Being from Pittsburgh, we don’t see much of the Packers on TV except for when they get the occasional prime time game. But since Sunday Night Football this past season was pretty much the “NFC East Matchup of the Week”…we really didn’t see much of the Cheeseheads.
So to get some better perspective on what the Steelers can do this Sunday to hoist their Seventh Lombardi, I sent some feelers out to bloggers from the six teams that beat the Packers this year to see what their teams did to have success.
BearsHQ: Running the damn football. Run the ball to the boundry and good things will happen. If you give the Packers time to create turnovers, they will do so. Attacking them makes life easier. If you sit back, they’ll get you. Finally, contain Clay Matthews, Jr. and that helps.
BearsSTH: The Bears know the Packers very well. Offensively and defensively the matchups have been a wash and really came down to a play or 2 that made a difference. It will come down to who ever can make the least number of mistakes. In the first game against the Packers, in which the Bears won, it came down to the special teams. Devin Hester returned a punt for a touchdown and Robbie Gould it a game winning field goal.
2. The Packers averaged 29.1 points per game in their 10 wins and 16.2 points per game in their 6 losses, scoring over 21 points only once. What did your team do defensively to slow down the Packers high-powered offense?
BearsHQ: Hit Aaron Rodgers early and often. Force the Packers receivers to the middle so you can strip the ball. They’re prone to fumbles. Don’t give up on plays, they’ll lose the ball.
BearsSTH: The Bears have been able to pressure Aaron Rodgers consistently enough to make him nervous. Although the Bears didn’t register huge sack numbers, the D-line made the Packer’s offensive line nervous by causing them to false start and get called for holding penalties.
3. What was the turning point in your game with the Packers that enabled your team to secure the victory?
BearsHQ: The Bears have played the Packers well. Putting pressure on Rodgers and running the football was a key, plus special teams can help. This is a rivalry game, so strange things always seem to happen.
Running the ball. If you can smash it down their throats you will have success.
2. The Packers averaged 29.1 points per game in their 10 wins and 16.2 points per game in their 6 losses, scoring over 21 points only once. What did your team do defensively to slow down the Packers
high-powered offense?
A lot of 3 man rush and sitting back in zones in this game. But in the playoffs tried the same thing and failed.
3. What was the turning point in your game with the Packers that enabled your team to secure the victory?
When Aaron Rodgers fumbled on the goalline early in the game. Atlanta took a lead of 11 points into the half and never looked back.
4. If you had to play the Packers again, what would be your recommendation for how to attack them (either on offense or defense)?
On offense, we would have to run the ball better and play mistake free football.
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