A Patriot thanksgiving in Green Bay

by:  Opinion Slayer

Thanksgiving weekend is here and New England Patriots fans have a lot to be thankful for. They have the number one record in the AFC. The number one offense in the NFL and they are about to play their biggest game of the year, against the Green Bay Packers in legendary Lambeau field. There is no doubt that this game will be the crown jewel of football games that the box office winner for all football fans across America.

This will be the largest challenge that the Patriots have faced all year. The Packers are red hot and have been dominating at home with Aaron Rogers, leading the way playing at the highest of levels. Green Bay fans will be sure to bring their “A” game to support their team and do their best to make it as hostile as possible for New England. But ultimately, regardless of location the game will be decided by the execution on the field and not it’s geography.

The stakes are high for multiple reasons. First, for New England this will be their biggest hurdle entering the final stretch of the season to maintain the best record in the AFC. They will not face a better team, better quarterback or harder environment to play moving forward in the regular season. Second, this will solidify the Patriots as the best football team in the NFL. Giving them a psychological advantage moving forward against opponents and cementing the mental toughness and confidence  needed in December. Third, the MVP award will be decided at the end of this game. Whatever QB leads their team to victory will have leverage moving forward especially if the Patriots run the table. Tom Brady is more interested with winning a Super Bowl than personal accolades but after all the decline talk earlier in the season by the media and social pundits this would be a sweet token of vindication for Patriot fandom.

Green Bay’s greatest weapon is their quarterback and everything starts and ends with him. The obstacle for New England is not only Rodgers rocket of an arm but his ability to have pin point accuracy on the move. No one does it better! Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interception in Lambeau field since 2012. With Chandler Jones out,  New England’s greatest weakness on defense is the pass rush and they historically struggle against mobile QB’s and that works in the favor of the Packers. Especially when Mr. Jeans Fedora rolls to his right. The symbiotic relationship between Rodgers and Nelson is special and will play a key factor on the outcome of the game.

Believe it or not next to Rodgers, stopping Eddie Lacy will be the most important factor for New England’s defense. They can’t win against the Patriots with a one dimensional game. In the last 3 weeks the Patriots have allowed an average of 51 YPG as their run defense continues to improve. The ability to stop the run against Green Bay forces them to play to the Patriots greatest defensive strength, their secondary. Revis, Browner and McCourty have proven to be a powerful force against the best receivers in the game and you should expect it to continue on Sunday. Expect the unexpected when it comes to New England’s defensive game plan orchestrated by the hooded genius and expect Bill Belichik to do what he does best, confuse the other QB and take away their number one weapon.

On the offensive side of the ball for New England the focus will be to run the ball. The Packers weak link on defense  is their inability to stop the run which plays into the Patriots favor.

L. Blount just averaged 6.5 YPC against the number one run defense in the league. What do you think he can do against the 30th ranked run defense? How about J. Gray? Do you think he’s going to want to remind people of what he did against the Colts after being exiled for being late for a practice? In the frozen tundra on Sunday expect to see 480 lbs of muscle shatter the will of Green Bay by the 4th quarter.

When it comes to the passing game for the Patriots I will quote Tony Stark from The Avengers as he looks into Lokkis’s eyes, Thor’s sinister brother says to Iron Man that “I have an army.” which Tony replies “We have a Hulk!” The Patriots have a Gronk! And Green Bay has no answer for him. Brady will exploit that over and over again as they double him to LaFell, Edelman and Wright. And when they don’t double him you know what happens, GRONK SMASH! Nobody dissects a defense like Brady. It’s why he’s the winningest QB in NFL history. It’s why he’s the only QB to lead his team to score more than 500 points per season four times (NFL record).

A. Rodgers is a great quarterback but when you compare both QB’s numbers verses the best defense of the year they are not close. Rodgers struggled to score 7 points against the Lions with 162 yards in a loss while Brady more than doubled the yards with 349 leading the Patriots to a 34 point victory!

The Patriots have a better defense, offense and they have a much better special teams which will also play a big role on game day. They have the better coach and more complete team. Mr. Rodgers will have to hopelessly watch Mr. Brady run the clock from the sidelines as they march down the field repeatedly. To the shock of many, the Patriot slaughter of division leaders will continue this week. So enjoy the food, family and friends and Happy Thanksgiving to all. And while everyone will be done carving turkeys by Sunday, the Patriots will be ready to start carving some cheese at Lambeau!

Patriots win 43-23