Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals: Full Green Bay Game Preview

The Green Bay Packers will take on one of the NFL's best teams on Sunday when they travel west to take on the Arizona Cardinals in a Week 16 showdown. 

The playoff-bound Packers (10-4) have won three straight and can clinch the NFC North with a win and a Minnesota Vikings loss this weekend. 

On the other hand, the Cardinals (12-2) have already clinched the NFC West and are on an eight-game winning streak.

The Packers lead their all-time head-to-head series with the Cardinals, 47-23-4, and have won seven of the last nine meetings—including in 2012 when the squads last faced each other. 

With both teams atop their respective divisions and determined to go deep in the postseason, Sunday's late-afternoon contest should be an exciting one. 

Let's now get to everything you need to know ahead of Green Bay's Week 16 road matchup with Arizona.

Viewing Info

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Date: Sunday, December 27

Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Week 15 Results and Recap

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

NFC North Standings

Team	W	L	T	PCT	Div.	PF	PA	Streak
Green Bay Packers - X	10	4	0	.714	3-2	347	265	W3
Minnesota Vikings	9	5	0	.643	4-1	296	272	W1
Detroit Lions	5	9	0	.357	2-3	302	363	W1
Chicago Bears	5	9	0	.357	1-4	289	352	L3

X: Clinched playoff berth

Week 15 Recap

The Packers got a much-needed road win in Week 15 when they defeated the Oakland Raiders, 30-20. Just minutes into the game, though, they found out they were headed to the playoffs for a franchise-record seventh straight year after the New York Giants lost to the Carolina Panthers.

Green Bay got some early help from its defense as both Micah Hyde and Damarious Randall picked off Raiders quarterback Derek Carr on back-to-back passes in the first quarter. 

After Randall took his interception to the house, the Packers had a 14-0 lead before either team had a chance to settle itself on offense. 

Turnovers may have put them ahead, but the Packers won the game behind Aaron Rodgers and the offense. 

Green Bay fell behind in the third quarter when Carr connected with Amari Cooper for the pair's second touchdown of the day to put Oakland up 20-17. On the Packers' next possession, though, former Raider James Jones' 30-yard touchdown reception put the Packers up for good—a play that was made possible by Jeff Janis' 47-yard kickoff return. 

Rodgers then led a 19-play, 92-yard drive on Green Bay's next possession, and Mason Crosby's third field goal on a rainy day sealed the victory.

News and Notes

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Three Packers Named to Pro Bowl

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, linebacker Clay Matthews and offensive guard Josh Sitton were all selected to this year's Pro Bowl roster, the league announced Tuesday. 

Rodgers' fifth career selection to the Pro Bowl highlights a season in which the Packers offense has struggled in the passing game. Still, his numbers—3,379 yards, 29 touchdown passes, six interceptions and a 95.2 passer rating—are some of the best in the NFL.

Matthews has now been selected to six Pro Bowls, but this year marks his first as an inside linebacker. His 5.5 sacks on the season are second-most on the team behind Julius Peppers and currently stand as the veteran's lowest single-season total in his seven years in the league. Meanwhile, his 63 tackles are third among all Packers but are already the most he's amassed in any season of his career. 

Sitton will make his third Pro Bowl appearance as he's grown into one of the league's best guards. This season, the eighth-year offensive lineman has allowed three sacks and just eight combined quarterback hits/hurries, according to Pro Football Focus' grading system. 

Packers Sign Lovato to Replace Goode

It's never easy to replace a key special teams player this late in the season—but the Packers were tasked with just that on Tuesday when they announced long-snapper Brett Goode's placement on injured reserve (more on this on the next slide).

To replace Goode, the Packers signed Rick Lovato, an undrafted rookie from Old Dominion, as their long-snapper going forward. The 6'2", 249-pound Lovato competed for the Chicago Bears' long-snapping job in training camp but was beat out by veteran Thomas Gafford. 

Here's more on how Lovato looked during the summer, via Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"

According to an NFL scout who studied the Bears during training camp, Lovato had a good camp but wasn't as consistent as Gafford. After the Bears cut Gafford last month, they chose Patrick Scales, who had snapped in four games with Baltimore last year, over Lovato.

The scout said Lovato's accuracy was something he needed to work on after being cut at the end of Bears training camp. He said there weren't many options available and that the Packers probably liked Lovato when they were studying long snappers during the draft.

"

Lovato, who has yet to play in an NFL regular-season game, worked out for the Packers on Friday and was working in a sandwich shop in Lincroft, New Jersey, just last week.

Latest Injury News

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

Week 16 Injury Report

Player	Position	Injury	Status
David Bakhtiari	OT	Ankle	DNP
Bryan Bulaga	OT	Ankle	LP
Mike Daniels	DL	Hamstring	DNP
Jayrone Elliot	LB	Quadricep	DNP
Letroy Guion	DT	Foot	DNP
Eddie Lacy	RB	Rib	LP
T.J. Lang	OG	Shoulder	LP
Corey Linsley	C	Ankle	FP
Clay Matthews	LB	Ankle	LP
Quinten Rollins	CB	Groin	FP
Sam Shields	CB	Concussion	DNP
Josh Sitton	OG	Back	LP

** Official injury report courtesy of Packers.com **

DNP = Did not participate in Wednesday's practice; LP = Limited participation; FP = Full participation

Injury Notes

The Packers suffered a major setback Tuesday when they placed veteran long-snapper Brett Goode on injured reserve with a season-ending knee injury. The news came as a big surprise as Goode played in the entirety of Green Bay's recent win over Oakland. 

According to his agent, Kevin Gold, Goode tore his ACL during the first quarter of Sunday's game likely while covering a punt, per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

ESPN's Rob Demovsky points out Goode reaching for his knee after a first-quarter extra-point kick—yet Gold says his client tore the ACL earlier in the game while covering a punt. Goode, 31, continued to play with a brace on without reporting the injury until he felt discomfort after the game, according to Gold. 

Here's more from Cohen on what the Packers will be missing with their long-snapper now on IR:

"

The 6-foot-1, 255-pound Goode has played in 137 consecutive games during the regular season and postseason for the Packers and has been a model of consistency. The Packers have played the last two games in a steady downpour and Goode has not had any problems with his snaps to kicker Mason Crosby or punter Tim Masthay.

"

The Packers finally activated tight end Andrew Quarless off the temporary injured reserve list on Monday—but it came at a price.

The Packers now have four healthy tight ends with the activation of Quarless—Richard Rodgers, Justin Perillo and Kennard Backman are the other three. 

Quarless—who will be on the active 53-man roster this week for the first time since his Week 3 knee injury—will be available to play in the Packers' last two regular-season games plus the playoffs. He had been eligible to return since Thanksgiving, but Green Bay chose to take its time.

"It's one of those things where if I come up, someone has to go, so that's never an easy decision to make," Quarless said last week, via Demovsky. "With the time they're taking, it's only helpful. I'm definitely ready, but it's their decision."

To clear space for Quarless' return, rookie wide receiver Ty Montgomery was placed on injured reserve Monday after never fully recovering from a Week 6 ankle injury. Montgomery's season is now over following two separate setbacks during his fight to return from an Oct. 18 high ankle sprain—the latest of which came last week.

Montgomery's agent said the third-round pick will undergo surgery on his ankle next week, per Demovsky. Here's more from Demovsky's report regarding Montgomery's health:

"

Agent Damarius Bilbo said his client visited noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, and Anderson recommended surgery to clean up cartilage damage.

Bilbo said the high ankle sprain that Montgomery sustained on Oct. 18 against the San Diego Chargers had healed but the cartilage damage needed to be repaired.

"

"Mentally I think he'll be fine," quarterbacks and wide receivers coach Alex Van Pelt said last week of Montgomery, via Cohen. Van Pelt said:

"

Just getting physical reps is the thing that can stunt the growth a little bit in the first year as opposed to a guy that was going through every practice and getting game reps and game experience and learning how to run routes in the NFL. That has probably been set back a little. Mentally, obviously he's in every meeting and continuing to take good notes and do all the things we want him to do.

"

Top Matchup

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Packers LBs vs. Cardinals RB David Johnson

With MVP candidate Carson Palmer at the helm of the Cardinals offense and a slew of talented receivers at his disposal, there's no question the Packers defense will have a tough task on its hands on Sunday.

Still, it's hard to ignore the recent production Arizona has gotten at the running back position from rookie David Johnson.

Johnson didn't take over as the Cardinals' lead back until Week 13 as he took a back seat to Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson for much of the season.

Over the last three weeks as the offense's feature back, Johnson is averaging 157 yards from scrimmage—highlighted by his 229-yard, three-touchdown performance on 33 touches last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The youngster out of Northern Iowa has propelled himself into Rookie of the Year conversations as he's quickly become a deadly weapon in Arizona's crowded offense. 

The Packers will have a lot to worry about on the defensive side of the ball this weekend, but Johnson should be at the top of their list. 

This is where linebackers Clay Matthews and Jake Ryan need to shine as they shadow Johnson all game and try to limit his production. If he slips out of the backfield on passing downs, defensive coordinator Dom Capers needs to ensure one of his two inside backers will be there to prevent big gains. Then in the running game, Matthews and Ryan must bottle Johnson up in the middle and force the rookie to beat the defense on the outside. 

Whether or not the Packers win on Sunday could come down to how well they defend against Johnson—both through the air and on the ground. 

X-Factor

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Packers X-Factor of the Week: WR Jared Abbrederis

For much of this season, Jared Abbrederis has been seldomly used in the Packers' receiving corps—despite the unit's injury woes and performance struggles. 

In Sunday's win over Oakland, though, the 2014 fifth-round pick from Wisconsin saw an increase in playing time as part of a four-receiver set that head coach Mike McCarthy used heavily in the second half to open up the offense. 

McCarthy played Abbrederis in the slot in the third and fourth quarters to use his speed in the middle of the field and take attention away from Randall Cobb and James Jones on the outside. He caught only three passes in the game, but one of them—a 13-yard reception on 3rd-and-5—was an integral part of the Packers' 19-play, 92-yard drive that ate up over eight minutes on the clock and preserved the win. 

With Ty Montgomery now officially done for the year and the Packers struggling to find consistent options outside of Cobb and Jones in the pass game, we could see more of Abbrederis in the season's final stretch. 

It's certainly a good sign when your quarterback vouches for you, too. 

"He can get open," Aaron Rodgers said of Abbrederis, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "He's a good route runner. He needs to be on the field more."

Rodgers isn't alone in his praise for the Packers' young wideout, per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"

OC Edgar Bennett said Jared Abbrederis is earning more opportunities based on the way he's playing. Reinforces comment from Aaron Rodgers.

— Michael Cohen (@Michael_Cohen13) December 21, 2015"

Abbrederis caught all three passes thrown to him on Sunday—totaling 33 yards—after coming into the game with just five catches for 73 yards on the season. 

Whether or not McCarthy listens to Rodgers and Bennett, Abbrederis knows Green Bay victories are more important than his stats. 

"It's all about the win," Abbrederis said, via Cohen and Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. "Honestly, I don't really care whether it's with a catch or a run-block. Whatever it is, if we're winning, I'm happy. I'm happy to be out there and make plays when I can just try to do my job. There's a lot of things I can get better at, so I just have to look at the film and improve on it."

Prediction: Cardinals 34, Packers 24

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

Despite riding a three-game winning streak, the Packers' run could very likely come to an end against Arizona this Sunday. 

The Cardinals are not only one of the NFC's best teams, but they also boast an MVP candidate in Carson Palmer, are on their own eight-game win streak and have realistic aspirations to win the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, the Packers have not been at their best over the last two weeks in close victories over the lowly Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders. 

Arizona is a different beast altogether—as the Philadelphia Eagles found out the hard way in a 40-17 thrashing at home last Sunday night. The Cardinals have the league's No. 2 scoring offense (31.8 points per game) and are tied for sixth in scoring defense (19.2 points allowed per game). They legitimately don't have many flaws on their roster and their coach, Bruce Arians, is one of the league's top minds. 

The Packers will undoubtedly have to be at their best this weekend if they want to come away with a road win. 

Frankly, it's hard to see the Green Bay offense making enough plays to keep pace with Arizona's high-powered attack—let alone running into a few turnovers as the Cardinals have forced the second-most in that category. 

Prediction: Cardinals 34, Packers 24