It's time for this week's edition of Packers Mailbag . . .
Question: Are the Packers now for real after this win? -- Dave, Elk Mound
Question: What do the Packers need to be concerned with down the stretch? How can they improve the tackling on defense? -- Brody, Cottage Grove
Question: Shouldn't we still be a little worried about the run defense? Most are surprised that NE didn't run more. When they did they usually got big gains. -- Tom, Loomis, CA
Answer: Yes, Green Bay is absolutely for real after beating New England. It's not just that the Packers are for real, they're now the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. If beating the Patriots doesn't convince someone that Green Bay is for real, what more could you want this team to do in order to prove it? The one significant challenge that could come about is a potential playoff matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. That's still a team that presents matchup problems because of their in-your-face style of elite-level defense.
The reason the second and third questions above are included here is because of possible concerns on defense that could prevent the Packers from going as far as they're capable of going in the postseason. Green Bay is certainly trending in the direction it wants to be heading, giving up only 21 points to a Patriots team that entered the game as the league's high-scoring offense. I think it was important for the Packers to win that game without forcing a turnover. The problem for Green Bay hasn't been forcing turnovers, ranking fourth in the NFL in takeaways. It's been the tendency to rely too heavily on turnovers to get off the field. Forcing New England to punt four times was a good sign that the Packers can get it done without turnovers, but they'll need that to continue moving forward.
The run defense is still a problem, but it's starting to become less of one with Green Bay inching its way to 28th in the league in that category. But I very much agree with Tom's point above, that it was surprising to see the Patriots have a 35:18 pass-to-run ratio. I would bet that if these two teams meet again in the Super Bowl, Bill Belichick would have that number a lot closer to a 50-50 split.
Q: If Arizona and the Packers both win-out the rest of the season, wouldn't Arizona get the top seed? -- Ralph, Newton, MA
Q: In your opinion, will the packers win the rest of their games? If not who do you see them potentially losing to? What will be their biggest obstacle to winning the rest of the games? -- Hans, Loyal
A: I would encourage those interested to check out Wednesday's story in which I put together the most likely scenario for the Packers in their final four regular-season games, as well projecting into the playoff matchups.
But yes, if Arizona wins out, the Cardinals would be the NFC's No. 1 seed due to having only two conference losses compared to Green Bay's three. However, does anyone actually think Arizona is going to win four in a row with a schedule that has home games against Kansas City and Seattle, plus road trips to St. Louis and San Francisco?
The way the Packers are playing right now, with recent wins over New England and Philadelphia (two 9-3 teams), it's difficult to see them losing again this regular season. Hosting the Atlanta Falcons and going to Tampa Bay will have Green Bay as double-digit favorites. However, playing at Buffalo against the Bills' second-ranked defense won't be an easy win. Nor will hosting the Detroit Lions, a team that's already beat Green Bay once. If the NFC North is on the line in Week 17 and the Packers are as healthy as they are now, I'd feel comfortable picking Green Bay to win. But, in this scenario, the Lions would be one game away from their first division title since 1993, so you know they'd do everything possible to put their best game together that day, making them a very dangerous opponent.
Q: Is Aaron Rodgers the best QB in football right now? Is the MVP his to lose? -- Vern, Fall Creek
A: Yes, and yes. Aaron Rodgers' 118.6 passer rating is the best in the NFL, while the second-highest-rated quarterback (Peyton Manning) is more than 10 points back at 107.8. That is a drastic difference between No. 1 and No. 2. There are many impressive aspects of Rodgers' season, but his three interceptions in 380 passing attempts would seem unbelievable if it couldn't be statistically proven. Rodgers is playing at least as well as he did in his first MVP season of 2011, if not better.
According to Bovada, Rodgers has 1-2 odds of being named the league's Most Valuable Player. In second place is J.J. Watt at 5-1, with Manning, Tom Brady and Andrew Luck rounding out the top five. Unless Rodgers suddenly comes down with a bout of the Cutlers and throws several interceptions in the coming weeks, he'll need to make room in his trophy case.
Q: Great game plan by coaches McCarthy and Capers, do they save some things for particular games? Will they continue moving Matthews around? It sure seems to work. Capers seems to be more innovative with the defense this year, what is the difference? Why do they keep trying to run the stretch play on offense? -- Rae, Hudson
A: Mike McCarthy deserves a lot of credit for using just about every package in his arsenal against New England. He switched up the personnel and the looks he was giving Belichick, and that was certainly done with the knowledge that he was going against a defensive mastermind.
The experiment with Clay Matthews moving around isn't going away this season. Matthews' switch to primarily playing inside linebacker has helped spark a huge turnaround for the Packers' defense since the bye week. And because Capers still has Matthews line up at outside linebacker at times (as well as lining him up outside of the outside linebacker), there are still opportunities to pass-rush against an offensive tackle.
Those "fire Capers" questions and tweets are non-existent now. What Capers has done in evolving as a defensive coordinator shows that, while he has a ton of experience in the league, he's not stuck in his ways. There's no singular reason why Capers has been more innovative this season, but his willingness to try new things and dump the ones that aren't working (hey, remember when Green Bay played a 4-3 defense for a few weeks?) has made a major difference for the Packers.
Q: Should Corey Linsley be considered for rookie of the year? He has stepped right in almost flawlessly at center. -- Mya, Altoona
A: This is the year of the rookie wide receivers. In what will likely go down as the best draft class ever of receivers, one of them will win the award -- and deservingly so. Kelvin Benjamin, Odell Beckham, Mike Evans and Sammy Watkins are atop that list.
If you're a fan of ProFootballFocus (and if you're not, you should be), Corey Linsley is the third-best center in the NFL this season. Only the Jets' Nick Mangold and Seattle's Max Unger have a higher rating heading into Week 14. That is an incredible accomplishment for Linsley, and one that could possibly have him Pro Bowl-bound. But rookie of the year? That will go to one of the standout wide receivers.
Q: Is Sam Barrington the future replacement for AJ Hawk? Do think Hawk will be in the Packers plans next season? He's not fast, but he's reliable and available. -- Kathy, Stillwater
A:The way Sam Barrington played against New England, he must've earned himself additional opportunities for significant playing time. Barrington, a 2013 seventh-round pick, was on the field for 49 out of 58 snaps in a game against the league's highest-scoring offense. That's a strong indication that Capers & Co. trust Barrington.
With Jamari Lattimore having fallen out of favor (and not under contract after this season), he's not part of the future. It's also fair to say Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk represent the past more than the future. Barrington is the closest thing the Packers have to a piece at inside linebacker for the future. But the lack of depth -- and game-changing star power -- at inside linebacker will still exist after this season, and it will have to be Green Bay's top priority in the draft and/or free agency.
** That's all for this week. Enjoy Packers/Falcons on Monday night and don't forget to send in questions after that game goes final for next week's edition of Mailbag. **
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