Paper Tigers? Big Ben Has His Way with Vaunted Packers Secondary

Lost in the shine of the Green Bay Packers’ designation as the NFL’s No. 2 defense entering Sunday’s contest is a very sobering fact as the playoffs draw near.

Elite quarterbacks torch the Green Bay secondary.

Quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Brett Favre have annihilated the Packers through the air this season to the tune of 1,018 yards on 66.6 percent passing, with 10 touchdowns against zero interceptions.

Roethlisberger picked up where Favre left off Sunday, carving up the Packers’ pass defense for a Steeler-record 503 yards as he repeatedly found Hines Ward, Heath Miller, and, on two critical plays, Mike Wallace to pull out a heart-stopping win 37-36 win.

So what happened to that No. 2 ranked defense and a secondary often described as one of the league’s finest?

Unlike the Minnesota games, however, it’s tough to pin this debacle on the pass rush of the Packers, as Green Bay sacked Roethlisberger five times and hurried him on several other attempts.

But Big Ben was able to do the things that make him a great quarterback, displaying  pocket toughness and the ability to buy enough time for his receivers to get open for big plays down the field.

And they got open. A lot.

Nickel back Jarrett Bush got abused all game and the Packers lack of depth at corner was exposed by a talented group of Steeler receivers.

The linebackers also struggled in coverage, as tight end Heath Miller unsurprisingly had his way with A.J. Hawk for most of the day.

Even Charles Woodson struggled at times, picking up two key holding penalties and failing to make the big play that has been his staple all season.

Outside of Tramon Williams, the Packers have struggled to develop anyone behind their shutdown tandem of Woodson and Al Harris. And with an army of NFC playoff contenders loaded with play-makers at wide receiver, that lack of development and depth will be exposed again.

The good news for the Packers is that they haven’t ran into many top signal-callers so far this season.

The defense has been able to beat up on the likes of Jay Cutler, Kyle Boller, Matthew Stafford, Derek Anderson, Alex Smith, and Joe Flacco in victory, while the only solid quarterback that the Packers have been able to control this season was Dallas’ Tony Romo.

Unfortunately, the playoffs don’t often feature the kind of mediocrity behind center that the Packers have been able to dominate.

Aaron Rodgers and Co. may indeed be able to out-duel a team or two in the postseason, but after Sunday’s defensive performance one thing is now crystal clear.

They’ll have to.

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The Green Bay Packers Need Ryan Grant To “Unleash Hell” On Sliding Steelers

 

“We will unleash hell in December.”

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin issued this warning to the rest of the league, anticipating a strong stretch run from his defending Super Bowl championship club.

However, the only thing that the Steelers have unleashed as of late is a string of embarrassing losses to the dregs of the NFL, the latest an ugly 13-6 loss at Cleveland that has put their playoff aspirations on life support.

But with a blistering winter storm blasting the east coast this weekend, the Green Bay Packers will likely have to unleash their running game in order to beat the Steelers on their notoriously sloppy home field.

Is Ryan Grant up to the task?

He certainly was a week ago in Chicago, rumbling through an injury-riddled Bears defense for 137 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 Packers victory.

Grant’s performance offset a pedestrian game for quarterback Aaron Rodgers (16 of 24, 180 yards) and the passing attack, as Rodgers failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season.

Green Bay passed an important test last Sunday in winning a physical game without an explosive performance from their passing game.

They will have to pass a stiffer one against a tougher Steeler defense in order to leave Pittsburgh with their winning streak intact.

While Donald Driver and the receiving corps may not like the game plan, it’s difficult to imagine Rodgers and the Packers winning at Heinz Field without a big game from Grant.

The weather forecast, combined with a strong Pittsburgh pass rush, makes the performance of Grant and the running game critical to ending the Steelers playoff hopes.

Look for a repeat of the Packers dedication to the running game and TE Jermichael Finley, and for the game to be decided on whether Grant can do his best Edgar Bennett impression in poor field conditions.

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Green Bay Packers: Handicapping the Home Stretch

After a rousing stretch in which the Green Bay Packers won three games in 12 days, they enter the final portion of their schedule likely needing a 3-2 finish to assure an NFC wild card slot.

However, the schedule tightens up as the Packers clash with two tough AFC North opponents and the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. Luckily, the Packers also draw the fading Bears and Seahawks.

Here is a look at how Green Bay’s final five games will shake out:

Week 13- vs. Baltimore

This feels like a dangerous game for the Packers.

The Ravens are hungry as they fight for an AFC playoff spot and are coming off a big home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course they also needed overtime and a critical interception from third-string quarterback Dennis Dixon to escape with that victory.

Running back Ray Rice is dangerous both as a runner and receiver, and quarterback Joe Flacco is becoming more than just a caretaker on offense.

But it will likely be how the Packers’ offense matches up with a stiff Baltimore defense that decides this contest.

I see a close game predicated on, you guess it, protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Baltimore pass rush.

If they can give Rodgers a little time, the Ravens pass defense will be exposed as it has been for much of the season.

In my least confident pick of the bunch, I see Rodgers and his well-rested teammates making just enough plays to squeeze out a tight home victory.

 

Week 14- at Chicago

Poor Chicago Bears fans. They thought they had the strong-armed, cocksure quarterback the Bears have always lacked when Chicago traded for Jay Cutler.

But behind a suddenly porous and banged up defense, and with Cutler playing like Brett Favre circa 2005, the Bears are well on their way to earning the Denver Broncos an excellent first-round draft slot.

Barring a blizzard at Soldier Field, look for Aaron Rodgers to be the latest quarterback to carve up the Bears’ pass defense and bump the Broncos up another draft pick or two in a double-digit win on the road.

 

Week 15- at Pittsburgh

A loss to the Ravens dropped the defending-champion Steelers to 6-5 and effectively put them on the ropes in terms of making the playoffs.

With upcoming cream puff games against Cleveland and Oakland, Pittsburgh will likely be sitting at 8-5 when the Packers arrive in town. However, in a conference where an 11-5 New England team missed the playoffs a year ago, the Steelers won’t yet be patting themselves on the back heading into the playoffs.

Assuming safety Troy Polamalu and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger return from injuries as expected, Pittsburgh will offer a stiff road test with a balanced offense and a dominant-when-healthy defense.

(Side note: The Steelers are undefeated and haven’t surrendered more than 17 points in a game with Polamalu in the lineup. They are a different team with him in the game.)

This Packers team still has too many breakdowns and makes too many mistakes to pick in Pittsburgh. The Steelers pull away late and drop the Pack to 9-5.

 

Week 16- vs. Seattle

Remember when the Walrus still roamed the Seattle sideline and playing the Seahawks meant a tough game?

Those days are as gone as Nirvana and the SuperSonics.

Half of that team is on injured reserve and the players that remain just aren’t good enough for Seattle this year, even in the soft NFC West.

Without standout linebacker Lofa Tatupu and All-Pro tackle Walter Jones, and a dearth of explosive skill position players, Seattle doesn’t have much that scares the opposition.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is still a solid pro, but receiver Nate Burleson and running backs Julius Jones and Justin Forsett would be backups on most teams.

Against a defense ravaged by injuries and backups stepping into starting roles, the Packers should have little trouble putting up points on the Seahawks.

While this is a team that lost to the previously winless Tampa Bay Bucs, its hard to see anything but a decisive Packers victory here, especially with so much to play for.

I see 30-plus points and a recovery game after a very tough, physical three weeks of football against the Ravens, Bears, and Steelers.

 

Week 17- at Arizona

This game could be a bit of a crap-shoot with Arizona likely to have the NFC West locked up by Week 17.

That would be great news for Green Bay fans who fear an Al Harris-less secondary squaring off with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin with a potential playoff spot at stake.

The Packers win this one by a touchdown, with Arizona resting a few of their regulars in the second half to freshen up for the playoffs.

However, if the Cards falter and need this game, get ready for a nerve-wracking shootout.

Because of the long layoff that serves as almost a second bye week leading into the matchup with the Ravens, along with a potentially meaningless Week 17 game with Arizona, I see the Packers peaking at the right time and finishing 11-5.

For a season that featured such midseason turmoil, hosting a playoff game would stand as an excellent turnaround for a roller-coaster season.

 

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Green Bay Packers: Five Best Second-Half Surges

The Green Bay Packers have struggled to “clean up” the problems that have plagued them at the midpoint of the season, and appear hard-pressed to make a playoff push with a difficult second-half schedule.

However, in an attempt to keep the faith, here are five Packers squads that had things come together in the second half of the season.

Perhaps the 2009 edition can follow their lead.

 

1984

Lynn Dickey and Co. made a ferocious second-half surge, winning seven of their final eight games, losing only at Detroit on Thanksgiving.

The Packers feasted on a relatively weak NFC Central division, winning five second-half games against division rivals, including a Week 16 road win against a Chicago Bears team that would peak a season later in their Super Bowl Shuffle campaign.

The bad news?

They started the season a dismal 1-7 and failed to make the playoffs in one of three straight 8-8 campaigns under Lombardi dynasty-era members Bart Starr and Forrest Gregg.

Outside of a strike-shortened playoff season in 1982, this stretch was as good as it got for Packer fans of the seventies and eighties.

For those of you lamenting the agony of 2009 just remember, it used to be a lot worse folks.

 

1989

The Majik man gave Packer fans hope as he helped lead Green Bay to a 10-6 record in 1989, including a 6-2 second half.

Quarterback Don Majkowski had a stellar 1989 season, putting up over 4,300 yards passing and throwing 27 touchdown passes, most of them to stud wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.

They also defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, prevailing 21-17 in one of only two losses for the Niners on the season.

Unfortunately, 10-6 failed to secure a playoff spot for the Packers in an extremely competitive NFC and Green Bay would fail to build on their solid ’89 campaign, going 6-10 in 1990 and 4-12 in 1991.

 

1992

Behind a baby-faced Brett Favre and an improving defense, the 1992 Packers won six straight second-half games to force a must-win game at Minnesota for a playoff berth.

While Green Bay lost 27-7 in that final game, the 1992 campaign laid the foundation for a team that would win big throughout the rest of the decade.

The Packers didn’t miss the playoffs again until 1999 and didn’t post a losing record until 2005.

Favre’s gutsy performance playing with a separated shoulder in a 27-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles helped sway Hall-of-Fame defensive end Reggie White to come to Titletown via free agency, and the team steadily improved each season until they brought the Lombardi Trophy back home four years later.

 

1997

The defending Super Bowl champion Packers went 7-1 to close out the 1997 season, with only a shocking 41-38 road loss to the 0-10 Indianapolis Colts as a second-half blemish.

Packer fans will also fondly remember the hated Dallas Cowboys finally visiting Green Bay in Week 13 that season to receive a 45-17 thrashing at Lambeau Field.

Following a Deion Sanders pick-six to put Dallas up in the second quarter, Green Bay scored 38 of the next 45 points to exact a bit of revenge on their long-time tormentors.

Green Bay also excelled in spite of a tough December schedule featuring three straight December road wins at Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Carolina.

The Packers would ride that momentum all the way to Super Bowl XXXII…and I’ll just leave it at that.

 

2003

While the 2003 ended in a cruel, soul-crushing loss at Philadelphia, it is easy to forget the incredible run Green Bay had leading up to that game.

Following a Thanksgiving day loss to the lowly Detroit Lions that appeared to end the Packers playoff hopes, Green Bay won their final four games, including the unforgettable Monday Night contest against Oakland following the death of Brett Favre’s father Irv.

But it still didn’t appear to be enough, as the Packers needed the hated Vikings to lose at Arizona.

Improbably, Arizona quarterback Josh McCown found receiver Nate Poole in the end-zone with no time remaining and the Cardinals pulled out an 18-17 victory after what seemed like a two-hour official review to determine whether Poole was forced out of bounds.

While the season ended in the worst of ways, for a few short weeks it did seem as though the football gods were smiling upon the Green Bay Packers, and still ranks as one of the most incredible stretches in team history from a personal perspective.

 

Honorable Mention

 

1972

Closed the season by winning six of their final seven games and made the playoffs for the only time in the decade.

Both of their second-half losses came to the Washington Redskins, who knocked them out of the playoffs with a 16-3 victory en route to the Super Bowl, where they would lose to Don Shula and the undefeated Miami Dolphins.

 

2007

The 2007 Packers went 6-2 in the second-half of their run to the NFC Championship game.

However, they lose points for having a stronger first-half, and for that ugly 35-7 loss at cold, windy Soldier Field.

Their struggles in Chicago would be a precursor to their poor home performance in the cold against the New York Giants, in what turned out to be the last game of the Brett Favre era in Green Bay.

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Where’s the West Coast? Finding Flaws in the Packers’ Offensive Strategy

In lieu of massive offensive line problems and an inconsistent running game, a critical question hasn’t come up nearly enough in discussing the Green Bay Packer offense.

What happened to head coach Mike McCarthy’s West Coast attack?

Under quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the offense has placed an increasing emphasis on down field routes and cashing in on big plays while easing off of the more fundamental West Coast offense McCarthy employed with Brett Favre.

Remember the quick-hitting slants and hot reads that allowed Packer receivers to rack up copious amounts of yards after the catch with Favre at the helm?

I do, and it was beautiful.

It worked to perfection in 2007 and the Packers still have the personnel to excel with a similar attack, but they continue to look down field and expose their greatest weakness.

Namely their alarmingly porous offensive line.

Rodgers is taking a great deal of heat for holding onto the ball, and with good reason. But it’s not as if he enjoys getting beat like a pinata.

His receivers are all long down field for the most part, and the offense often fails to hit the hot read out of the backfield.

Or a simpler equation. A bad offensive line coupled with slow-developing routes and a turnover-conscious quarterback (usually) equals Aaron Rodgers getting the crap kicked out of him for sixty minutes.

Sound like a winning formula?

The philosophy also helps explain the decline of Greg Jennings this season. Wonder what happened to him?

It’s not a matter of the money going to his head or a sign of slippage in his game, he just isn’t being utilized properly.

Jennings is an excellent route-runner and has a knack for piling up yards after the catch. However, he is not an elite jump-ball guy like a Larry Fitzgerald or Randy Moss or a blazing speedster.

If the offense remembers its identity and gets back to timing slants and other quick, precise routes that compliment Jennings’ abilities, you will see him re-emerge as an elite receiver.

Donald Driver has had an exceptional year catching some of those slants and turning them into big plays, opportunities Jennings hasn’t had nearly enough of.

Driver has also made some spectacular down field catches (the one-hander against St. Louis comes to mind), but he too is more of a after-the-catch type of player.

This isn’t to say that the offense isn’t still putting up points and picking up yards in bunches.

But the philosophy is flawed.

The line is too porous to avoid giving up a critical drive-killing sack or penalty as the Packers repeatedly attempt to hit the big-play jackpot, and Green Bay will continue to struggle maintaining a consistent attack with their current approach.

Instead of consistently trying to hit a home run, the Packers need to get back to hitting some singles and doubles offensively, which is really what the West Coast offense is all about.

McCarthy is getting away from his own proven offensive blueprint and Aaron Rodgers’ body is footing the bill.

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Want to Rattle Brett Favre? Cheer Him on Sunday

The manner in which the Lambeau faithful greet Brett Favre this Sunday is perhaps more intriguing than the very important divisional game itself.

Will fans stay loyal to the green and gold and boo the man who helped put the title back in Titletown? Or will they cheer the greybeard who still happens to have the best-selling jersey in the state?

Perhaps even more intriguing is how Favre will react to the moment. 

Always a guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve, I truly believe that the reaction that would impact him the most would be a cascade of cheers.

As a competitor, getting booed voraciously will turn Sunday’s tilt into more of a normal football game. It would be Favre entering a hostile environment trying to shut up a noisy crowd not unlike a traditional road game.

Getting booed on the road is par for the course.

And when properly motivated, Favre can be an incredible force on the football field.

He can feed off of that negative energy and use it to do precisely what he went to Minnesota to do—stick it to Ted Thompson and the Packers.

But getting cheered would dull that edge that Favre has been sharpening against the Packers since he left for New York over a year ago.

Would he be able to bring all that angry motivation to the field after hearing the respect and admiration many fans still have for No. 4?

I think it would suck the life right out of him.

Though I believe that true Packer fans should save their applause for Favre until he is inevitably honored at Lambeau or in Canton, I’d love to see how Favre would respond to a classy ovation from the Green Bay faithful before the game.

Either way, it should be a surreal sight on Sunday.

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Packers Shine While Division Rivals Show Vulnerability

Playing the hapless Cleveland Browns proved to be the perfect elixir for the Green Bay Packers’ offensive struggles.

The Packers played their most complete game of the season Sunday, running the ball effectively and keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers clean and upright for the first time all season.

Rodgers was brutally efficient with time in the pocket, completing 15 of 20 passes for 246 yards and three scores as the Browns struggled to mount a pass-rush against the Pack.

But the real story was the running of Ryan Grant, who finally broke free for 148 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Even though the Browns were without standout linebacker D’Quell Jackson, Grant appeared to run with more purpose on Sunday, running tougher than he has in some time.

Perhaps it was the Ahman Green signing that woke him up, or maybe it was just poor tackling, but Grant and the offensive line looked much improved.

Grant doesn’t need to put up 150 for the offense to be effective, but he does need to be more productive to take pressure off of Rodgers and the passing game.

A few more solid games from Grant and defenses will at least have to account for the Packers so-far meek running game.

In addition the defense kept up their strong play, albeit against a Cleveland group lacking playmakers and an offensive identity.

Green Bay held their second straight opponent under 150 yards of offense and forced two turnovers, an impressive feat no matter the competition.

The Packers have now beaten their last two opponents by a combined score of 57-3, exactly the kind of dominance you want to see out of your team against inferior competition.

But beating Cleveland convincingly was not the story of the weekend for the Packers. It was the fashion in which two of their main rivals lost on Sunday that may prove to be a turning point in the NFC North race.

Cincinnati dominated Chicago at the line of scrimmage and Carson Palmer led the Bengals offense to scores on all five of their first-half possessions en route to a 45-10 thrashing of the Bears.

The vulnerable Chicago secondary was exposed by Palmer who threw more touchdowns (five) than incompletions (four.)

And without defensive standouts Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris, the Bengals also ran the ball at will on Chicago, with Cedric Benson punishing the team that once cut him for 189 yards and a touchdown.

While Chicago gets a breather next week against Cleveland, injuries have really depleted the Bears defense and the offense has been unable to pick up the slack.

Minus Urlacher and the playmaking defense that Lovie Smith’s Bears are known for, it’s hard to see them making a strong playoff push unless Cutler, Forte, and the offense can get it going.

After a series of close calls, the Vikings finally lost on Sunday as well, the victim of two costly fourth quarter turnovers that the opportunistic Steelers cashed in for a 27-17 win.

Brett Favre threw 51 times in an alarming trend for Minnesota, as the Vikings have increasingly gotten away from the running game and their all-world back Adrian Peterson.

Minnesota fans got their first taste of the turnover-prone version of Favre Sunday, who coughed up a fumble and a pick for touchdowns in Pittsburgh as the Vikings got away from their bread and butter of running the ball down opponents throats.

At 40, Favre and his historic arm will carry the Vikings only so far.

The Vikings strength is still their running game, and the more that they divert from their gameplan of running AP, controlling the clock, and letting Favre pick apart defenses stacked against the run, the more vulnerable they become.

Though he picked the Packers apart just a few weeks ago, the older Favre often keeps both teams in the game, and the Vikings are a more beatable team with No. 4 shouldering the offensive load.

Let’s hope they forget about their defensive back crushing ball-carrier for another week.

Leading into the media frenzy that will be Favre Bowl II, the Packers appear to be slowly improving while their division rivals reveal their flaws.

After all of the issues on the offensive line and a slow start to the 3-4 transition, the Packers are only a home victory away from being just a half game out of first place in the NFC North.

If they can build on their strong performances of the last two weeks and continue to come together, that’s not a bad spot to be.

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Packers Shine While Division Shows Vulnerability

Playing the hapless Cleveland Browns proved to be the perfect elixir for the Green Bay Packers’ offensive struggles.

The Packers played their most complete game of the season Sunday, running the ball effectively and keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers clean and upright for the first time all season.

Rodgers was brutally efficient with time in the pocket, completing 15 of 20 passes for 246 yards and three scores as the Browns struggled to mount a pass-rush against the Pack.

But the real story was the running of Ryan Grant, who finally broke free for 148 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Even though the Browns were without standout linebacker D’Quell Jackson, Grant appeared to run with more purpose on Sunday, running tougher than he has in some time.

Perhaps it was the Ahman Green signing that woke him up, or maybe it was just poor tackling, but Grant and the offensive line looked much improved.

Grant doesn’t need to put up 150 for the offense to be effective, but he does need to be more productive to take pressure off of Rodgers and the passing game.

A few more solid games from Grant and defenses will at least have to account for the Packers so-far meek running game.

In addition the defense kept up their strong play, albeit against a Cleveland group lacking playmakers and an offensive identity.

Green Bay held their second straight opponent under 150 yards of offense and forced two turnovers, an impressive feat no matter the competition.

The Packers have now beaten their last two opponents by a combined score of 57-3, exactly the kind of dominance you want to see out of your team against inferior competition.

But beating Cleveland convincingly was not the story of the weekend for the Packers. It was the fashion in which two of their main rivals lost on Sunday that may prove to be a turning point in the NFC North race.

Cincinnati dominated Chicago at the line of scrimmage and Carson Palmer led the Bengals offense to scores on all five of their first-half possessions en route to a 45-10 thrashing of the Bears.

The vulnerable Chicago secondary was exposed by Palmer who threw more touchdowns (five) than incompletions (four.)

And without defensive standouts Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris, the Bengals also ran the ball at will on Chicago, with Cedric Benson punishing the team that once cut him for 189 yards and a touchdown.

While Chicago gets a breather next week against Cleveland, injuries have really depleted the Bears defense and the offense has been unable to pick up the slack.

Minus Urlacher and the playmaking defense that Lovie Smith’s Bears are known for, it’s hard to see them making a strong playoff push unless Cutler, Forte, and the offense can get it going.

After a series of close calls, the Vikings finally lost on Sunday as well, the victim of two costly fourth quarter turnovers that the opportunistic Steelers cashed in for a 27-17 win.

Brett Favre threw 51 times in an alarming trend for Minnesota, as the Vikings have increasingly gotten away from the running game and their all-world back Adrian Peterson.

Minnesota fans got their first taste of the turnover-prone version of Favre Sunday, who coughed up a fumble and a pick for touchdowns in Pittsburgh as the Vikings got away from their bread and butter of running the ball down opponents throats.

At 40, Favre and his historic arm will carry the Vikings only so far.

The Vikings strength is still their running game, and the more that they divert from their gameplan of running AP, controlling the clock, and letting Favre pick apart defenses stacked against the run, the more vulnerable they become.

Though he picked the Packers apart just a few weeks ago, the older Favre often keeps both teams in the game, and the Vikings are a more beatable team with No. 4 shouldering the offensive load.

Let’s hope they forget about their defensive back crushing ball-carrier for another week.

Leading into the media frenzy that will be Favre Bowl II, the Packers appear to be slowly improving while their division rivals reveal their flaws.

After all of the issues on the offensive line and a slow start to the 3-4 transition, the Packers are only a home victory away from being just a half game out of first place in the NFC North.

If they can build on their strong performances of the last two weeks and continue to come together, that’s not a bad spot to be.

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Favre/Rodgers: How An Old Matchup Applies to Monday Night’s Showdown

For a regular season contest, the stakes seemingly couldn’t be higher when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers invade Brett Favre’s Metrodome Monday night.

Yep, that’s still pretty weird to read.

Favre. Rodgers. Ted Thompson. Adrian Peterson. The Packers’ D finally getting a crack at No. 4.

The game has enough juicy subplots and “sex appeal” that even Tony Kornheiser probably couldn’t use enough hyperbole to describe what the atmosphere will be like when the green and gold take on one of the legends of their franchise in prime time.

And when all is said and done, ridiculous snap judgments will be made hinging on the outcome.

If Favre and the Vikings take care of business at home, the ol’ gunslinger will have proven Ted Thompson wrong and the Packers’ beleaguered general manager may find it difficult to leave his house for work Tuesday morning.

If the Packers and Thompson’s drafted successor Aaron Rodgers prevail, TT will be praised for his courage in preventing Favre from playing “Will he or won’t he” in Green Bay offseason after offseason and be praised as a genius.

Call me crazy, but I say it’s one game. An important divisional game, but one game.

And I rely on history to prove it.

Back on Sept. 11, 1994 in Kansas City, Joe Montana and his Chiefs took on Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers in a game eerily similar in circumstances to what we will see on Monday night.

Montana, like Favre, led his franchise out of a bleak era and lifted them to glory, winning four Super Bowls as he cultivated his clutch pedigree in the 1980s.

His name was synonymous with San Francisco and Joe Cool was undoubtedly one of the finest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

But nothing lasts forever.

Injuries sidelined Montana for the 1991 and all but one game of the 1992 season, and by that time, backup Steve Young had seized the reins of the Niners’ famed west-coast offense.

After an MVP season from Young in 1992, the 49ers did the unthinkable, trading the face of their franchise to Kansas City, with a showdown at Arrowhead following more than a year later.

Just as the Packers 6-10 campaign in 2008 made fans wonder how the team would have fared with Favre behind center, especially in so many tight games, a growing number of 49ers fans pondered how Montana and his reputation as a big-game performer would have impacted crushing playoff losses to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993 with Young at the helm.

Meanwhile Montana, along with fellow star veteran Marcus Allen who came over from Oakland, revived Kansas City in leading them to the 1993 AFC Championship game.

Whether it be out-dueling John Elway in an epic battle on Monday Night Football or steering the Chiefs to two playoff victories, Montana still had the proverbial “it,” and Niners fans simply weren’t convinced Young had those clutch intangibles.

Their Week Two matchup did nothing to dispel that notion.

Young threw two costly interceptions and was sacked for a safety while Montana played an efficient, mistake-free game in a 24-17 Kansas City victory.

The whispers grew to a roar after a horrendous 40-8 home loss to Philadelphia three weeks later, as Young and his teammates were booed off the field.

It appeared obvious that San Francisco had made a colossal mistake in choosing Young over the legendary Montana.

Despite the statistics and two straight NFC Championship game appearances, many fans believed Young just didn’t have what it took to be a leader and a champion.

He just wasn’t Montana.

Four months later, Young was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after dissecting the San Diego Chargers for six touchdowns in Super Bowl XXIX.

The Niners lost only a meaningless Week 17 game against Minnesota in between.

Rodgers has a lot of work to do to catch up to Young in terms of on-field credentials, but he faces many of the same questions as Young did in 1994.

Is he just a stats guy or can he be the leader and the winner that his predecessor was? Can he display some of the same intangibles?

Time will tell but no matter the outcome, the answers likely won’t come out of this Monday night showdown.

Bottom line, if the Packers lose to Favre and the Vikings, it will be a gut-wrenching loss that will lead to a lot of unanswered questions and hasty judgments about the decision at quarterback and the future of the franchise.

But step back off of that ledge Packers fans.

Rodgers will still be a promising quarterback, and the team will still be one with a great deal of talent and ability, kind of like Steve Young and the Niners were.

And they proved you can never be quite sure what is coming next.

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Flawed Approach: How Ted Thompson Miscalculated Building the Packers’ O-Line

Through two games, it’s no secret that the Packers’ Achilles’ heel is clearly protecting franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers has competed valiantly through two games, but suffering 10 sacks in two games is simply unacceptable in the NFL.

Even when he isn’t getting sacked, he is still getting drilled and being prevented from stepping into his throws.

Couple that with the fact that the Packers have struggled mightily in the running game as well, and you have a potentially explosive offense that is getting handcuffed by the line and its inability to allow plays to develop.

Having all of those playmakers at receiver doesn’t matter if you don’t have time to get them the ball.

As a result, Rodgers is on borrowed time if he continues to get hit like he has, and the holes Ryan Grant needs to break big gains just aren’t there.

At least some guys are happy with Green Bay’s line play. Antwan Odom sends his regards, Daryn Colledge.

I think he’ll send you the really nice watch Rodgers won’t be buying you for the extra $10 million you made him on his next free agency deal.

Odom had three sacks last season for Cincinnati—three!—and 17.5 for his six-year NFL career before his five-sack effort Sunday.

I shudder to think what a Jared Allen or Justin Tuck would do to Rodgers at this point. Hide the women and children!

So where did the line play go so wrong?

What it really comes back to is the game plan put in place by general manager Ted Thompson to rebuild the line following the departure of two blue-chippers in Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera in 2004.

Those two were the last All-Pro caliber guys the Packers featured along the offensive line, and while they weren’t worth the money they received in free agency considering their age at the time, Green Bay has yet to replace them.

The harsh truth is that Thompson’s philosophy since then has been quantity over quality along the line.

While he has spent high draft picks at other less urgent areas offensively on guys like Brandon Jackson and Jordy Nelson (a blue-chipper in the first round for Justin Harrell sure sounds good right now as well), Thompson has used mostly mid-round selections on the line.

Sometimes you get what you pay for.

The result has been an offensive line that lacks physicality and that blue-chip anchor that every unit needs.

The highest pick of the bunch, former second-round pick Colledge, has been mediocre at best on the interior and is now being asked to fill in for Chad Clifton after giving up three sacks at tackle on Sunday.

Hard-working but smallish former seventh-rounder Scott Wells will retake his center spot, while the beefier Jason Spitz will likely slide over to left guard with Clifton out.

Fourth-rounder Allen Barbre, who got beat like a drum by Adewale Ogunleye last week, and fellow fourth-rounder Josh Sitton round out what the Packers will put out there in St. Louis.

Outside of Clifton, who is getting up there in age, the Packers are trusting their potentially prolific offense to a group of young, mid-round picks who haven’t shown the ability to consistently perform at the NFL level.

Meaning the Packers offense is sort of like owning a Ferrari in the middle of a Green Bay winter—you’ve got a sweet car, but you can’t figure out how to get it out of the garage.

The other glaring issue along the line has been the Packers’ inability to add a quality veteran to a young group.

Thompson is famously reluctant to make free agency splashes, but he has helped stabilize other areas of the team with some key signings.

Obviously, Charles Woodson has been a godsend for the defensive backfield, but the Brandon Chillar signing was huge for the linebacking corps, and Ryan Pickett has been an anchor for the defensive front as well.

But he has made no attempt to bring in a quality veteran to aid his young line, and they are in crisis mode now because of it.

Head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive line coach James Campen have an enormous task ahead of them. Their leaky line is threatening to sink an explosive offense, and they will likely have to fix it without reinforcements.

Maybe they bring Mark Tauscher back, but who knows what he has left?

Teams have no doubt seen what Cincinnati and Chicago have done to the Packers’ offensive front and have to smell blood in the water coming after Rodgers right now.

Bottom line, no matter how well the revamped defense plays, this team will struggle if they don’t find a way to shore up their line play.

And if they don’t, Packer fans may have a familiar villain to blame for the mess.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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