Prep and planning pays off for Packers’ McCarthy, Rodgers

NFL Wild Card Weekend is over and at the end, there are four winners: The Seattle Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburg Steelers, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the offense has been struggling mightily, for their standards, since week seven. Of course, that wasn’t the case in Week 17 when they got beat 36-6 by Seattle in a game which Carson Palmer left early to avoid injury.

“But we won, we kept battling”. Hyde’s failure to field a punt cost Green Bay 15 yards. The turmoil started when their star receiver Jordy Nelson tore his ACL during their second preseason game.

But Arizona did meet Green Bay in the playoffs once, and that 2010 matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium was a memorable one.

“He was just Aaron”, wide receiver James Jones said. That game will be fresh in the minds of the Cardinals.

Here are 10 other things the Packers have to do to beat the Cardinals.

They will need that to improve upon one of the worst offensive outings they’ve had in recent memory – just eight points in their loss at Arizona last month, 38-8. Cobb ended the season with 400 yards less than he did a year ago.

That’s ok because it means they are better. Holding the running game would go even further to neutralizing the pass.

Adams seemed to be breaking out of his season-long slump. The ability to get first down, be productive on first and second downs, we were after that slow start, generating first downs, get going and play high tempo. Throws he would attempt in the past he is second guessing. But it’s not like they are playing, say, the Bears. His conservative play has maybe been too conservative.

After beating the Redskins, Rodgers sounded like he welcomed that chance. Arizona Cardinals gotta be very careful once they play the Packers on Saturday. After 17 rushing yards at halftime the Packers finished with 141 yards on 32 carries. “You get to play looser”. What also helped is that Rodgers was only sacked once.

“It’s a business and this team is going to operate with that mindset and this is my first time going through that process in the National Football League, so it’s new to me, don’t know a whole lot about it”. Maybe part of his issues was confidence.

Rodgers suggests that the Packers will be the looser team and should be, as if that will make them the better team.

“That second half, that looked like Aaron Rodgers who dang near went undefeated a couple years back”, said Minter, an inside linebacker. Although Sunday’s game might be deceiving.

And now as the team advances in the playoffs, in a run at the Super Bowl, Packers fans are praying the Packers take yet another step forward and exact revenge out in the desert.