NFC Divisional Playoff Preview: Green Bay At Arizona
Saturday, January 16th 2016, 8:15 ET (NBC)
Commentators: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
The Saturday night game of the divisional round will take place between the 10-6 Green Bay Packers and 13-3 Arizona Cardinals. Green Bay is coming off a win over the Washington Redskins in the wildcard round. Vegas has placed the Cardinals as 7.5 point favorites. Let’s take a look at reasons why each team can advance to the conference championship game.
Why Green Bay Will Win:
- It’s Still Aaron Rodgers, He’s Been Here Before
Green Bay entered the postseason looking like a complete mess, yet found ways to turn it around winning their first postseason game 35-18. Can he do it again? Of course, maybe he was right it’s time to R.E.L.A.X. As well as Carson Palmer has played for Arizona, I would still rather have Rodgers during a game winning drive.
- Playoff Experience:
Head Coach Mike McCarthy will be coaching his 15th playoff game with numerous wins on the road. The last time Green Bay won a championship they were also 10-6. Let’s not forget Bruce Arians will only be coaching his 2nd playoff game. The first didn’t end to well failing miserably with Ryan Lindley as his quarterback. This time they have Carson Palmer but even he hasn’t won a playoff game! Palmer was 0-2 during his Cincinnati tenure but that may not be his entire fault. This is the Bengals we are talking about. Arizona’s indoor stadium will keep the weather conditions favorable for Rodgers to work his magic.
- Green Bay’s Offensive/Defensive Skill Players Are Talented
While the loss of Jordy Nelson cannot be understated this is a team that doesn’t lack talent. We saw how many ways Randall Cobb can be effective in the offense being lined up all over the field. James Jones is effective and tight end Richard Rodgers has been a security blanket all season.
Defensively they do match up quite well actually. Green Bay is one of the deepest secondary’s in the league. Two worth noting are Casey Hayward and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Hayward will be the top corner with Sam Shields expected to miss the game. Clinton-Dix was one of my favorite players in the 2014 draft and has really been improving each and every week.
WHY Arizona Will Win:
- The Cardinals Beat The Pack 38-8 In Week 16
Should we really expect anything different this time around? The Cardinals are clearly the better team. Not only that but Arizona has a track record of blowing teams out which should make you feel okay giving up the large points spread. The Cardinals have won 7 games by at least 14 points, a mark that is simply remarkable. They have also put up at least 34 points in a game 8 times this season. This Cardinals team is for real. Don’t expect any sort of crazy revenge game from Green Bay, even Aaron Rodgers knows this team isn’t the same Packer team from a few years ago.
- Vegas Likes Arizona
Vegas likes Arizona by at least 11 which covers the point spread firmly. Again if there is one sports fan I will trust its Vegas. There is no bias there they are simply in the money making business. Again this would make sense given the previous meeting in week 16. Right now you would have to think the red birds have the advantage in every facet of the game. There would be no reason to go against conventional wisdom in this one.
- Arizona Dominated The Trenches
The most important take away during the previous meeting between these two was the war in the trenches. Rodgers took a beating and was sacked 9 times and fumbled the ball 5 times. This would make sense after all as former center J.C. Tretter is the incumbent left tackle at the moment. Green Bay’s offensive line is a complete catastrophe right now.
Arizona didn’t run the ball overly well last meeting but they did have some success having 3 players rush for a combined 123 yards. Starter David Johnson only received 9 carries partially due to the blowout in score. This evidence suggests they should be able to run the ball which is extremely important if Green Bay finds a ways to slow the passing game down.
Def Pen Staff Picks:
David Morrow – Arizona Cardinals
Rob Lopez – Arizona Cardinals
Honi Ahmadian – Arizona Cardinals
In the end I found Arizona as the easy pick in this one. I expect Green Bay to revert to their old ways as they simply are not a dominant team this year. People also drastically under rate this Cardinal team, as they may very well be my favorite to reach the Super Bowl.
