As I am sure most of you noticed, the chances are very high that the Packers will be matched up against the Cardinals for two weeks in a row. A few weeks ago a Steelers fan came onto the Acme Packing Company blog and "extended the olive branch" to Packers fans in the form of a discussion about the game at hand along with questions about the Packers. Due to geographical distance, I am sure that most Cardinals fans have had minimal exposure to the Packers and have many questions about what makes the Packers tick.

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Playing on Monday Night Football gives the Packers a short week which could make this game more interesting then it should be. The easy solution to this post would be to write off the Bears because they have a crappy record and have been playing poorly recently but if this game is overlooked the Packers could easily be on the wrong side of the score. Division games are never a walk in the park, (exhibit A: The last game of last season vs the 0-15 Lions) so this game should be treated with care, especially due to the weather, travelling and injuries. Both teams have been hit hard with the injury bug and this slugfest in, what should be less then ideal conditions, will really test the Packers toughness. Obviously the Packers have looked like the better team of late but going back to the first week of the season, the Packer's narrowly escaped Lambeau with the victory. The game was decided on a few idiotic interceptions by Jay Cutler and that game was the perfect example of the old adage that football is a game of inches. After the jump I'm going to examine a few key match ups that should decide the outcome of the game.

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The Ravens game last night was a disaster for CB Tramon Williams and his insistence on using an illegal arm-bar technique is going to sink the Packers when he is matched up against a competent. If the playoffs were to begin today the Packers would be matched up against the Arizona Cardinals, a nightmare match up for most secondaries but with Al Harris in the line up this may not have been a problem. Having Tramon matched up against Anquan Boldin and having Jarrett Bush matched up against Breaston would spell imminent doom for our secondary. The Packers must explore options at corner like the Saints did. After the jump I will examine the limited options the Packers have.

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Ok, so you read the title and I know you expect a homers perspective of tonights game. The truth is, the Packers are the superior team when both teams are playing at full speed. The situation the Packers face tonight is very favourable in almost all facets of the game. The game simply favours the Packers and a loss tonight would not only be a major blow to the Packers wildcard aspirations but it would also be an emotionally deflating loss considering the Pack should walk away with the W. Playing at Lambeau in December is enough of an advantage but the fact that the Packers have had 10 days to rest vs the Ravens 6 is very significant. The key matchups in the game should favour the Packers and a further breakdown of these matchups is to follow:

Packers Pass Offense vs Baltimore Secondary

It is no secret that the Packers are most effective when they are throwing the ball thus a key to the Packers success tonight will be to win this matchup. The largest hinderance in Green Bay's passing offence this season has nothing to do with its quarterback and skill position players, rather it happens to be the poor play of the offensive line. Yes it is true that the Raven's are known for their defence and this should strike fear in the eyes of the Packers and their loyal fan base but the truth is, the Packers offensive line has truly elevated it's play over the past few games, playing the Lions helps but progress is progress. Another factor in this equation is the key injuries the Raven's have to deal with including the loss of Fabian Washington for the season and the questionable status that looms over top pass rusher Terrel Suggs and star safety Ed Reed. The wide receivers of the Packers match up well against any team but these injuries should allow the Packers to move the ball with ease.

Ravens Running Offense vs Packers Rush Defense

The amount of times I have heard the statement, "Ray Rice is a gamer" woulds lead one to believe he is a member of MLG (Major League Gaming), not the NFL. Yes I have seen Ray Rice play, and he is a very valuable player who helps the Ravens in many ways but the Packers run defence is no slouch. I expect Ray Rice to have a dynamic game in the receiving aspect which he excels at but do not expect the Raven's to run the ball down the Packer's throats as we have seen in previous years. The under rated trio of Jenkins, Jolly and Pickett have been stout against the run all season. I expect the Raven's to revert back to the power run game as they had last season but I also expect the Packers to be up for the challenge. The Raven's will get their yards but expect a low YPC and an ineffectiveness in the redzone. 

Sidenotes:

-Expect the Packer's secondary to be very active in the turnover category when the Ravens do give Joe Flacco the opportunity

-The biggest negative other then the offensive line for the Packers has been ST and don't expect any different, just close your eyes when Jeremy Kapinos gets the ball and pray that we don't cough up another fumble like Jordy Nelson did on the opening kick off vs Detroit. (This isn't the Lions)

Week 8's loss to the Vikings has left many of us Packers fans in shambles but the outlook for the rest of the season is not so bleak. As it stands right now, if the playoffs were to start today, the Packers would be on the outside looking in but that does not mean that we don't control our own destiny due to our second half schedule. By dissecting the first 8 weeks of the season and breaking down the team by positions hopefully we can clearly the muddy waters that has been the Packers season thus far.

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