Green Bay Packers: 6 Potential Playoff Teams That Could Knock off Packers

Let's face it. At 12-0, the Green Bay Packers don't look like they will lose any time soon.

In fact, the odds on them completing the second-ever 16-0 regular season shorten by the day, and with three home matchups in their final four games, and two games versus backup quarterbacks, the only way I can see them dropping one is if they fall asleep at the wheel.

Of course, the same was said about the New England Patriots back in 2007. The similarity between the two teams and the performance of their star signal-callers is obvious, but as the Patriots—or rather, the New York Giants—proved, there is no divine right to winning games in the NFL.

If we allow ourselves to consider that Green Bay and its 31st-ranked defense are indeed fallible, then which teams have a chance at exposing their weaknesses in the playoffs?

I have a list here of six teams that, if nothing else, have a shot at beating the Packers in a playoff game in January or February.

6. New York Giants

The Giants would first have to make the playoffs, which at 6-6 and sitting in second place in the NFC East, is far from a sure thing.

But if their 38-35 defeat to Green Bay last Sunday taught us anything, it's that Eli Manning and company are capable of entering into a shootout with Aaron Rodgers, and hanging tough.

The Giants lost to the 2007 Patriots by the same scoreline in Week 17 of the regular season, before overturning them 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.

If that season taught me anything, it told me that stats and trends only take arguments so far. Nobody believed that New England, who scored an average of 36.8 points per game throughout 16 regular-season wins, could be held to 14 in any scenario.

I'm sure the same cautionary tale is being told at the Packers' facility this season, and based on their offensive line struggles and leaky pass-defense, they would be wise to distance themselves from the hype.

On another day, the Giants' front four, led by raw second-year pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, could well dictate terms and keep the score down.

If that day is at a cold, snowy Lambeau Field in January? No problem. The Giants have a reputation for playing tough, hard-nosed, outdoor football, even in big playoff wins on the road.

If they get there, of course.

5. San Francisco 49ers

Deep down, I have a hard time believing that the 49ers offense has enough firepower to keep with the Packers and their aerial prowess.

But with a 10-2 regular-season record, they command the respect of the NFC and should find themselves playing their first playoff game at Candlestick Park. After that, Lambeau Field would surely beckon.

The 49ers rank first against the run—not the most useful stat against a Packers' offense that prefers to keep the ball out of the hands of James Starks and Ryan Grant.

But if Patrick Willis is firing on all cylinders by then, the 49ers run a stout defense that will prove to be stubborn and will at the very least provide Rodgers with a test similar to that faced by New England in the 2007 divisional round against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

4. Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore is a scary proposition for any playoff team to face in a one-off matchup, such is its unpredictability and fearsome defense.

I don't seriously envisage Joe Flacco being able to string enough wins together to win a Super Bowl this season, which considering the offensive firepower around him, is to his detriment that he has struggled to consistently move the ball.

While this is not the 2000 Ravens defense of Super Bowl XXXV fame, Ray Lewis is still there, and in Haloti Ngata, they have the best 3-4 lineman in the league.

If Baltimore makes it to Indianapolis, you would have to give them a chance—as underdogs—against the Packers. If Ray Rice moves the chains early and often, keeping Rodgers on the sidelines for extended periods of time, you never know.

3. New England Patriots

Brady vs. Rodgers would send the hype machine into overdrive, wouldn't it?

If this scenario played out, it would send Brady to his fifth Super Bowl, against what would likely be an undefeated team. The media stories would write themselves.

It would also pit two of the best offenses against two of the worst defenses in the league. In short, Super Bowl XLVI would become the ultimate shootout, with the team controlling the ball at the end the likely winner.

The way Rodgers has played this season, the Packers would enter the game as favorites—and rightly so. I would have no faith in the New England defense making enough plays to keep the score sensible, but it's not too much of a reach to envisage Brady torching the Green Bay secondary, either.

The Packers likely win in this scenario. But I'm sure there are a whole host of fans out there that would tune in for the avalanche of points.

2. New Orleans Saints

The Saints may have already suffered a defeat to Green Bay this season—going down 42-34 in Week 1—but that game set the tone for both teams going forwards.

Offensively, I don't know if there is a more balanced, more effective offense than the one New Orleans currently runs. At 32.8 points per game, only one offense scores more on average—and it's the Packers.

Their running backs, whilst not individually elite, are more than just an after-thought in Drew Brees' prolific passing attack.

And in Jimmy Graham, the Saints have their own matchup nightmare to wreak havoc in the Packers' secondary.

I have my doubts as to whether they can win at Lambeau in January, but their talent—both in the passing game and on the coaching staff—would ensure that the Saints would at the very least put some points up on the board.

And given that they came within a goal-line stand from a tied game the first time around, the Saints would certainly be worthy playoff opponents.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh might just have the most-rounded team capable of matching up effectively with the Packers.

Much will depend on the health of Ben Roethlisberger between now and January, but of all the AFC contenders for a trip to Indy, the Steelers feel the most credible, based on their strength on both sides of the ball.

On offense, the Steelers have one of the more underrated receiving corps in the league, although if Antonio Brown continues to have days like his 151-yard effort against the Cleveland Browns, they won't be for long.

Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace are probably the fastest receiving tandem in the league, and the old guard of Heath Miller and Hines Ward add a veteran presence, giving Roethlisberger some precise options on the short to intermediate routes.

We all remember Super Bowl XLV—Rodgers threw three touchdown passes and dissected the vaunted Steelers' defense, whilst Roethlisberger struggled at times, serving up two interceptions.

But this year's Green Bay pass defense is struggling a little more, and when faced with a similar situation to the visit of the Patriots in Week 8, Roethlisberger sliced New England apart for 365 yards and two scores.

A rematch between last year's Super Bowl contenders might not be the most exciting conclusion to the season, but it could well represent the best chance of seeing the Packers suffer the one defeat that would deprive them of immortality.