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Packers vs Broncos: Previews & Predictions
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<blockquote data-quote="TOPHAT" data-source="post: 179860" data-attributes="member: 781"><p><strong>THINGS TO WATCH FOR</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/PKR01/71028044/1057/PKR&located=RSS" target="_blank">http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/PKR01/71028044/1057/PKR&located=RSS</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Three keys to Monday night's game</strong> </p><p></p><p><strong>Weakness against weakness</strong></p><p></p><p>This game might be the ultimate barometer on the state of the Packers’ run game. The Broncos have one of the two or three worst run defenses in the NFL — they rank last in rushing yards allowed, and second-to-last in yards allowed per carry. The Packers’ offense is their statistical counterpart, ranking last in rushing yards and 30th in yards per carry. Something has to give, right? Last week, Denver defensive coordinator Jim Bates brought a safety up to stop Pittsburgh’s run-oriented offense, and the Broncos had their best defensive game of the season. Perhaps, though, he won’t feel the need to bring the safety up as much against the Packers, who are starting rookie DeShawn Wynn and playing Vernand Morency as a passing-down and change-of-pace replacement. If Bates tries to stop the run with only his front seven, which has performed poorly this year, the Packers will find out whether they can run the ball against at least someone in the NFL. If Bates keeps his safeties deep on early downs and against two-back sets, coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Brett Favre probably will rely on the ball-control passing game that’s led them to their 5-1 start. </p><p></p><p><strong>Cutler is a key</strong></p><p></p><p>The Packers are catching Denver at an interesting time, because the Broncos were 2-3 entering last week’s game, when their franchise quarterback, Jay Cutler, had the best game of his brief career. The second-year pro will be making his 12th NFL start tonight. Cutler completed 22 of 29 passes against the Steelers, had a passer rating of 106.7 points, and led the Broncos to the game-winning field goal by completing four of five passes in the final 1 minute, 10 seconds. If Cutler’s growth curve is beginning a big upswing, this could be a major challenge for the Packers’ defense, because he has two good receivers in Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley, along with up-and-coming tight end Tony Scheffler, plus the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher in Travis Henry. Cutler, however, ranks 32nd in the league in interception ratio — he’s thrown eight in only 181 attempts – so he’s green enough to be vulnerable to making bad throws because of pressure and disguised coverages. </p><p></p><p><strong>The intangibles</strong></p><p></p><p>There are several interesting intangible factors for this game. The Broncos have an edge because they’re at home, where coach Mike Shanahan has a 78-27 record. The Packers, coming off their bye, have an edge because they’ve had time to get healthier and prepare more for this game. Last year, McCarthy went into the bye 1-4 but won the following week at Miami. </p><p></p><p>Then there’s the matchup of defensive systems — Bates with Denver, and the Packers with his protégé, Bob Sanders. Though Bates has made some minor adjustments in Denver, he and Sanders are running the same system, so both offenses practiced against that defense every day in training camp. Players are more important than scheme, and there’s a major difference in the makeup of the defensive personnel between the teams, but both offenses will see some familiar looks and techniques from all three defensive levels. In the NFL, sometimes a small edge can be the difference.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TOPHAT, post: 179860, member: 781"] [b]THINGS TO WATCH FOR[/b] [url]http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/PKR01/71028044/1057/PKR&located=RSS[/url] [b]Three keys to Monday night's game[/b] [b]Weakness against weakness[/b] This game might be the ultimate barometer on the state of the Packers’ run game. The Broncos have one of the two or three worst run defenses in the NFL — they rank last in rushing yards allowed, and second-to-last in yards allowed per carry. The Packers’ offense is their statistical counterpart, ranking last in rushing yards and 30th in yards per carry. Something has to give, right? Last week, Denver defensive coordinator Jim Bates brought a safety up to stop Pittsburgh’s run-oriented offense, and the Broncos had their best defensive game of the season. Perhaps, though, he won’t feel the need to bring the safety up as much against the Packers, who are starting rookie DeShawn Wynn and playing Vernand Morency as a passing-down and change-of-pace replacement. If Bates tries to stop the run with only his front seven, which has performed poorly this year, the Packers will find out whether they can run the ball against at least someone in the NFL. If Bates keeps his safeties deep on early downs and against two-back sets, coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Brett Favre probably will rely on the ball-control passing game that’s led them to their 5-1 start. [b]Cutler is a key[/b] The Packers are catching Denver at an interesting time, because the Broncos were 2-3 entering last week’s game, when their franchise quarterback, Jay Cutler, had the best game of his brief career. The second-year pro will be making his 12th NFL start tonight. Cutler completed 22 of 29 passes against the Steelers, had a passer rating of 106.7 points, and led the Broncos to the game-winning field goal by completing four of five passes in the final 1 minute, 10 seconds. If Cutler’s growth curve is beginning a big upswing, this could be a major challenge for the Packers’ defense, because he has two good receivers in Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley, along with up-and-coming tight end Tony Scheffler, plus the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher in Travis Henry. Cutler, however, ranks 32nd in the league in interception ratio — he’s thrown eight in only 181 attempts – so he’s green enough to be vulnerable to making bad throws because of pressure and disguised coverages. [b]The intangibles[/b] There are several interesting intangible factors for this game. The Broncos have an edge because they’re at home, where coach Mike Shanahan has a 78-27 record. The Packers, coming off their bye, have an edge because they’ve had time to get healthier and prepare more for this game. Last year, McCarthy went into the bye 1-4 but won the following week at Miami. Then there’s the matchup of defensive systems — Bates with Denver, and the Packers with his protégé, Bob Sanders. Though Bates has made some minor adjustments in Denver, he and Sanders are running the same system, so both offenses practiced against that defense every day in training camp. Players are more important than scheme, and there’s a major difference in the makeup of the defensive personnel between the teams, but both offenses will see some familiar looks and techniques from all three defensive levels. In the NFL, sometimes a small edge can be the difference. [/QUOTE]
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