It all comes down to this. After 15 regular season games (9 wins and 6 losses), the Green Bay Packers play one more game on Sunday and if they win, they clinch the NFC North title. They face division rivals the Detroit Lions, a team they’re currently tied with.
And while coaches and players say every single game in a season matters, Green Bay Press-Gazette Packers columnist Pete Dougherty says this game really matters. If the Packers beat the Lions, it’s an automatic ticket to the playoffs.
“This is as big as it gets,” said Dougherty. “This is the chance to get into, what coaches call, ‘the tournament.’ That’s the goal. I think every team thinks that if they can get into the tournament, they’ve got a chance to get to the Super Bowl.”
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If Green Bay loses Sunday, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re out for the season. Dougherty said a handful of scenarios could play out that would allow the team to move forward. For example, if Washington loses to the New York Giants, the Packers are in the playoffs no matter what.
Much of that burden of success falls on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, said Dougherty, and that can be comforting to Packers fans, since Rodgers has been playing incredibly strong in recent weeks.
“He’s one of the elite, one of the two or three best,” said Dougherty. “He’s been playing lights-out during the five game winning streak.”
Rodgers’ success dominated sports conversations this last week, with many questioning whether he could take home his third NFL MVP title. Rodgers was previously crowned MVP in 2011 and 2014. But Dougherty isn’t so sure. He said the media members who select the league’s MVP generally takes a player’s performance during an entire season into account. Given that Rodgers struggled during the first half, it may be too late.
“So my guess is that it’s Ezekiel Elliot, running back for the (Dallas) Cowboys will probably end up winning it,” said Dougherty “The MVPs, as great as they are, are a lot less important than winning a championship. If (Rodgers) can keep playing like he has, then they have a real chance of going to the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl.”
This week, Dougherty wrote about how Rodgers fits the textbook definition of “being in the zone.”
Rodgers told the Press-Gazette, “From the first throw today (Dec. 24), I was in a different head space. I just felt that I was, for whatever reason, at a heightened awareness and focus and I was seeing things better. I was playing slower in my mind from the start. A good place to be at. You wish you could harness that every single game.”
According to Dougherty, Rodgers has, “been in the zone for over a month now. He’s been in there before for long stretches. They have some other things going for them too besides that, but the number one thing is that if your quarterback is going great, you have a chance to do a lot of damage in this league.”
Those other things going for them include Ty Montgomery’s successful transition from being a receiver to becoming a powerhouse running back. There’s also the return of tight end Jared Cook. Plus, the relationship between wide receiver Jordy Nelson and Rodgers. The two are now the most successful quarterback-receiver duo in Packers’ history with 59 touchdowns together. This surpasses the previous record set by former quarterback Brett Favre and former receiver Antonio Freeman.
“Their chemistry is so good,” said Dougherty. “They’ve been playing together since 2008. They’re chewing up defenses. It was textbook last week (against the Minnesota Vikings). I don’t think two guys have better chemistry in the league than Rodgers and Nelson right now.”
Dougherty said the Packers are arguably the hottest team in the NFL right now. But, he said even hot teams get beat.
“They could go to Detroit, lose, and their season would be over,” said Dougherty. “But if they win … I wouldn’t say I’d bet on them to win the Super Bowl … but I’d say they have a real chance to make a long run and maybe even win the Super Bowl.”
The Packers play the Lions in Detroit on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
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