The Packers will be looking to reverse what happened against the Vikings last year when they were swept by a combined score of 68-49.  Brett Favre returned to stick it to his old team last year as he completed 41 of 59 passes (69.5%) for 515 yards with 7 TD passes  and 0 INTs against the Packers.  Aaron Rodgers played well against the Vikings but not good enough to win a game against them last season.  Rodgers completed 52 of 78 passes (66.7%) for 671 yards with 5 TD passes and 1 INT against the Vikings last year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Vikings only have six sacks so far this year so look for Aaron Rodgers to have a lot of time to throw the football.  The Packers will likely spread the field with 4 WRs a lot in this game with Rodgers spreading the ball around to Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson.  Anything the Packers get on the ground from Brandon Jackson & John Kuhn will be a bonus.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are likely going to come out running the ball against the Packers with Adrian Peterson.  The Packers are giving up 112.5 yards rushing and 4.5 yards per carry so Peterson is likely going to get his yards tomorrow night.  The Packers will likely be blitzing (they have 21 sacks already) a lot in this game to try to force Brett Favre into making some mistakes.  If Favre is on it will be a long night for the Packers’ D as Percy Harvin & Randy Moss are true gamebreakers.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 30, PACKERS 27

These two teams are both desperate to get back on the right track.  The Dolphins have lost their last two games by a combined score of 72-37!  The Packers have lost 2 of their last three games and they got outplayed in the game that they won against the Lions!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers offense will depend on who starts at QB.  If Aaron Rodgers is ready to go (he suffered a concussion last week) then it will be business as usual favoring the passing game.  If Rodgers can’t go and Matt Flynn has to start on Sunday I see the Packers running the ball a lot more than usual with Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn attacking a Fins’ run D that is allowing 117.8 yards rushing and 4.2 yards per carry so far this year.  Also, look for James Jones and Jordy Nelson to have much bigger roles in the offense starting this weekend with Jermichael Finley likely done for the season.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins are going to attempt to do what they do the best and that is running the football with Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams.  The Packers are giving up 104.8 yards rushing and 4.7 yards per carry so the Fins should have some success on the ground.  The Packers have 21 sacks and 6 interceptions so far this year so I see the Dolphins using a short passing game this weekend.

PREDICTION:  If Aaron Rodgers starts:  PACKERS 24, DOLPHINS 20       If Matt Flynn starts:  DOLPHINS 20, PACKERS 13

The Packers are coming off a hard fought win over the Lions in Green Bay last Sunday afternoon.  The Washington Redskins have been on the road the last two weeks losing against the Rams and then winning the “McNabb Bowl” in Philly.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Redskins allow 305.0 yards passing per game so this matchup sets up pretty well for the Packers.  Aaron Rodgers will come out throwing the ball and he will likely spread the wealth around so that the Redskins can’t key on anyone.  If the Packers get a quick lead look for them to try to mix in some run plays to John Kuhn and Brandon Jackson just to keep the Redskins’ D honest.  This game sets up as a 350+ yard passing game for Rodgers as long as the O-Line protects him.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Packers are giving up 118.3 yards rushing and 5.2 yards per carry so I fully expect the Redskins to come out running the ball like they did last weekend in Philly.  Ryan Torain is now the main back with Clinton Portis hurting and he’s likely going to get a lot of work this Sunday.  The Packers will be blitzing a lot to try to force Donovan McNabb into making mistakes.  That might just happen too because McNabb has only really been throwing the ball to TE Chris Cooley and WR Santana Moss.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 27, REDSKINS 17

The Packers outscored the Lions 60-12 in a sweep last season.  The Packers held the Lions to a measley 421 total yards on offense in the two games last year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  I see the Packers having a lot of fun on offense this Sunday against the Lions.  The Packers are going to come out passing against the Lions.  The Lions have 11 sacks and 3 interceptions so far this year but they are also allowing 265.0 yards passing per contest so Rodgers should have a good game.  Rodgers completed 57 of 76 passes (75%) for 706 yards with 5 TD passes and 1 INT last year against the Lions.  There should be plenty of receiving yards for Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley, James Jones and Jordy Nelson to split up this Sunday.  John Kuhn and Brandon Jackson will likely get a lot of work in the second half running the ball if the Packers have a big lead by then.

When the Lions have the ball:  I would have to think that the Lions are going to try to come out running the ball this Sunday.  The Packers are allowing 116.7 yards rushing and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  So look for Jahvid Best, Maurice Morris and Kevin Smith to get a lot of work.  The Packers already have 13 sacks this year so I expect that the Lions would keep the passing game of the shorter variety throwing the ball mostly to Calvin Johnson and TEs Brandon Pettigrew & Tony Scheffler. 

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 38, LIONS 10

It just doesn’t get any better than this on Monday Night Football.  A bitter rivalry between two 2-0 football teams.  The Packers swept the Bears by a combined score of 42-29 last year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers have been balanced so far this season running the ball 60 times and passing the ball 60 times.  That won’t be the case this Monday Night though as the Bears are only allowing 28.0 yards rushing per game and 1.4 yards per carry so far this year.  That means the Packers will be going to the air early and often in this football game.  To have success throwing the ball they are going to have to keep DE Julius Peppers out of Aaron Rodgers’ face which is where fullback John Kuhn and TE Brandon Manumaleuna come in.  If Rodgers has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big game against a Bears’ D allowing 261.0 yards passing per game this year.  Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley and David Lee give Rodgers a lot of big time targets to attack the Bears with.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears’ O-Line is not the best around so look for the Packers to turn loose OLB Clay Matthews (6 sacks this year) on Jay Cutler.  Cutler is off to a great start this year but he did not play well at all against the Packers last year.  He completed 40 of 72 passes (55.6%) for 486 yards with 3 TD passes and 6 INTs against the Packers.  The key for the Packers will be stopping RB Matt Forte who already has 267 yards combined rushing and receiving this year.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, BEARS 20

The Packers have to be licking their wounds a bit after a brutal battle with the Eagles over the weekend that caused both teams to lose a few players.  They won’t have to worry about getting hit that hard by the Bills who are a pretty soft team.  Here is a look at the match-ups in the home opener at Lambeau Field:

When the Packers have the football:  I look for the Packers to throw the ball all day long against the Bills.  If the Packers’ O-Line gives Rodgers time to throw the ball (and I have little doubt they will), I look for Rodgers to have a field day.  The Bills do have decent safeties but the Packers will likely have three receivers and Jermichael Finley on the field at the same time spreading out the D and letting Rodgers throw to the guy with the best match-up.  Don’t be shocked if the Packers have at least two guys go for 100+ yards receiving this weekend against the Bills.  After the air raid, look for the Packers to attack the smallish linebacker corps of the Bills with Brandon Jackson.

When the Bills have the ball:  I look for the Packers to gang up to stop the Bills’ running game.  Despite having a talented bunch of backs the Packers should be able to handle them as they aren’t too worried about the Bills’ passing attack.  Look for the Packers to sick CB Charles Woodson on Lee Evans all day long with them turning Clay Matthews loose on Trent Edwards whenever he drops back to throw the ball.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 34, BILLS 6

The Packers are clicking on all cylinders as this season is ready to begin as they were awesome in the pre-season.  The Packers are well equipped on both sides of the football to make a huge Super Bowl run this year.  Here is a look at Sunday’s match-up with the Eagles in Philly:

When the Packers have the football:  The Philadelphia Eagles have an impressive defense but that’s not going to stop the Packers from what they do best which is throwing the ball down the field.  To succeed in that venture the Packers are going to do a good job of keeping Eagles’ DEs Brandon Graham and Trent Cole out of Aaron Rodgers’ face.  If the Packers can do that look for Rodgers to spread the football around using Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley, James Jones, Jordy Nelson and David Lee.  The Packers will also pound Ryan Grant at the middle of the Eagles defense quite often to keep them honest.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Packers are likely going to be blitzing right when they get off the team bus in an attempt to rattle the Eagles’ new starting QB Kevin Kolb.  OLBs Clay Matthews and Brad Jones will probably be in the Eagles’ backfield a few times each in this game.  CB Charles Woodson will likely go toe to toe with WR Desean Jackson which will be fascinating to watch.  Safeties Nick Collins and Morgan Burnett better be ready to deal with TE Brent Celek who is likely going to be targeted quite a bit in this game.  Finally, the Packers will have to deal with Lesean McCoy who is taking over for Brian Westbrook this year and he has pretty much the same skill set which will keep A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett really busy.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, EAGLES 20

The Green Bay Packers took it to the Arizona Cardinals in their 33-7 victory last week, but I wouldn’t expect another blowout for the Packers in their rematch this weekend in the NFC Wild Card game. The Packers stuck with Aaron Rodgers and most of the other starters for the majority of the game last week, while the Cardinals played their reserves for most of the game.  They will be going up against a Kurt Warner led Cardinals’ offense, which can be very explosive at times.  They only average 93 rushing yards per game, so the Cardinals are a pass-heavy offense.  Warner helped the Cardinals make it all the way to the Super Bowl last season, and he is a very good quarterback.  He threw for 3,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while completing 66% of his passes.  He has some great receivers, including Larry Fitzgerald, so the Packers’ secondary is going to get challenged a lot.  Warner is old and slow though, so he is not very mobile.  If the Packers can close in on Warner and collapse the pocket, it will make things very difficult for Warner to make plays and it could cause some turnovers.

Aaron Rodgers has proven he is an elite quarterback, now he has to prove it in the playoffs.  Rodgers was sacked 50 times this season though, which is a big cause for concern going into the playoffs.  If the offensive line can hold up, then Rodgers will have a good game. He will need Ryan Grant to give him some support in the running game, which Grant should be able to do against a Cardinals defense that gives up 113 rushing yards per game.  This game will be a lot closer than last week’s game, but I think Rodgers is a great quarterback and will prove it in this game with a win.

PREDICTION:  Green Bay Packers 27, Arizona Cardinals 24

The Green Bay Packers (10-5) are on the road against Arizona Cardinals (10-5) on Sunday.  This matchup may be the same in the first round of the playoffs, so both teams have some extra incentive to play well.  The Cardinals may be resting up some starters, but their coach Ken Whisenhunt has been keeping things pretty quiet so the Packers need to be prepared for anything.  The Cardinals have an offense that is capable of making a lot of big plays and can put up a ton of points.  The Packers defense has been strong most of the season, and they give up only 290 total yards per game.  They are better at stopping the run, giving up only 86 rushing yards per game and the Cardinals’ passing game is their strength so the Packers should be able to shut down the Cardinals’ running backs.  Still, with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin it will be a challenge for the Packers and hopefully those three don’t play a lot.

Most of the time the Cardinals need their offense to put up a lot of points for them to win, as their defense is not very strong.  They give up 347 total yards per game, so Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense should find success.  Rodgers has had a great season and made history this year by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in his first two seasons as a full-time starter.  If Warner and crew play a lot, Rodgers should be able to keep up (or at least keep it close) with the the Cardinals high-scoring offense.  He will need some help from Ryan Grant though, who has over 1,200 yards this season including 97 yards and 2 touchdowns last week.  If the Packers are clicking and the Cardinals are resting, then the Packers should win.  I don’t know how much Whisenhunt is going to play his starters, so it could go either way.

PREDICTION:  Green Bay Packers 31, Arizona Cardinals 28

The Packers are going to come out angry this week as they should have beaten the Steelers.  Aaron Rodgers will likely torture the Seahawks this weekend as they are allowing 249.4 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 94.8 rating against them.  Rodgers will move the ball around using all of his receivers this week and the Seahawks will have no answer for that.  Ryan Grant should also have a big game for the Packers when they turn to him to help run out the clock.

The Packers need to get after Matt Hasselbeck early and often in this football game.  As soon as he sees he is going to have a long day he will be putting the ball up for grabs quite a bit.  The Seahawks don’t have much of a running game for the Packers to have to worry about.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 34, SEAHAWKS 13