The time has come for the “Do or Die” attitude.
Cue any cheesy montage music you like, the moment is upon us.
Aaron Rodgers is about to be either the hero or the goat of the Packers' 2009 campaign.
It is officially the second half of the season, and Green Bay needs to play each game like it is a playoff.
That is a lot of stress and pressure to put on a team for eight contests, but that is the hole they have dug for themselves.
The Packers are a .500 team at the midway point, and they struggled to get there.
They won their prime-time matchup in week one, facing a Chicago team that gave the Packers all they could handle, barely coming out alive thanks to a game ending touchdown pass between Rodgers and Greg Jennings.
The Bears are now 4-5, having lost two in a row (side note: they also struggled to put away Cleveland, which should count as a third straight loss).
The other three wins came easy against St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland.
Those are teams with a combined record of 3-21. Not exactly a murderers' row of opponents.
The four losses came against Cincinnati, Minnesota (twice) and Tampa Bay.
Of those teams, only the Tampa loss is shameful, as Minnesota and Cincy are a combined 13-3.
In the losses to the Vikings and Bengals, the Packers only stayed in the game thanks to a passing attack that exploited the soft underneath coverage provided by defensive coordinators looking to make the offense use large chunks of time.
Since each of their losses has been by 12 points or fewer, it is hard to be too down on the team as a whole, but the offense definitely needs to score quicker, and more often.
On that same note, the defense needs to figure out a way to apply pressure to opposing QB’s. Even thought the run defense has been near top notch, the pass defense leaves more than a little something to be desired.
Last year, even with an injury riddled defensive line, the pass rush still applied enough pressure to force some bad throws.
This helped a talented secondary pick off passes left and right en route to a franchise record for defensive scoring and a very high number in the takeaway column.
The pass rush has not had the same success this season, which has left a lot of open receivers catching passes with relative ease.
Former coach Marv Levy put it best during his first season with the Bills:
“If you can run, pass, catch, block, cover, and tackle better than the other team, you will win.”
The Packers have yet to accomplish this against top-notch talent, but they will have the chance against a red-hot Dallas team this Sunday.
Tony Romo and the offense have been near perfect lately, closing out games with great balance in the running and passing game.
An assortment of great pass catchers featuring Miles Austin, Jason Witten, and Roy Williams will give any secondary fits.
One of the largest and most talented offensive lines in the league will make pass rushing difficult.
A defensive line led by the resurgent DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer will pressure an offensive line that has given up a league-high 37 sacks.
Add that to a group of linebackers, corners, and safeties triple-dipped in Pro Bowl talent, and you have one hell of a problem.
The Packers need a tune up game, but they are getting the fight of their lives instead.
They face Dallas, San Francisco, Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Arizona to finish the season. Only Seattle and Detroit may offer the cupcake games they need, but the rest should be hard-fought battles.
Long story short:
The Packers desperately need a spark. In order for that to happen, several things need immediate change:
They need the offensive line to block more effectively. Keep your quarterback on his feet and good things will happen. Passes will be completed more often and it will keep the defense honest with an actually useful running attack.
They need Aaron Rodgers to start game managing. Don’t stop throwing, just stop throwing as much.
If the defense shows blitz, check down to a slant or another short route. Dump it off to the back if the receivers are covered.
If the defense lines up soft, check to a draw or counter.
If the play is a run and the defense shows blitz, check to a quick out.
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