Green Bay Packers: 5 Priorities For Aaron Rodgers And His Team During Bye Week
After a 45-7 thrashing of the poor Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers finally get a week off. The Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and the Packers are all enjoying the last bye week in the NFL this season.
The Packers enter their off week with a record of 6-3, pretty good considering the number of injuries they've suffered on both sides of the ball.
But, even with the 6-3 record, the Packers have been a minor disappointment. This was supposed to be a team that would breeze through the regular season, and be a favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
The Packers are starting to get back on track, but they still have a few things they need to do over their bye week. Here, we'll take a look at the top five priorities for the Packers this week.
5. Forget About Favre Bowl IV
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Once the Vikings game is over this Sunday, everyone will shift their attention to what will likely be the last matchup between Brett Favre and his former team.
Everyone on the Packers needs to block out all that talk. Favre isn't the person they need to game plan for. Adrian Peterson is much more dangerous than Favre this year, and he's the one who has the potential to do the most damage to the Packers' defense.
Plus, listening to all that media hype can wear a team out mentally and emotionally. That's not what the Packers need on their bye week.
4. Find a Tight End
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Ever since Jermichael Finley was lost for the year with a knee injury, the Packers have had a gaping hole at tight end.
Andrew Quarless appeared to be the guy for the job, but he's been a non-factor. Tom Crabtree also has been non-existent in the passing game.
Aaron Rodgers needs a tight end to step up and give him a target to throw to in the red zone, if the Packers are going to take off in the second half of the season.
3. Keep Building The Running Game
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Last week against the Cowboys, Brandon Jackson had a very mediocre day yardage-wise: 13 carries for 42 yards, an average of 3.2 yards per carry. He also added four catches for 26 yards.
But, he scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. That's a good sign for Jackson, who had previously only run for two touchdowns on the season.
The Packers need to work on making the running game a threat near the goal line. That's the most important thing. Then, they can work on getting more yardage via the run.
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2. Open Up The Playbook
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One of the biggest criticisms of Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay coaching staff during the stretch from Week 3 to Week 6, when the Packers lost three of four games, was that the play calling was too conservative.
Even Aaron Rodgers agreed. The key for the Packers to win is to stay aggressive, not to build a lead and then become conservative.
But, that's what the Packers were doing during that stretch. They'd build a lead and then become stagnant and predictable on offense.
To continue having success after the bye, they'll need to keep their foot on the gas pedal for 60 minutes every week.
1. Get Healthy
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Everyone on this team needs a week off. Everyone is banged up.
From Aaron Rodgers' ankle to Charles Woodson's toe to Mark Tauscher's shoulder to Clay Matthews shin and more, everyone up and down the Packers' roster needs a week off to recover from the grind of the NFL season.
Tauscher, Cullen Jenkins, Ryan Pickett and Donald Driver should all be healthy after the bye, and that will provide a huge boost as the Packers make a push for the NFC North title.
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