Predicting Patriots vs Packers Week 13 - PatriotsLife roundtable
It's pretty obvious that when you poll a couple Patriots bloggers, they are probably going to pick their team to win. So, instead we look at where we do differ- the final score.
Here's a roundup of some of our writers predictions for the team's next game - Green Bay vs New England.
--------
Patriots by 6
This will be a pretty significant test for the Pats as they are entering a buzz saw in Lambeau. I do ultimately see the Pats pulling this one out. The Pats offense may look to exploit a Packers run defense that has been shaky (-26.9 rush defense rating according to PFF) and that could play right into the hands of the defense as they'll want to keep the red hot Aaron Rodgers on the sideline as much as possible.
I still see it being a relatively high scoring affair, but the Patriots have proven this year that they actually have the personnel to take over a game when they need to with their rushing attack. I think that will ultimately end up being the difference as Rodgers simply may not be able to get enough time on the field to keep up in a shoot out with Brady and company.
Over the last seven games, teams are averaging 19 points against the Patriots. I have to think that Aaron Rodgers and company will be able to best that average, especially at home.
Patriots 34, Packers 28
--------
Patriots by 10
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Tomorrow we will find out. Many are calling this a Super Bowl preview and I'm inclined to agree. Rodgers looks amazing right now and the Pats have arguably been having the best month of football in franchise history.
We will see how Rodgers performs with Cobb and Nelson being covered by Browner and Revis. Look for Lacy to have a ton of short receptions and for either Boykin or Adams to emerge as the top receiver for them.
It is a crap shoot to predict what the Patriots offense will do (other than score of course) so I look at the Packer defense. They rank third in rushing yards allowed per game so look for Blount to continue his comeback tour with a lot of yards on the ground. I only see Gray coming in when Blount is tired or if Blount struggles. Play action will allow Gronk and Lafell to be wide open deep so I see a pair of touchdowns for each of them.
The game will be won by the third quarter but the Patriots defense will allow Rodgers to score points in the fourth quarter. The game will be much more decisive than the final score will let on.
Patriots 37 Packers 27
--------
Patriots by 3
This is going to be a tough one. The Pats and the Packers are the 2 hottest teams in the league in my mind, and I expect a shootout. In the end, though, I see the Patriots defense making a crucial stop against Green Bay's high-powered offense.
Make no mistake: This matchup scares the living daylight out of me. I have faith in the Pats, but if they lose any of their remaining games, it'll be this one.. Like I said, though, I think the Pats defense has the ability to make that critical stop late, and I think they'll do just that.
Patriots 34-31 Green Bay
--------
Patriots by 22
This is very bold and I'm aware of that, but I think the Patriots defense matches up well against the Packers. Outside of Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, there isn't a serious threat on the Packers, and the Patriots have shown they're capable of shutting down/limiting the top two weapons on an offense. Eddie Lacy could pose a threat, but we've been getting better at stopping the run so we'll see how that goes. Everyone thought Denver was going to smoke the Patriots defense, and we ended up shutting down the "number one offense" in the league. They haven't given me any reason to doubt they can't do it again.
On offense, I think Tom Brady and company is going to torch the Packer defense. Green Bay has a weak run defense so watch out for Legarette Blount and Jonas Gray. There's no reason the Patriots offense can't put up 40+ against this defense, given what they've been doing to other opponents.
Each week, we think the Patriots are meeting their match and won't win in a blowout, and each week they prove us wrong. The Patriots are going to show their dominance against the second best team in the league, and everyone will see how much better this team is than the next best team.
Gray and Blount will each score a TD, Gronk will score 2, and Wright and LaFell will each have one as well.
Patriots 42 - Packers 20
--------
Pats by 17
While these two teams may be the hottest in the league, the Patriots are playing on a whole other level than the rest of the league. Not to mention, every time they have been the underdog this season they have blown the doors off the teams they were playing.
While Rodgers and his weapons are scary, the Patriots D is playing with an edge that we haven't seen from them since 2001-2004. Browner and Revis can match up against anyone and Green Bay's run D is worse than Indy's. I'm expecting a big day for Blount.
38-21 Pats
--------
Patriots by 10.
I think one of the biggest things no one is talking about are the teams the Packers have beaten this season. They've beaten a ton of sub par teams, including the Bears and Vikings twice. The only wins they have against teams that are good have come against an Eagles team being led by an up-and-down Mark Sanchez and a shaky defense, as well as the Dolphins. They also beat the Lions but I don't put as much stock in that win because the Lions are also up and down.
That being said, the Patriots have beaten almost everyone in every situation after they started 2-2. So many people love to discredit what the Patriots have done because most of these wins have come at home. The road win against the Colts, however, was more than enough for me to believe New England can go into Lambeau and beat Aaron Rodgers and Co. Green Bay's defense as a whole can at times be shaky, as they are near the bottom of the NFL against the run and the pass. I would expect the combination of Jonas Gray and LeGarrette Blount to get a fair amount of touches. At the same time, I can see Tom Brady finding Rob Gronkowski a lot today, as the Packers don't really have anyone that can match up with him. They're also going to need to rely heavily on Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman in short yardage situations.
Last week, the thought of not having Darrelle Revis on Calvin Johnson worried me. But with Brandon Browner and safety help over the top on Johnson working for most of that game, I wouldn't be surprised to see that again this week, since the Packers have two very dynamic receivers. But then again, it's next to impossible to speculate what the Patriots will do every week, so that's pretty much a lost cause. The defense will give up points, but they should be able to make crucial stops when they have to, assuming they can get pressure on Rodgers.
Patriots 34, Packers 24
