of the Green Bay Packers have had the last week to wail and nash our collective teeth over the loss (again...third in a row) to the San Francisco 49ers. It's another week, another game, and another read-option quarterback who may -- or may not -- give the Packers defense trouble. In the season home opener at Lambeau Field today, the Packers will see if they can keep QB Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins from having them start the season at 0-2.


This photo of Lambeau Field is courtesy of TripAdvisor
If that happens, Packer fans, the road to the Super Bowl becomes very difficult indeed. According to people who's job it is to calculate such odds (that would not be me, just to be clear), only 22 NFL teams since 1990 (11.5 percent) have made the playoffs after starting 0-2. Only three teams that opened the season 0-2 have won the Super Bowl: the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, the 2001 New England Patriots and the 2007 New York Giants.

So, is this a must win for the Packers? If you have to ask, you shouldn't be reading this article...in fact, the very task of reading this article would likely be beyond your abilities...move along, please.

But don't fret, Packer fans. According to an article by Bob McGinn, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's uber-Packers beat reporter, at least one unidentified NFL team executive actually upgraded the Pack after last week's loss to the Niners. That exec said: "After watching that game I'd be shocked if the Packers don't go 12-4. I was guessing they were a 10-6 team before that. They were very consistent on offense, like they always are. But the difference this year from last year was the passion that the defense played with. I thought they played hard on defense."

Was this guy watching the same game as the rest of us? Watching the secondary get torched for more than 400 passing yards by the Tattooed Wonder, Colin Kaepernick? Apparently, he liked the defensive line and acknowledged the big hit the secondary took without S Morgan Burnett and nickel back Casey Hayward in the lineup. Still, this guy says the Niners will beat the Packers in the NFC Championship and go on to win the Super Bowl. One man's view.

McGinn had another NFL personnel man evaluate the Packers relative to the league. McGinn states in his article that, "By his estimation, seven of the 32 teams have no chance for a winning season. At the same time, he ranked Green Bay among nine teams with a chance to win the championship." So...the Packers have that going for them. Which is nice.

But all that conversation seems a bit premature when you're 0-1 and need to get to 1-1 today. So, let's just focus on that for a moment, shall we?

Keys to the Game

Let's start on offense for the Pack. The Packers offense is not a problem. Let's state the obvious. The revamped offensive line held its own against perhaps the best defensive line in the NFL last week. There were a few breakdowns, sure. But the young tackles performed well, which was a concern. They still need to create some running room for Eddie Lacy and the other backs, however. With the call for a chance of rain for the game today, being able to sustain drives on the ground, and keep the ball out of the opposing quarterback's hands, will be a definite plus. QB Aaron Rodgers and receivers will do what they need to do, regardless of conditions, especially against a somewhat porous Redskins defense. Last season, their defense gave up 281.9 passing yards per game, 30th in the league. They were also dead last in third down defensive efficiency. While Washington has changed both its safeties, this bodes well for the Packers to rack up yards and put up points, with or without a sufficient running game today.

As to the Packers defense, it's not known at the time of this writing whether S Morgan Burnett will be seeing any playing time today or not. He did practice a bit this week and was testing out the hamstring. No doubt this will be a game-time decision. Let's hope he can be on the field at least some of the time because we saw last week what happened without him...not pretty. The Packers defensive front must play as aggressively as they did last week and there's no reason to suspect they won't. Given RGIII's shaky start in the 'Skins season opener, and the desire to still protect his rebuilt leg, we'd expect to see more passing from him than running. He's got a heckuva arm, although his mechanics were terrible for about three-fourths of the game last week. If the Packers secondary plays as badly as it did against the Niners, it could be another shoot-out. We don't want that. But at this stage of the season, anything is possible.

For Packers special teams performances, the return game is still the weak link, with some bad decision-making on display at San Francisco. You have to figure that will get cleaned up. Having P Tim Masthay handle the kickoffs is a very good thing; he booms 'em and this perhaps gives K Mason Crosby less to worry about...just make the dang field goals!

Prediction

To the sound of the drum roll, we predict it will be: Packers 34 - Redskins 24.

Go Pack Go!!!