The Packers control their own destiny as they will make it into the playoffs with a win over the Bears on Sunday.  If the Packers somehow lose this game (I highly doubt it) then they would need both the Giants and Bucs to lose to make the playoffs.  The Bears are locked in as the NFC North Champions and the #2 seed throughout the playoffs.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to come out of the locker room firing the football all over the field.  I look for Aaron Rodgers to spread the field with 4 WR sets and then pick the Bears apart by moving the ball around to Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Donald Driver.  After the Packers get a commanding lead in this game then they will start handing the ball off to Brandon Jackson, John Kuhn and James Starks.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears aren’t going to risk injuries to their top players in this game.  That means Caleb Hanie will likely play a lot at QB for the Bears and the Packers should be able to make a lot of big plays against him.  Chester Taylor will likely get the bulk of the work in the running game and I’m sure the Packers’ front seven is shaking in their shoes!

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 30, BEARS 10

25-year old WR Jordy Nelson is really improving as a WR for the Packers.  He has played in 15 games for the Packers this year and he has caught 43 passes for 543 yards (12.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Nelson has now played in 44 games in his first three years with the Packers and he has caught 98 passes for 1,229 yards (12.5 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Nelson is proving to be a very valuable asset to the offense this season for the Packers.  He has a bright future.

26-year old WR James Jones has stepped up this season with Donald Driver being a tad gimpy.  Jones has played in 15 games for the Packers so far this year and he has caught 49 passes for 671 yards (13.7 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He has had over 100 yards receiving in a game twice so far this season.  Jones has now played in 57 games in his first four years with the Packers and he has caught 148 passes for 2,061 yards (13.9 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  If Donald Driver ever retires, Jones would likely move into the starting lineup.

The Packers were outstanding on both sides of the ball in this football game.  Aaron Rodgers returned with a vengeance yesterday as he completed 25 of 37 passes for 404 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 26 yards (13.0 ypc) in this game.  Brandon Jackson led the way on the ground for the Packers in this game with 39 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.2 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 10 yards.  Dimitri Nance pitched in with 32 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.6 ypc) yesterday.  John Kuhn rushed for 22 yards on 6 carries (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 2 passes for 7 yards with a TD reception.  WRs Greg Jennings (7 rec, 142 yards) and Jordy Nelson (4 rec, 124 yards, TD) led the way for the Packers in the passing game yesterday.  WR Donald Driver (3 rec, 44 yards), WR James Jones (4 rec, 36 yards, TD) and TE Donald Lee (2 rec, 4 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Packers in the passing game yesterday.  The Packers finished up with 119 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 37 passes for 396 yards as they had possession of the ball for 37:01!

The Packers’ D forced an amazing 6 turnovers as they were making plays all over the football field.  LB Desmond Bishop led the way for the Packers in this game with 9 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Safety Nick Collins (INT, FR), safety Atari Bigby (FR), CB Tramon Williams (INT), LB A.J. Hawk (INT) and CB Sam Shields (INT) made HUGE plays for the Packers in this game.  The Giants finished up with 90 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 33 passes for 296 yards.  The Packers are now 9-6 on the season and they control their own destiny playoff wise.  A win over the Bears at Lambeau Field next weekend gets the Pack back to the playoffs.

This should be an outstanding game as both teams desperately need a win to stay in the playoff hunt.  The Packers are 5-1 at home this year and they are getting Aaron Rodgers back this week.  The Giants are coming off the most devastating loss of the season for ANY team.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are likely to get back to the passing game this week with Aaron Rodgers under center.  The Giants have 42 sacks already this year so they are going to be bringing the heat after Rodgers.  Rodgers will likely fight that by spreading the field and throwing short passes.  Brandon Jackson had a big game last week against the Patriots and the Packers will try to keep him rolling this weekend.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Packers are going to have to tighten up the chinstraps to deal with the Giants’ running game as they are averaging 144.9 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.  Ahmad Bradshaw & Brandon Jacobs are a tough pair to deal with because  they have such different styles of running.  Something has to give with the pass rush in this game as the Packers have 40 sacks this year while Eli Manning has only been sacked 15 times this year.  Even if Manning has time to throw he’s going to have to deal with the Packers’ secondary and the Pack has 18 interceptions so far this year.  The Packers will likely double team Hakeem Nicks and dare Manning to try to beat them through the air with Mario Manningham & Kevin Boss.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 28, GIANTS 23

The Packers played hard in this game before falling  just short in New England.  The Packers came out ready to rock in this game as they recovered a onside kick on the first play of the game and the offense then drove down the field and put a FG on the scoreboard.  Overall, Matt Flynn’s first NFL start went pretty good.  Flynn completed 24 of 37 passes for 251 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (it was returned 36 yards for a TD by Patriots’ CB Kyle Arrington).  Flynn also carried the ball 3 times for 13 yards but he lost a fumble.  Brandon Jackson carried the ball 22 times for 99 yards (4.5 ypc) to lead the way on the ground for the Packers in this game.  John Kuhn only rushed for 21 yards on 6 carries (3.5 ypc) but he also caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) with a TD grab.  WRs James Jones (5 rec, 95 yards, TD) and Greg Jennings (4 rec, 30 yards, TD) led the way in the passing for the Packers last Sunday Night.  The Packers finished up with 143 yards rushing on 38 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 37 passes for 226 yards as they had possession of the football for 40:48.

LB Desmond Bishop (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack) and DT B.J. Raji (4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) led the way for the Packers’ D in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 113 yards rushing on 16 carries (7.1 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes for 136 yards).  The Packers also had a blip on special teams that cost them dearly in this game when they squibbed a kick that was returned 71 yards but offensive guard Dan Connolly to ste them up inside the Packers’ 10-yard line.  The Packers are now 8-6 on the season.

The Packers need a little more out of 22-year old rookie TE Andrew Quarless.  He has seen increased playing time as the year has went on due to the injuries that have ransacked the depth chart at TE for the Packers.  Quarless has played in 10 games for the Packers so far this year and he has caught 17 passes for 205 yards (12.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He was a 5th round pick (#154 overall) out of Penn State last April.  When you take that in consideration the Packers are probably happy with him this year.

25-year old QB Matt Flynn will be in the spotlight for the Packers tomorrow night in New England when he starts in the place of the injured Aaron Rodgers.  Flynn has played in 5 games for the Packers so far this year and he has completed 16 of 29 passes (55.2%) for 182 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (59.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 6 times for 13 yards (2.2 ypc) so far this year for the Packers.  Flynn has now played in 27 games (mostly as a holder) in the NFL and he has completed 25 of 46 passes (54.3%) for 246 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs (51.5 QB Rating).  Flynn has also carried the ball 15 times for 12 yards (0.8 ypc) so far in his NFL career.  The Packers’ season is on the line tomorrow night in New England so they need Matt Flynn to step up….big time.

The Packers have placed 27-year old safety Anthony Smith on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season.  Smith played in 4 games for the Packers this year and he had 7 tackles.  He played in 7 games overall this year for the Packers & Jaguars and he finished up with 22 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  The Packers needed Smith’s roster spot to sign 25-year old QB Graham Harrell off the practice squad.  The former Texas Tech Red Raider QB will be Matt Flynn’s backup tomorrow night in New England.

The Packers not only lost the game (7-3) to the Lions last week, but they have also lost starting QB Aaron Rodgers to his second concussion of the year.  This came at the worst possible time for the Packers as they will take on the Patriots in Foxboro with Matt Flynn starting at QB.  The Patriots have the best record in the AFC and they are 2 games ahead of the Jets in the AFC East.  This is a “must win” game for both teams.  Tom Brady has won 26 consecutive regular season home games and he is 31-5 (86.1%) in December in his career.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are likely going to shift gears offensively relying more on the running game than the pass.  Brandon Jackson, James Starks & John Kuhn will be taking on a Patriots’ D that is allowing 108.9 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry so they could have some success on the ground.  Matt Flynn will likely keep the passing game shorter than Aaron Rodgers generally does.  So he will be depending on his receivers to make plays after the catch.

When the Patriots have the ball:  This is the type of game that Tom Brady loves.  The Packers have 37 sacks this year so they will be coming after Brady.  Brady often makes teams play for blitzing him as he likes to keep the passing game short.  He also uses everyone he can so that the Packers won’t be able to double anyone.  The Patriots will also run the ball too with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead against a Packers’ D that is allowing 117.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 38, PACKERS 17