Green Bay Packers: 5 Keys to Late-Season Playoff Push

As Week 13 is about to unfold in the NFL for the 2014 season, the 8-3 Green Bay Packers are one of the hottest teams in the league.

The Packers have won seven of their last eight games and have also overtaken the Detroit Lions to gain the top spot in the NFC North.

The Packers are also now the No. 2 seed in the NFC, which would get the team a bye on Wild Card Weekend.

They are surging and playing well. But for the momentum to continue, they need to remain consistent with their solid play and also improve on a few recent negative issues.

Here are five things that the Packers need to key on during their late-season playoff push.

Just Win, Baby!

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

The Packers have five more games on the 2014 schedule. The opponents are:

• New England at home
• Atlanta at home
• Buffalo on the road
• Tampa Bay on the road
• Detroit at home

Currently, the Packers are a perfect 5-0 at Lambeau Field and 3-3 on the road.

Green Bay has outscored its opponents at 1265 Lombardi Avenue by a 219-85 margin. That adds up to 43.8 points for the Packers and 17 points for the opposition.

The Patriots will be the toughest test the Packers have faced all season. That being said, if the Packers beat the Patriots, the rest of the schedule looks favorable for Green Bay.

The Falcons are just 4-7 but are unbelievably in first place in the sorry NFC South. The Dirty Birds have many issues, especially on the offensive line.

The Bills are 6-5, but the Packers should fare well outdoors in Buffalo.

The Bucs are 2-9, and I expect Raymond James Stadium to look like "Lambeau Field South" when the Packers come to Tampa.

The Lions are experiencing another late-season swoon, and Detroit hasn't won in the state of Wisconsin since 1991.

If the Packers can defeat the Patriots, it's a realistic possibility that the team can finish 13-3 this season. That probably will be enough to get the No. 1 seed in the NFC as well.

Special Teams Need to Become More Special

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Even though the Packers have won three games in a row, the performance of the special teams units has been up and down recently.

Things like blocked punts, blocked kicks, mishandled snaps and poor coverage on kickoffs and punts have occurred.

There have been some good things too. Micah Hyde had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown against Philadelphia. But in that same game, the Packers allowed an extra point to get blocked, had another extra point attempt fail due to a mishandled snap and allowed a blocked punt.

Last week against the Vikings, the coverage unit on kickoffs was not very good. Part of the reason for that may have been the absence of Jarrett Bush, who was out with a groin injury. He is definitely the best tackler the Packers have on special teams.

The Packers need to refocus on fundamentals with their special teams play. Before the last couple of games, the play of the special teams had been pretty good.

Kicker Mason Crosby is having another Pro Bowl-caliber year, as he has made 16 of 18 field goals. Punter Tim Masthay has been solid. The Packers are averaging 12.5 yards per punt return.

Late in the season, key games can be won or lost by the play of special teams. That's why special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum and his assistant Ron Zook need to get their units playing at a top-notch level consistently.

The Defense Needs to Keep Causing Havoc to Opposing Quarterbacks

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

The defense of the Packers is doing a nice job with the No. 1 priority that defensive coordinator Dom Capers likes to see each game. That would be causing havoc with the opposing quarterback and keeping his passer rating low.

That is what Capers told Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about seven weeks ago: "I think we've been able to disrupt the opposing quarterback, and that's our game."

The statistics bear that out.

The Packers are currently fourth in the league in keeping down the opposing quarterback's passer rating. Green Bay has held QBs to an 80.2 rating.

Opposing quarterbacks have thrown just 17 touchdown passes, compared to 15 interceptions. The defense has also recovered eight fumbles. That total of 23 turnovers is the second-best mark in the NFL.

A good pass rush helps. When opposing quarterbacks are sacked, hurried or hit, that tends to keep the passer rating low, as the ball is usually thrown too late or too early in the pass route. That also causes interceptions.

The Packers also have 27 sacks.

Tom Brady will be a big test this upcoming Sunday in terms of the passer rating analysis. The Packers did not fare well when they faced Drew Brees earlier this season in New Orleans, as he had a 138.4 passer rating and threw three touchdown passes without a pick.

We'll see what happens this Sunday with Brady and the other four quarterbacks whom the Packers play to end their season.

Maintain Balance on Offense

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Eddie Lacy has proved that he plays well in the month of November. In the three November games so far this year, he has rushed for 244 yards and two touchdowns, plus he has caught eight passes for 126 yards and three more touchdowns.

Last season, Lacy did the same thing. He rushed for 376 yards and three touchdowns in November. In December, he was just as good, running for 356 yards and five touchdowns.

Having a running back like Lacy really improves the overall balance of the offense.

The Packers are ranked eighth in the NFL in total passing behind Aaron Rodgers and his assortment of talented weapons, which includes the use of No. 27.

If the running attack can stay potent, then that makes the offense that much more explosive.

Lacy did most of his damage in November and December last year without Rodgers at quarterback. This year, No. 12 is healthy and having a NFL MVP-type season.

That combination will be very important this year, as the Packers will play four of their last five games in a frozen tundra-type environment, with three games in Green Bay and one in Buffalo.

Stay Healthy

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

In 2013, the Packers saw 15 of their players end up on injured reserve. That included key players like offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, tight end Jermichael Finley and cornerback Casey Hayward.

There were also players who didn't end up on injured reserve but missed a number of games over the course of the season.

Aaron Rodgers missed seven games due to a fractured clavicle. Also, the best player on defense—linebacker Clay Matthews—missed five games due to a broken thumb.

In addition to that, wide receiver Randall Cobb missed 10 games due to a broken leg.

In the NFC Wild Card Game against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field, the Packers played without a number of key players defensively, including Matthews and Hayward. Plus early in the game, both cornerback Sam Shields and linebacker Mike Neal were forced out due to knee injuries.

Fortunately in 2014, the injury bug has not been as incapacitating. Yes, the Packers have lost a couple of key players to injured reserve this year like nose tackle B.J. Raji and offensive lineman Don Barclay, but it's nothing like last season.

At this time of year in the NFL, some players will be out on the field, trying to perform with injuries. That's been the case with left guard Josh Sitton (toe) and right guard T.J. Lang (ankle). Even with their injuries, both Sitton and Lang have played very well.

The key for the Packers is to somehow stay as healthy as possible throughout the rest of the regular season and into the postseason.

That will make their ultimate goal—winning the Super Bowl—that much easier.