Packers Take On The Big Cats » Brats & Beer

November 15, 2007
posted under: Packers, Panthers, Pre-game

Alright, maybe the Carolina Panthers are looking more like little kittens this season and maybe Green Bay’s match-up this week isn’t the most exciting one on the schedule, but it could be argued this is the biggest trap game of the year so far.

The Panthers come into Lambeau Field with a three-game losing streak, but they are still 4-5 on the year with wins over St. Louis, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Arizona. All of those were road wins and in each one Carolina held its opponent to 20 points or less. The Panthers defense ranks 13th in the league for points allowed and yards given up and 14th against the pass.

Their offense has obviously struggled with Jake Delhomme out of the lineup, but DeShaun Foster is averaging just under four yards a carry and Steve Smith is still a deep threat if Vinny Testaverde can get it to him.

The Packers probably don’t have to do anything heroic to win this game and advance to (gasp!) 9-1, but they can’t look past Carolina and still need to play solid football. The Panthers offensive line has given up 21 sacks this season, so Aaron Kampman and KGB should be able to advance their totals by one or two, and if the run defense plays like it did last week they should be able to keep the Panthers under wraps most of the game.

On offense, I think we all know the drill: Quick, short passes interrupted by the occasional run and deep bomb. Aaron at Cheesehead TV makes a salient point that in the last few games where the running game has gotten going, most of the yards have come in the first half. I suspect this might be a game where the coaches really try to get something going in the second half in preparation for the long haul ahead.

I won’t get into the jokes about QBs using walkers and showing “Matlock” on the scoreboard, but it is interesting to note that this game will feature the oldest pair of starting quarterbacks in NFL history: Favre is 38-years-old and Testaverde is 44. What do you suppose Aaron Rodgers thinks about the idea that Favre could possibly play past the age of 40?