The Green Bay Packers are making a very serious run at a undefeated record in 2011,  and the Giants are likely the toughest game they will have the rest of the regular season.  The Giants have lost three games in a row, in which they have been outscored 93-54!  The Giants need this game in the worst way.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers aren’t going to change for the Giants, as Aaron Rodgers is going to come after them with his right arm.  The Giants have 31 sacks on the year, so they are going to be coming after Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers will likely be getting rid of the ball quickly, using all of his WRs and TEs to catch shorter passes and make something happen with their legs.  The Giants just don’t have the depth in the secondary to cover all of Rodgers’ receivers effectively.  James Starks and Ryan Grant will give the Packers some ground support when they are called on.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are likely to have Ahmad Bradshaw back in this game.  But, he’s likely going to be on a hit count, so Brandon Jacobs will also get his work in.  The Packers are giving up 4.9 yards per carry, so the Giants might have some success on the ground.  The Packers like to get after the QB, but the Giants’ O-Line has protected Eli Manning pretty well so far this year.  He has very solid weapons in WRs Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and TE Jake Ballard…..but the Packers have 22 interceptions this year, so they are going to be ballhawking in this game.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 33, GIANTS 30

29-year old fullback John Kuhn knows how to get over the goal line for the Packers.  He has played in 11 games so far this year for the Packers and he has carried the ball 14 times for 20 yards (1.4 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Kuhn has also caught 12 passes for 56 yards (4.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  He has now played in 73 games in his first five years with the Packers and he has carried the ball 114 times for 329 yards (2.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  Kuhn has also caught 40 passes for 228 yards (5.7 avg) with 8 TD grabs in his career with the Packers.  Aaron Rodgers is very comfortable in handing the ball off or throwing it to John Kuhn when he gets near the goal line, so look for him to continue getting his fair share of Lambeau Leaps.

The Packers smoked  the Lions yesterday in Detroit.  Aaron Rodgers spread the ball around to 9 different receivers yesterday as he was outstanding once again.  He completed 22 of 33 passes for 307 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Ryan Grant led the way on the ground for the Packers with 20 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 20 yards (6.7 avg) in his game.  John Kuhn pitched in with 5 carries for 5 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 10 yards.  WRs James Jones (3 rec, 94 yards, TD) and Greg Jennings (5 rec, 74 yards, TD) led the way for the Packers in the passing game yesterday.  The Packers finished up with 53 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes (66.7%) for 296 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:12.

The defense gave up a lot of yards yesterday, but they did an outstanding job of keeping the Lions off the scoreboard.  LBs Erik Walden (8 tackles and 2 QB hits), D.J. Smith (6 tackles), A.J. Hawk (6 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and Clay Matthews (4 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) led the way for the Packers’ D yesterday.  CB Charles Woodson (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and LB Rob Francois (3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also made big plays on D for the Packers yesterday.  The Lions finished up with 136 yards rushing on 21 carries (6.5 ypc) and they also completed 32 of 45 passes (71.1%) for 273 yards in this game.  The Packers are now a perfect 11-0 on the season.

This game is going to be a blast later today as the Packers and Lions average a combined 65.6 points per game.  The Packers can’t afford to let up on the gas if they get the lead in this game as the Lions are the first team in NFL history to win three games in a season in which they were losing by 17 points at one point in the game!  The Lions want to win the AFC North and they are going to have to win this game to have any chance at that.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers aren’t going to change anything today.  Aaron Rodgers is going to spread the field and look for the open man.  The Lions have a pretty decent pass rush (27 sacks), so Rodgers will likely have to move around in the pocket a little more than usual in this game.  He will have to be careful with the ball too as the Lions already have 15 interceptions this year and they are averaging 22.1 yards per return.  The Lions do have a soft run defense as they are giving up 134.7 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry.  Don’t be surprised if Ryan Grant has a big game today.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are a pass first team, so the Packers are going to have to get after Matt Stafford.  Stafford has a nice set of receivers to throw to in Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler.  That is going to put pressure on the Packers’ secondary as they are giving up 289.3 yards passing per game so far this year.  RB Kevin Smith exploded last weekend against the Panthers and he will make the Packers’ D pay if they gang up to stop the passing game of the Lions.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 34, LIONS 31 IN O.T.

27-year old QB Aaron Rodgers has taken his game to a whole new level this year.  He has played in 10 games for the Packers so far this year and he has completed 238 of 329 passes (72.3%) for 3,168 yards with 31 TD passes and 4 INTs (128.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 48 times for 176 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far this year as he isn’t afraid to take off running when need be.  The Packers are going to go as far as Aaron Rodgers takes them this year as they have weaknesses, especially on defense this year.

The Packers had to play all the way to the end of the game to beat the Bucs today in Green Bay.  Aaron Rodgers was effective as he completed 23 of 34 passes for 299 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 28 yards (5.6 ypc) in this game.  James Starks led the way on the ground with 11 carries for 38 yards (3.5 ypc) and 6 grabs for 53 yards (8.8 avg) in this game before leaving injured.  Ryan Grant (4 carries for 16 yards), John Kuhn (1 carry for 2 yards with a TD) and DT B.J. Raji (1 carry for 1 yard with a TD) also pitched in offensively on the ground for the Packers today.  WR Jordy Nelson led the way for the Packers in the passing game today with 6 grabs for 123 yards (20.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  WR Donald Driver (4 rec, 72 yards) and TE Tom Crabtree (2 rec, 5 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Packers in the passing game today.  The Packers finished up with 91 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 34 passes (67.6%) for 287 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:39.

The defense was awful again for the Packers today.  CB Tramon Williams (9 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 2 interceptions) and LB Desmond Bishop (9 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss) led the way for the Packers on D in this game.  Safety Morgan Burnett (8 tackles) and LB Erik Walden (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) also had decent games for the Packers today.  The Buccaneers finished up with 121 yards rushing on 20 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 38 passes (73.7%) for 334 yards in this game.  The Packers are now a perfect 10-0 on the year.

The Green Bay Packers just seem to keep getting better as the defense is starting to play up to their ability as of late.  The Packers are winning by an average of 14.9 points per game so far this year.  The Buccaneers have lost three games in a row by a combined score of 88-43!  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 throwing the football around the field.  Aaron Rodgers is the best QB on the planet right now and he will be attacking a Bucs’ D that is allowing 263.0 yards passing per game so far this year.  The Packers have too many good receivers for the Bucs to cover, so I don’t see any way that the Packers don’t move the ball at will this Sunday.  The Bucs can’t stop the run either (138.2 yards rushing per game, 4.7 yards per carry), so James Starks and Ryan Grant will get a few carries each this Sunday.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Packers will try to gang up to stop RB LeGarrette Blount and dare the Bucs to try to beat them through the air.  Josh Freeman hasn’t looked right this year as he only has 9 TD passes to 13 INTs so far this year.  The Packers will take their chances with the WRs and TEs of the Buccaneers as not one of them strike fear into anyone’s heart.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 35, BUCCANEERS 13

25-year old outside linebacker Clay Matthews has been banged up most of this year and his production to this point in the year reflects that.  Matthews has played in all 9 games for the Packers so far this year and he has 28 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 5 passes defensed.  He has now played in 40 games in his first three years with the Packers and he has 139 tackles, 28.5 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception (he returned it for a TD) and 16 passes defensed.  The Packers hope that Matthews finishes this season strongly.

The Green Bay Packers destroyed the Vikings last night.  It started early as Randall Cobb returned a punt 80 yards for a TD after the Packers’ D stopped the Vikings on their opening drive.  The Packers didn’t look back.  Aaron Rodgers completed 23 of 30 passes for 250 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 21 yards (3.5 ypc) in this game.  Matt Flynn finished up this game by completing both of hiss pass attempts, good for 38 yards.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 0 yards (0.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  James Starks led the way on the ground for the Packers last night with 63 yards rushing on 13 carries (4.8 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 11 yards (3.7 avg) in this game.  FB John Kuhn didn’t get any carries last night but he did catch 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  TE Jermichael Finley (3 rec, 67 yards), WR Jordy Nelson (5 rec, 63 yards, 2 TD grabs) and WR Greg Jennings (3 rec, 32 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Packers last night.  The Packers rushed for 90 yards on 31 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 32 passes (78.1%) for 266 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:18.

The defense was outstanding last night for the Packers.  CB Charles Woodson (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 1 QB hit) and LB Desmond Bishop (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 3 QB hits) led the way for the Packers’ D in this game.  OLB Clay Matthews (5 tacckles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) and CB Tramon Williams (interception that he returned 21 yards for a TD) also had big impacts in this game for the Packers.  The Vikings finished up with 104 yards rushing on 22 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 34 passes (47.1%) for 162 yards last night.  The Packers are now a perfect 9-0 on the year.

The Packers are rolling as they are still undefeated on the season.  But, the Vikings gave the Packers a run for their money three weeks ago in Minnesota in a game the Pack won 33-27.  The Vikings have played much better with Christian Ponder at QB.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers throw the ball to set up the run.  Aaron Rodgers is likely going to pick apart the Vikings by spreading his receivers out and exploiting the mis-matches.  The Packers should be able to move the ball at will in the air against a Vikings’ D that is giving up 273.6 yards passing per game.  When the secondary drops back to deal with Rodgers’ passing, that’s when he’s going to hand the ball off to James Starks and Ryan Grant.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Packers better be ready for a very heavy dose of Adrian Peterson in this game as he is likely going to get 25-30 carries in this game.  The Packers are giving up 4.6 yards per carry this year, so Peterson should have a very solid game.  WR Percy Harvin is the Vikings’ gamebreaker, so look for the Packers to give safety help over the top to whichever corner is covering him.  The other receivers don’t worry the Packers much.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 38, VIKINGS 20