Packers-Lions Preview: 5 Questions with Bill Huber of SI Packer Central

Bill Huber of SI Packer Central answers five questions regarding the Lions' Week 14 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

1.) What is the ceiling for this Green Bay Packers team?

Bill Huber: Super Bowl. There’s no reason why the Packers can’t get to and win their first Super Bowl since 2010. Then again, they could go one-and-done, too.

The NFC is wide open, and there should be no fear for any team in the seven-team field. The Saints lead the NFC with a 10-2 record, and have won eight in a row. Their last loss? To Green Bay in Week 3.

Seattle has no defense whatsoever, and its offense is going sideways. The Buccaneers crushed the Packers earlier in the season. However, the Bucs aren’t playing as well now, and, two, that putrid Packers performance looks like an anomaly. Meanwhile, the Rams’ defense is great, but their offense is pretty mediocre.

The big games: Chiefs at Saints in Week 15 and Titans at Packers in Week 16.

If those go the right way, Green Bay could end up with homefield advantage. I’d like the Packers' chances against Drew Brees at Lambeau Field in January. Otherwise, because of their defense, I’d say the Saints are the frontrunners.

2.) Aaron Rodgers continues to play at a high level. What, if any, adjustments has he made this season to keep playing at this very high level?

Huber: When Rodgers got cooking midway through training camp, I asked him what was clicking. I expected him to say it was the long layoff, following the lack of offseason practices. Instead, he said he had seen something watching some old film. What exactly he saw on that decade-old video remains a mystery. He mentions it pretty frequently, but hasn’t gone into detail. I’d guess it was something to do with fundamentals.

Beyond that, it’s total comfort in Matt LaFleur’s scheme. For much of his time with former head coach Mike McCarthy, the offense revolved around Rodgers’ ability to create. It was a great plan when Rodgers had Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams as his receivers, like he did in runs to the NFC Championship Game in 2014 and 2016. Heck, in 2011, when Rodgers set the NFL’s all-time record for passer rating, Rodgers had Nelson, Cobb, James Jones and Greg Jennings as his receivers and Jermichael Finley as his tight end. So, Rodgers could extend plays, and inevitably, somebody would get open.

That didn’t work so well toward the end, though, when the supporting cast got weaker and weaker. So, enter LaFleur, who brought a scheme with him to Green Bay in 2019. It wasn’t pretty last year, but it’s been fantastic this year. There’s been total buy-in from the start by Rodgers.

I’ve always pointed to a Thursday night game early in 2018 between the Rams and Vikings. Mike Zimmer’s Vikings defenses generally gave Rodgers fits. But, in that 2018 game, Jared Goff and the Rams piled up 38 points on the Vikings. Rodgers took notice of what scheme -- that particular scheme -- could do.

With comfort has come production. A lot was made of the Packers’ failure to get Rodgers another receiver in the 2020 draft. And yet, they enter this week’s games ranked No. 1 in scoring.

3.) What is the key matchup(s) you want to pay attention to this Sunday when Green Bay plays Detroit?

Huber: Special teams. Green Bay’s unit has been putrid. There have been four punt-return touchdowns in the NFL this season. Two have come against the Packers over the past handful of games. Jamal Agrew is great. Green Bay’s punt-coverage unit seems to be expecting a bad thing to happen. The Packers need to punt better and cover better, before a big meltdown costs them dearly in the playoffs.

4.) What is the biggest weakness of the Packers?

Huber: Run defense. For all the focus on Green Bay not upgrading its receiver corps during the offseason, the bigger problem was not upgrading the run defense. It was a bad defensive line draft, so that’s how it goes.

However, when general manager Brian Gutekunst moved up in the first round to land quarterback Jordan Love, he bypassed LSU linebacker Patrick Queen. Queen is an explosive athlete who leads the Ravens in tackles and has a hand in five turnovers.

Some of the shortcomings are schematic. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will trade some running yards to prevent passing yards. It’s a quarterback-driven league, so that’s a logical approach.

However, what will happen against the Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey – if he’s healthy – in Week 15? The Titans’ Derrick Henry in Week 16? New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara, Tampa Bay’s Ronald Jones and/or Seattle’s Chris Carson in the playoffs?

5.) How do you see Sunday’s game playing out and what is your score prediction?

Huber: It’s impossible to not predict a Packers victory. Ford Field’s been a tough place for Green Bay, but there won’t be any fans in the building. And without Jeff Okudah and Desmond Trufant at cornerback, who’s going to stop Aaron Rodgers? I’ll take the Packers by a couple touchdowns.

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