http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/story/2007/12/6/15627/3930
Preview: Oakland at Packers
With QB Brett Favre back at practice and likely to start (but now QB Aaron Rodgers is maybe out for two weeks?) this game looks like a bad matchup for Oakland. Despite their poor 4-8 record Oakland has been good on the road this season. Their road record is only 2-4, but 3 of their 4 losses have been within 7 points. The Packers have played some close games at home earlier in the season, but steamrolled Minnesota and Carolina in their last two home games.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Packers Rushing Offense 8 30
Oakland Rushing Defense 32 30
Ignore those NFL rankings; the Packers have one of the best run offenses in the NFL. RB Ryan Grant is good and defenses don't dare put 8 men in the box the way Favre is playing this season. Oakland's run defense isn't just the worst in the league, it's the worst in the league by a wide margin. Expect another big day for Grant.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Oakland Rushing Offense 14 4
Packers Rushing Defense 7 12
Once again ignore those NFL rankings. RB Justin Fargas has been great the past few weeks for Oakland, but the Packers run defense is very good. This could be a good battle, but if the Packers let S Atari Bigby play up in the box because they don't respect Oakland's pass offense then Fargas will have nowhere to run.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Packers Passing Offense 6 2
Oakland Passing Defense 8 5
This will be a good battle. No matter what rankings you look at the Packers pass offense is good and so is Oakland's pass defense. Actually Oakland's pass defense is about as good as Dallas and QB Aaron Rodgers had a 104.8 passer rating against them last Thursday. Although will Favre will start, and he struggled big time against Dallas, he also had his worst decision making game of the season. Assuming Mike McCarthy shows Brett the film of all the bad decisions he made against Dallas, he's unlikely to play that bad again.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Oakland Passing Offense 30 30
Packers Passing Defense 18 23
The Packers pass defense is struggling, especially with the loss of pass rusher DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and CB Charles Woodson, but Oakland's pass offense is exceptionally awful. Oakland's pass offense is similar to Kansas City's and QB Damon Huard managed an unimpressive 74.1 passer rating against the Packers in week 9 despite a big game from TE Tony Gonzalez. If the Packers defense is healthy and TE Zach Miller doesn't imitate Gonzalez on Sunday, then Oakland's pass offense will be shut down.
Teams FO Ranking
Packers Special Teams 11
Oakland Special Teams 17
Both special teams are about average and shouldn't give either team an advantage.
The injuries are a concern, but the Packers are currently favored by approximately 10 points, which sounds about right. The Packers scored over 30 points in four consecutive weeks until Dallas held them to only 27 points last Thursday, so Packers 30, Oakland 20.
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http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/teamReport?categoryId=67046&type=StrategyAndPersonnel
GAME PLAN: With a division title to be had, heavily favored Green Bay might have to grind out a bounce-back victory after being humbled by the Cowboys last week. Brett Favre's bruised throwing elbow, coupled with the potential for some harsh weather, could mean a bigger role for emerging HB Ryan Grant. If the Packers expect to advance deep in the playoffs, they'll need an effective running game that they can turn to when throwing the football in January becomes treacherous. This is an ideal time to pound away because Oakland has a run-challenged defense. Green Bay was a train wreck defending the pass at Dallas but gets a reprieve with the Raiders being a one-dimensional offense that goes as Justin Fargas does on the ground. The Packers can load the box with eight and take their chances with single coverage on Oakland's pedestrian group of receivers. Just the same, Green Bay can throw more pressure at Josh McCown in the pocket after going sackless against the Cowboys' Tony Romo.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Packers RB Ryan Grant vs. Raiders RB Justin Fargas -- The run defenses for both teams will be on the spot to contain the two most productive backs in the league since Week 8, with Fargas rushing for 591 yards and Grant 561. Grant should be in better position to keep piling up the yards, what with Oakland ranking 30th in stopping the run (average of 148 yards yielded per game). Grant has three 100-yard games in the past six and nearly hit the century mark last week at Dallas, when he ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run. In that game, the Packers' 12th-rated run defense struggled with the punishing Marion Barber. Fargas also is a load and is eyeing a third consecutive 100-yard outing.
Packers K Mason Crosby vs. Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski: Subfreezing temperatures, wind and a chance of snow showers are in the forecast for Sunday in Green Bay. Two of the league's most powerful kickers will face a stern test in creating favorable field position for their teams. Janikowski has a league-leading 20 touchbacks. Crosby is tied for seventh with 11. The Packers rookie, though, hasn't figured out the prevalent wicked conditions at Lambeau Field as the season wears on -- he has made only four of eight field-goal tries in the last three home games.
INJURY IMPACT: QB Brett Favre took it easy on his injured throwing arm in practice Wednesday but expects to play Sunday against Oakland. Favre suffered a bruised right elbow, along with an aggravation of a separated left shoulder, in the loss at Dallas on Nov. 29. Having Favre make his 270th straight start seems imperative because top backup Aaron Rodgers suffered a strained hamstring at the end of practice Tuesday. Rodgers could be out for as much as two weeks. Craig Nall, re-signed to the team Saturday, would be Favre's understudy. CB Charles Woodson (toe) and DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (ankle) are hopeful of playing Sunday after being held out of the last game for precautionary reasons. Getting Woodson back would push Jarrett Bush, who flopped in a starting role last week, back to the nickel spot. Tramon Williams and Will Blackmon also are in the mix to serve as the third defensive back should Woodson play. With DT Johnny Jolly possibly headed to injured reserve because of a strained shoulder, the defense will be relying on untested rookies Justin Harrell and Daniel Muir to provide depth as backups.
Preview: Oakland at Packers
With QB Brett Favre back at practice and likely to start (but now QB Aaron Rodgers is maybe out for two weeks?) this game looks like a bad matchup for Oakland. Despite their poor 4-8 record Oakland has been good on the road this season. Their road record is only 2-4, but 3 of their 4 losses have been within 7 points. The Packers have played some close games at home earlier in the season, but steamrolled Minnesota and Carolina in their last two home games.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Packers Rushing Offense 8 30
Oakland Rushing Defense 32 30
Ignore those NFL rankings; the Packers have one of the best run offenses in the NFL. RB Ryan Grant is good and defenses don't dare put 8 men in the box the way Favre is playing this season. Oakland's run defense isn't just the worst in the league, it's the worst in the league by a wide margin. Expect another big day for Grant.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Oakland Rushing Offense 14 4
Packers Rushing Defense 7 12
Once again ignore those NFL rankings. RB Justin Fargas has been great the past few weeks for Oakland, but the Packers run defense is very good. This could be a good battle, but if the Packers let S Atari Bigby play up in the box because they don't respect Oakland's pass offense then Fargas will have nowhere to run.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Packers Passing Offense 6 2
Oakland Passing Defense 8 5
This will be a good battle. No matter what rankings you look at the Packers pass offense is good and so is Oakland's pass defense. Actually Oakland's pass defense is about as good as Dallas and QB Aaron Rodgers had a 104.8 passer rating against them last Thursday. Although will Favre will start, and he struggled big time against Dallas, he also had his worst decision making game of the season. Assuming Mike McCarthy shows Brett the film of all the bad decisions he made against Dallas, he's unlikely to play that bad again.
Teams FO Ranking NFL Ranking
Oakland Passing Offense 30 30
Packers Passing Defense 18 23
The Packers pass defense is struggling, especially with the loss of pass rusher DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and CB Charles Woodson, but Oakland's pass offense is exceptionally awful. Oakland's pass offense is similar to Kansas City's and QB Damon Huard managed an unimpressive 74.1 passer rating against the Packers in week 9 despite a big game from TE Tony Gonzalez. If the Packers defense is healthy and TE Zach Miller doesn't imitate Gonzalez on Sunday, then Oakland's pass offense will be shut down.
Teams FO Ranking
Packers Special Teams 11
Oakland Special Teams 17
Both special teams are about average and shouldn't give either team an advantage.
The injuries are a concern, but the Packers are currently favored by approximately 10 points, which sounds about right. The Packers scored over 30 points in four consecutive weeks until Dallas held them to only 27 points last Thursday, so Packers 30, Oakland 20.
___________________________________________________________________________
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/teamReport?categoryId=67046&type=StrategyAndPersonnel
GAME PLAN: With a division title to be had, heavily favored Green Bay might have to grind out a bounce-back victory after being humbled by the Cowboys last week. Brett Favre's bruised throwing elbow, coupled with the potential for some harsh weather, could mean a bigger role for emerging HB Ryan Grant. If the Packers expect to advance deep in the playoffs, they'll need an effective running game that they can turn to when throwing the football in January becomes treacherous. This is an ideal time to pound away because Oakland has a run-challenged defense. Green Bay was a train wreck defending the pass at Dallas but gets a reprieve with the Raiders being a one-dimensional offense that goes as Justin Fargas does on the ground. The Packers can load the box with eight and take their chances with single coverage on Oakland's pedestrian group of receivers. Just the same, Green Bay can throw more pressure at Josh McCown in the pocket after going sackless against the Cowboys' Tony Romo.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Packers RB Ryan Grant vs. Raiders RB Justin Fargas -- The run defenses for both teams will be on the spot to contain the two most productive backs in the league since Week 8, with Fargas rushing for 591 yards and Grant 561. Grant should be in better position to keep piling up the yards, what with Oakland ranking 30th in stopping the run (average of 148 yards yielded per game). Grant has three 100-yard games in the past six and nearly hit the century mark last week at Dallas, when he ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run. In that game, the Packers' 12th-rated run defense struggled with the punishing Marion Barber. Fargas also is a load and is eyeing a third consecutive 100-yard outing.
Packers K Mason Crosby vs. Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski: Subfreezing temperatures, wind and a chance of snow showers are in the forecast for Sunday in Green Bay. Two of the league's most powerful kickers will face a stern test in creating favorable field position for their teams. Janikowski has a league-leading 20 touchbacks. Crosby is tied for seventh with 11. The Packers rookie, though, hasn't figured out the prevalent wicked conditions at Lambeau Field as the season wears on -- he has made only four of eight field-goal tries in the last three home games.
INJURY IMPACT: QB Brett Favre took it easy on his injured throwing arm in practice Wednesday but expects to play Sunday against Oakland. Favre suffered a bruised right elbow, along with an aggravation of a separated left shoulder, in the loss at Dallas on Nov. 29. Having Favre make his 270th straight start seems imperative because top backup Aaron Rodgers suffered a strained hamstring at the end of practice Tuesday. Rodgers could be out for as much as two weeks. Craig Nall, re-signed to the team Saturday, would be Favre's understudy. CB Charles Woodson (toe) and DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (ankle) are hopeful of playing Sunday after being held out of the last game for precautionary reasons. Getting Woodson back would push Jarrett Bush, who flopped in a starting role last week, back to the nickel spot. Tramon Williams and Will Blackmon also are in the mix to serve as the third defensive back should Woodson play. With DT Johnny Jolly possibly headed to injured reserve because of a strained shoulder, the defense will be relying on untested rookies Justin Harrell and Daniel Muir to provide depth as backups.
