THE CLOCK IS TICKING

Battle Scarred Packers Ready to Face Untested ‘Skins in DC

Tick… tick… tick… Just like in the old movies that featured a ticking bomb the # 5 seed Green Bay Packers enter the playoffs as a ticking bomb. As they prepare to face the surprise winner of the NFC East Washington Redskins the Pack is poised to do one of two very different things.

Tick… tick… tick… The Packers enter the sweepstakes as the X factor team and the one team that has repeatedly shot itself in the foot over the course of the past 10 games. By now everyone is aware Green Bay opened at 6 - 0 and looked like world beaters. Since then they’ve been a very pedestrian 4 – 6 and last week blew the opportunity to seize their 5^th straight NFC North title. The up and coming Minnesota Vikings had other plans however and came into the once intimidating Lambeau Field environment and just like the Bears and Lions on their divisional visit to Titletown each of the NFC North neighbors crashed the party and whacked the Pack. At home. In Lambeau. Not since Vince Lombardi turned the reins over to Phil Bengston in ’68 have the Packers been swept by their divisional rivals at home.

Tick… tick… tick… The losses have been as well chronicled as they have been inexplicable. How could a team as seemingly loaded on offense suddenly fizzle? IS the ticking really a bomb set to go off or is it a portent of things to come as the clock mercilessly winds down on a disappointing finish to an injury marred season. Can Green Bay suddenly and inexplicably figure it out in time to resuscitate an otherwise head scratching campaign? Will the ticking bomb finally explode or will it be another dud?

The Washington Redskins could not possibly care less about the Pack’s woes. Since new coach Jay Gruden went so far out on a limb his only hope was the tree would grow roots in time to save his job by inserting Kirk Cousins into the lineup over incumbent Robert Griffin III the Skins fortunes have turned upward as dramatically as the Packers fortunes have turned downward. On the surface the rest of the NFL could be looking down its collective nose and harrumphing at these two teams, neither of which is expected to go beyond the second round. One will make the second round for sure. The other? Well, make sure the golf clubs are polished and seeya next year.

Washington began the campaign a hot mess. RG3 failed to ignite the Skins fuse in camp and Gruden looked to be an early candidate for being the first out the door of the NFL coaching carousel. Thankfully he had Chip Kelly fail miserably in Philly to get the boot first and deservedly so for blowing up the Eagles roster and sending them to the bottom of the barrel. Had Tony Romo of the Cowboys not gotten injured there’s no telling just how far Philly could have fallen. And Washington was greatly aided by the Giants inexplicable inability to manage that last minutes of a game.

But when Cousins went in for Gruden over RG3 things began to change. Not immediately but like the ticking of a time bomb it was a slow, methodical steady improvement every week. Cousins found a rhythm and helped to rejuvenate the career of Colt castoff Pierre Garcon and make a star again of Kelly’s banished bad boy in DeSean Jackson. The unsung hero of the lot was TE Jordan Reed who became Jimmy Graham 2.0 and as morphed into Cousins favorite target.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise has to be the emergence of Cousins. After RG3 was taken high in the 1^st round of the draft the Skins hedged their bet by also tabbing Cousins in the 4^th round, a move that drew more than one raised eyebrow in skepticism. After RG3 blew out of the gates it looked like Cousins was a wasted pick. But when RG3 blew out his knee Cousins wasn’t exactly ready to take center stage. Mike Shanahan was Washington’s bench boss at the time and his controversial decision to leave an obviously banged up Griffin in a playoff game led to a disastrous knee injury that left Griffin a shell of the player he once was. Gruden rode Griffin hard and at times heartlessly last year and continued the harangue into this season. The clock on Griffin began to tick louder and more frequently but even a demotion to 3^rd string and no longer even dressing for games has not publicly soured RG3 who will undoubtedly draw interest in the offseason. When Griffin didn’t produce under Gruden’s pressure Cousins became the next man up. Cousins began the season tepidly but gradually became more effective, so much so he surpassed Aaron Rodgers in stats this season.

Alfred Morris came in unheralded and lacks blazing speed or steamrolling but his ability to change directions and cut has made him highly effective in Washington’s offense. And Washington struck gold again late in the draft as rookie Matt Jones picked up the slack when Morris faltered. Jones is questionable for Sunday’s contest and his loss would deal a stiff blow to the Skins shot.

Tick… tick… tick… Now the countdown begins. For Washington to win they will need to rely on their underappreciated defense. The Skins were decent against what the Packers will have to do to be successful in the running game. Immense Terrence Knighton anchors the line in a 3 – 4 alignment and Washington has the LB’s that fly to the ball. Ryan Kerrigan leads a group that includes Trent Murphy, Will Compton and Mason Foster. While none are household names collectively they bring some thump and can also drop into coverage, an area where the Skins may be most vulnerable.

Tick… tick… tick… On the other side of the field the Packers are the ticking time bomb. The rhetoric has been forget the regular season, the real season is now. True enough. From a historical perspective there is some merit; when Peyton Manning and the Colts won their Super Bowl they were blown out by Jacksonville 44 – 6 late in the regular season. The last Giants Super Bowl – Brett Favre’s last game as a Packer - win saw them limp into the playoffs ice cold, catch a break and then get hot at the right time. Even the Packer’s Super Bowl run in ’10 saw them come in on the last game of the season, the 12^th team to qualify and the least likely to run the table. But they did.

That time bomb is the Packers offense. All season long everyone has been waiting for it to go off. In spite of the offensive woes there is enough pure talent and grizzled playoff tested talent to have that bomb go off. Green Bay will need Eddie Lacy to perform like the Eddie Lacy he is capable of being. Getting Lacy going and sticking with the game plan is paramount. As the Packers deficiencies at WR have been exposed defenses have played tighter and are daring the pass but the Packers inconsistencies in the running game have exacerbated the problems.

Much will depend on the health of David Bahktiari, Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga, all of whom have lost game time to injury. While Sitton has been sitting he was put in the unenviable role of playing left tackle last week as the backups Layne Taylor and Don Barclay could have been charged as accessories to assault with the number of hits Aaron Rodgers took against Minnesota. Sitton did the best he could but Everson Griffin pretty much had his way with Sitton. The line is an excellent pass blocking group but for unknown reasons has not opened the lanes for Lacy as they have in seasons past.

It is a must against Washington. Green Bay has to have the running game if they are to have a prayer of even attempting a pass. The symbiotic nature of run to pass and pass to run is such in Packerland that one cannot survive without the other. If Lacy goes that ticking time bomb could go off big. James Starks has to simply hang on to the ball. His 5 fumbles this year have caught the attention of the coaching staff that may be more reluctant to trust him in crunch time.

One area that doesn’t draw concern is the defense. The Packer defense has been largely overlooked this year in the wake of the offensive woes. The defense has been playing some fairly consistent ball of late and has surrendered more than 20 points only once in the past 7 games, a fact that flies under the radar when the offense is struggling to put points on the board. Sam Shields may not clear the concussion protocol in time for the first round; in his place Damarious Randall has been better than advertised as he has filled in well. Randall is still prone to biting early on a double move and he may draw a matchup with DeSean Jackson which should be an interesting game-within-a-game matchup.

Tick… tick… tick… The clock is winding down on the Packers. The ticking of the time bomb is going to lead to one of two distinctly different outcomes. Any team can get hot in the playoffs… why not the Packers? If Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, James Jones and Richard Rodgers could get on the same page as Rodgers the Packers are as good as anybody. There is strength in playoff experience, something the young Redskins cannot counter. With the exception of the rookies almost all the Packers have been in a playoff game and know what is to be expected. That fact alone could make all the difference. With the loss to Minnesota the Vikes face the red hot Seahawks in the arctic chill of Minneapolis while the Packers drew the most favorable matchup with Washington. But in the NFL there is always the “be careful what you wish for” syndrome that could have that ticking bomb go off in the Packers’ lap.

Tick… tick… tick… Will this finally be the game the bomb goes off and the offense clicks and blows up the ‘Skins… or is it just a dud? Experience will be the difference.

                                                            

Tick… tick… tick… Boom!

  GREEN BAY 23   

   Washington  19